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Salt: A World History Mark Kurlansky Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilization from the beginning, and its story is a glittering often surprising part of the history of mankind. So valuable that it has often served as currency and still does in places today, salt inspired the earliest trade routes across unknown oceans and the remotest deserts. Wars have been fought over salt, and while salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia, they have also inspired revolution - Gandhi's salt march in 1930 began the overthrow of British rule in India. From the rural Sichuan province where the last home-made soya sauce is made to the Cheshire brine springs that supplied salt around the globe, Mark Kurlansky has produced a kaleidoscope of world history, a multilayered masterpiece that blends political, commercial, scientific, religious and culinary records into a rich and memorable tale. |
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Rocks and Minerals (Eyewitness Handbooks) Chris Pellant Color photos accompany descriptions, facts on formation, plus quick keys to group, composition, hardness, cleavage and fracture. |
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Collecting Rocks, Gems & Minerals: Easy Identification - Values - Lapidary Uses Patti Polk Three Guides in One! Identification, Values, Lapidary UsesDesigned with beginners in mind, yet filled with valuable technical information for advanced collectors, Collecting Rocks, Gems and Minerals takes you from being just someone who appreciates rocks to a true "collector." - Easy-to-use, quick reference format arranged by category and color of stone
- Covers both lapidary and mineral display materials
- Provides values and tips for locating, buying and collecting
- Includes organics such as amber, bone, coral, pearl and shell
- Lists chemical group, system, hardness, opacity, fracture, specific gravity and more
- Contains more than 650 full-color photos
- Foreword by Johann Zenz, world renowned agate expert, author and lecturer
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Smithsonian Handbooks: Gemstones Cally Hall From Wikipedia: A gemstone or gem (also called a precious or semi-precious stone, a fine gem, or jewel) is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.[1][2] However certain rocks, (such as lapis lazuli) and organic materials (such as amber or jet) are not minerals, but are still used for jewelry, and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewelry because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone. Apart from jewelry, from earliest antiquity until the 19th century engraved gems and hardstone carvings such as cups were major luxury art forms; the carvings of Carl Fabergé were the last significant works in this tradition. ~~~ The traditional classification in the West, which goes back to the Ancient Greeks, begins with a distinction between precious and semi-precious stones; similar distinctions are made in other cultures. In modern usage the precious stones are diamond, ruby, sapphire and emerald, with all other gemstones being semi-precious.[3] This distinction reflects the rarity of the respective stones in ancient times, as well as their quality: all are translucent with fine color in their purest forms, except for the colorless diamond, and very hard,[4] with hardnesses of 8-10 on the Mohs scale. Other stones are classified by their color, translucency and hardness. The traditional distinction does not necessarily reflect modern values, for example, while garnets are relatively inexpensive, a green garnet called Tsavorite, can be far more valuable than a mid-quality emerald.[5] Another unscientific term for semi-precious gemstones used in art history and archaeology is hardstone. Use of the terms 'precious' and 'semi-precious' in a commercial context is, arguably, misleading in that it deceptively implies certain stones are intrinsically... |
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National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals (National Audubon Society Field Guides) NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY Perfect for mountain climbers and hikers, this valuable reference covers more rocks and minerals in North America than any other available guide. 794 full-color photographs depict all the important rocks, gems, and minerals -- in many variations of color and crystal form -- and the natural environments in which they occur; written descriptions provide information on field marks, similar rocks and minerals, environment, areas of occurrence, and derivation of names. Includes a guide to mineral collecting and a list of rock-forming minerals |
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Rocks and Minerals (Dk Pocket Nature) Monica Price Whether you are a dedicated rock fan or an up-and-coming geologist, learn everything you need to know to quickly and easily identify over 325 rocks and minerals commonly found in the UK and Europe. From acanthite to zoisite this is your ideal in-the-field and on-the-move reference. |
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Let's Go Rock Collecting (Let'S-Read-And-Find-Out Science. Stage 2) Roma Gans Holly Keller has created vivacious new paintings for this favorite Reading Rainbow title about geology. Readers follow two enthusiastic rock hounds around the globe as they add to their collection. Along the way they will learn how sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks are formed. From the Egyptian pyramids to Roman roads, from the diamond ring on your finger to the pebbles under your feet'rocks are everywhere! |
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Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks & Minerals Practical, concise, and easy to use, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Rocks and Minerals contains everything that the rock and mineral enthusiast needs to know. This field guide is divided into two large sections -- one devoted to minerals and one to rocks, each prefaced by a comprehensive introduction that discusses formation, chemistry, and more. All 377 entries, beautifully illustrated with color photographs and helpful visual symbols, provide descriptions and practical information about appearance, classification, rarity, crystal formation, mode of occurrence, gravity of mineral, rock chemistry, modal classification fields, formational environments, grain sizes of rocks, and much more. Whether you are a serious collector or an information-seeking amateur, this incomparably beautiful, authoritative guide will prove an invaluable reference. |
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The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones: A Complete Guide to Appraising and Using Precious Stones From Cut and Color to Shape and Settings Judith Crowe For goldsmiths, collectors, jewelry-makers, investors, retailers and consumers. The trade of gemstones is a highly specialized and often secretive business. Using The Jeweler's Directory of Gemstones, written by an expert gemstone dealer and designer, will provide any consumer with the insider knowledge needed to make accurate judgments of gemstones, to recognize low- and high-quality stones, and to make a good buy rather than a bad one. Each full-color spread is packed with concise text, annotated drawings and beautiful photographs, including a showcase of virtuoso jewelry designs. Great for informed consumers, the book includes: - Sources and grading
- Traditional and modern settings
- Cutting and faceting
- Designing a special setting
- Gemstone groups
- Appraising, buying and handling gemstones
- Diamond types and pearls
- Spotting synthetics and fakes.
Here is a sampling of the practical insider information in this book: - Using a loupe to examine a stone
- Understanding laser cutting and carving
- Identifying synthetic diamonds
- Buying at gem fairs and from dealers
- Cleaning and storing stones.
No other book has this kind expert advice -- up-to-date, clearly presented and fully illustrated -- on evaluating and using gemstones. (20061101) |
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Coal: A Human History [MP3 CD] Barbara Freese The fascinating, often surprising story of how a simple black rock has altered the course of history. Prized as "the best stone in Britain" by Roman invaders who carved jewelry out of it, coal has transformed societies, powered navies, fueled economies, and expanded frontiers. It made China a twelfth-century superpower, inspired the writing of the Communist Manifesto, and helped the northern states win the American Civil War.Yet the mundane mineral that built our global economy-and even today powers our electrical plants-has also caused death, disease, and environmental destruction. As early as 1306, King Edward I tried to ban coal (unsuccessfully) because its smoke became so obnoxious. Its recent identification as a primary cause of global warming has made it a cause célèbre of a new kind.In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins three hundred million years ago and spans the globe. From the "Great Stinking Fogs" of London to the rat-infested coal mines of Pennsylvania, from the impoverished slums of Manchester to the toxic city streets of Beijing, Coal is a captivating narrative about an ordinary substance that has done extraordinary things-a simple black rock that could well determine our fate as a species. |