Background
George Frederick Kunz was born on September 29, 1856 in New York City, New York, United States. He was the son of J. G. and Marie Ida (Widmer) Kunz.
( Foremost gemologist presents definitive study of the ma...)
Foremost gemologist presents definitive study of the magical abilities and strange characteristics of precious stones. Wide range of sources — Greek, Latin documents, medieval lapidaries, Eddas, Egyptian writings, Oriental gem books, the Bible — reveal magic, occult, medicinal and religious uses of dozens of gems. 65 plates, 8 in color.
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(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
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(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
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(Excerpt from The Fresh-Water Pearls and Pearl Fisheries o...)
Excerpt from The Fresh-Water Pearls and Pearl Fisheries of the United States With the great abundance of Unio shells in North America, and their exquisite variety of tints, it seems as though a careful and judicious system of experiments might develop a form of art industry of great beauty and interest. One of the most singular circumstances connected with the New Jersey pearl fever of 1857 was the discovery of several shells which proved that local savants had experimented on the pearl-bearing Unios by dropping mother-of-pearl buttons inside the shell, hoping that the mussel would cover them with its secretion. The specimens found had evidently been experimented on some thirty years previous, at a time when European scientists were greatly interested in shells received from China, which had been treated as above described. As further bearing on this point, although not in relation to fresh-water shells, may be noted some facts brought out in the special report on pearl fisheries and pearl supply, in vol. II, No. 191, of the United States consular reports (august, In this article Mr. W'. J. Weatherill, United States consul at Brisbane, Australia, in describing the pearl fisheries in Torres Strait, alludes to. The local variation in the abundance of pearls in the pearl oysters, and states that the yield is much less where the bottom is muddy or clayey than where it consists of gravel or sharp sand. He also says that experiments are in progress for the production of pearls by artificial introduction of foreign substances, though as yet there has not been time to deter mine how far they may be successful. Mr. A. E. Morland, consul at Belize, British Honduras, speaks of the pink pearls found in the large West India conch shell (strombus gigas), and mentions that these also can be artificially induced though it is not done at that place. He refers to an instance, however, in which a person did succeed in this process, introducing a foreign nucleus through a hole bored in the shell, and thus obtaining conch pearls; but instead of being rewarded for his ingenuity the pearl manufacturer was brought before a West India magistrate and fined for fraud. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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(Excerpt from Rings for the Finger: From the Earliest Know...)
Excerpt from Rings for the Finger: From the Earliest Known Times to the Present, With Full Descriptions of the Origin, Early Making, Materials, Archæology, History, for Affection, for Love, for Engagement, for Wedding, Commemorative, Mourning; Etc One of the earliest uses to which rings were put was for the impression of an engraved design or device upon letters or documents, as the sign-manual of the wearer. From the time of the ancient Egyptians, this use pre vailed in various parts of the world and many of the most striking rings of this type are described and figured here. Allied to these, and in some cases identical with them, are the rings given as marks of official dignity and rank. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
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George Frederick Kunz was born on September 29, 1856 in New York City, New York, United States. He was the son of J. G. and Marie Ida (Widmer) Kunz.
Kunz was educated in the public schools and at Cooper Union. At a very early age he showed a remarkable gift for geological research and appreciation of precious stones.
Kunz was employed as a gem expert by Tiffany & Company of New York in 1879, when he was only twenty-three years old. From 1883 to 1909 he was a special agent of the United States Geological Survey, though for most of the period this work occupied only a portion of his time. In 1889 he was in charge of the department of mines at the Paris exposition; in 1892 in a similar position at the exposition at Kimberley, South Africa; and in 1893 at the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. In 1895 he was honorary special agent of the department of mines at the Atlanta exposition, and in 1898 at the Omaha exposition. Between 1892 and 1898 he gave a portion of his time to a study of American pearls for the United States Fish Commission. In 1900 he served as United States delegate to the International Congress at Paris. In 1904 he was radium commissioner to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, and he had oversight of the data on precious stones for the Census of 1900. On Feb. 15, 1907, he became vice-president of Tiffany & Company, and so continued until his death.
Kunz was an authority on ancient jewelry, and many discoveries of the sort were referred to him by archeologists for classification. His professional activities brought him frequently into public notice as a pundit on fashions and novelties in jewelry and gems. But his mind ranged widely among other subjects.
He wrote numerous magazine articles and pamphlets on gems, minerals, folklore, and antiquities.
Kunz was noted as an explorer for gems. Among his achievements in this line were the identification in California in 1902 of transparent spodumene, christened kunzite in his honor, which became one of the popular semi-precious stones, and at Jordansmühl, Germany, he found jade embedded in its native rock. He also made known the unusual qualities of the milky-whitish-blue diamond, one of the rarest of precious stones, which he named tiffanyite. He was research curator of precious stones of the American Museum of Natural History, 1904-18, and research associate, 1918-32, and for this institution he made a collection which he called the "Alphabet of the Universe, " containing specimens of every known element. He was active in all campaigns to save and extend New York City's parks; he was interested in wild life, history, and historic monuments, as was shown by his presidencies of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society and the Joan of Arc Statue Commission, his honorary presidency of the New York Bird and Tree Club, and his membership in the North American Indian Memorial Commission. He also served as president of the American Metric Association, of the New York Academy of Sciences, the New York Mineral Club, and the American section of the Société de Chimie Industrielle. His honors were numerous. He was an officer of the Legion of Honor of France, a knight of the Order of St. Olaf, Norway, an officer of the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan, and an honorary member of the Chambre Syndicale Pierres Précieuses of Paris.
(Excerpt from Rings for the Finger: From the Earliest Know...)
(Excerpt from The Fresh-Water Pearls and Pearl Fisheries o...)
( Foremost gemologist presents definitive study of the ma...)
(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
(This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)
On October 29, 1879 Kunz married Sophia Handforth, who died in 1912, leaving two daughters: Elizabeth, who died in 1921, and Ruby Handforth, the wife of Hans Zinsser. On May 15, 1923, he married Opal Logan Giberson, but the marriage was later annulled.
