Gems, Pearls, and Pebbles: 4 Classic Books on Precious Stones
Classic Writings on Pearls, Gemstones, Natural History, and the Science of Mineral BeautyBy Paul E. Desautels, John George Francis, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge . Committee of General Literature and Education, Wallis Richard Cattelle
Length17h 5m
About this audiobook
Gems, Pearls, and Pebbles gathers four classic studies of precious stones into a compact exploration of mineral beauty, natural history, commerce, and moral reflection. Moving between descriptive science, anecdotal exposition, educational prose, and the older literary tradition of gemstone lore, the volume shows how jewels have served as objects of curiosity, symbols of value, and occasions for thinking about creation. Its treatment of gems, pearls, and even humbler pebbles gives the collection an unusually broad material and imaginative range. The contributors—Paul E. Desautels, John George Francis, Wallis Richard Cattelle, and the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge's Committee of General Literature and Education—represent intersecting traditions of popular scholarship, museum-minded natural history, practical instruction, and Victorian-era moral education. Their varied approaches situate the anthology within a period when scientific knowledge was increasingly circulated to general readers and often framed through cultural, religious, and aesthetic questions. Together, these voices illuminate the changing meanings attached to minerals in domestic, commercial, and intellectual life. Recommended for readers of gemology, material culture, Victorian popular science, and the history of educational writing, this volume offers more than a catalogue of stones. Its multiple perspectives invite comparison between observation and symbolism, technical knowledge and literary wonder. Readers will find a valuable introduction to how ordinary and precious materials alike became vehicles for learning, admiration, and debate.
Audiobook details
GenreScience and Nature, Literary Classics
Length17 hrs 5 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMar 4, 2025
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Pearl, its story, its charm, and its value
2ILLUSTRATIONS
3AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DEEP BLUE SEA
4A PEARL OF LEGEND
5ANTIQUITY OF THE PEARL
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6THE FASHION OF PEARLS
7VARIETIES
8COLOR
9IMPERFECTIONS
10GENESIS OF PEARLS
11METHODS OF FISHING
12HABITAT OF THE PEARL OYSTER
13PEARL FISHERIES
14PRICE
15IMITATION AND DOCTORED PEARLS
16FACTS AND FANCIES
17PEARLS IN LITERATURE
18GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEARLS AND SHELLS FROM THE VARIOUS FISHERIES
19Gems in the Smithsonian Institution
201 THE NATIONAL GEM COLLECTION
216 PRINCIPAL GEM SPECIES
227 SOME NOTABLE GEMS IN THE COLLECTION
23Beach Rambles in Search of Seaside Pebbles and Crystals
24BEACH RAMBLES, ETC., ETC.
25CHAPTER IV.
26CHAPTER VI.
27CHAPTER VIII.
28REFERENCES TO THE CHROMO-PLATES.
29The Book of Shells
30Introductory Chapter.
31CLASS MOLLUSCA.
32CLASS CONCHIFERA.
33CLASS CIRRHIPEDA.
34CLASS ANNULATA.
35CLASS CRUSTACEA.
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