Excerpt from Precious Stones in Nature, Art, and Literature

In the preparation of the work on "Precious Stones, " use has been made of all the assistance within reach of the author obtained from writers expressly discoursing upon this topic, from general literature, and from works exclusively scientific. The subject covers a wide field, and is one about which, on some points, there is considerable difference of opinion, therefore, the difficulty of arriving at the truth is much greater than where there is more concurrence of views, and more agreement in the statements of what are claimed to be historical facts.

Very few American works on precious stones exist, and those that have been published are generally limited in the number of species described, while nothing, or only very meagre accounts have been given to American gems by foreign authors. The most complete list of native gems is by Mr. George F. Kunz, mineralogist and gem-expert, employed by Messrs. Tiffany and Company, New York, published in the United States Geological Surveys, under the superintendence of Mr. Albert Williams, Jr. The author very gratefully acknowledges the assistance generously offered by Mr. Kunz, who examined parts of the manuscript, and suggested several improvements, more especially in the scientific and practical portions of the work.

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