Gem historians usually focus on commerce and jewellery, but gems also have a long history as scientific objects. This talk covers a key period in gem science, France in the decades around 1800. This is when gems came to be seen as an aesthetic and commercial category rather than as a natural one. Yet this is also a key period for the creation of gemmology as a distinct field. How can we resolve this paradox, and what does it mean for gem appraisal in the present?
Michael Bycroft is a historian of early modern Europe with a particular interest in France and the physical sciences. He is writing a book that retells the history of the Scientific Revolution through the lens of precious stones. He studied at the University of Cambridge and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin, before becoming Assistant and then Associate Professor at the University of Warwick.
Look forward to seeing you there!
Craig O’Donnell BA(Hons) FGA
Chairman Gem-A Midlands Branch
Registered charity no. 1109555
The Gem-A Midlands Branch has been educating people in Gemmology since 1952 (73 years!). We hold regular meetings at Fellows Auctioneers where we are lucky to have excellent speakers who are well known in the jewellery and antiques trade. If you fancy learning something new or refreshing your Gemmology feel free to come along.
Entry Fee
Students – £4.00
Gem-A Members – £5.00
Non-Members – £6.00
