Semi-precious

The term “semi precious” is applied to a subset gemstones, and the term was created to set them apart from what are considered precious stones (diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and emeralds). Things like amber and lapis lazuli, which are not really stones at all are still considered “semi precious” by most people. 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 and very hard. This distinction is not related to their monetary value, i.e. some forms of garnet are more expensive than emeralds.

Objects: Semi-precious Export: JSON - XML - CSV

U Number	Museum Number (UPM Date Reg Number)	Museum Number (BM Registration Number)	Museum Number (UPM B-number)	Description (Catalog Card)
3178	(none)	1927,1003.83	(none)	Polished malachite (?) fragment, transfixed with bronze pin, turned into an eye at one end. [drawing 9:10]
7963	(none)	1928,1009.103	(none)	Beads. Mostly small ball beads of gold (thin leaf over copper), lapis, and a few carnelian (some rings). Apparently forming a single necklace, or two of the same pattern; one gold bead to every 1 or 2 stone according to size. Most of the gold beads were destroyed through the decay and swelling of the copper cores. One string containing the best gold beads made up for exhibition.
8110A	(none)	1928,1009.109	(none)	[A-B] 2 lapis lazuli beads. Large double conoids, facetted. [drawing 1:1]
8110B	(none)	1928,1009.110	(none)	2 lapis lazuli beads. Large double conoids, facetted. [drawing 1:1] A & B
8089A	(none)	1928,1009.111	(none)	[A-B] Beads. Lapis lazuli (poor quality of stone). Large faceted lentoids. [drawing 1:1]
8089B	(none)	1928,1009.112	(none)	[A-B] Beads. Lapis lazuli (poor quality of stone). Large faceted lentoids. [drawing 1:1]
7953	(none)	1928,1009.12	(none)	Cylinder seal. White crystal, with copper caps; carinated. Two Gilgamesh figures each fighting a lion. Large cylinder, well cut. The central hole is filled with white paste having chevron bands of bright red which shows through the crystal. Inscribed.
8147	(none)	1928,1009.129	(none)	Necklace. 90 carnelian ring beads. 7 hematite ring beads. 12 silver beads, double conoids - 1 poppy head? lentoids and bugle beads.
8970	(none)	1928,1009.135	(none)	Beads. Small, gold over copper, and lapis strung up in sets of 2 and 4 of a sort.
7910	(none)	1928,1009.138	(none)	Frog amulet. Lapis lazuli. [drawing 1:1][CARD MISLABELED U.7940B][Arabic notes on back of card] [CARD MISSING Typed Transcription from British Museum Card]
8019A	(none)	1928,1009.142	(none)	[A-B] Two lapis eye sockets. Intended to have shell iris set in (cf. one attached to U.8013)
8680	(none)	1928,1009.153	(none)	Gold pin The shaft of gold, the head a large ribbed lapis ball capped with gold
8619	(none)	1928,1009.188	(none)	Silver pin. With fluted ball head of lapis. Capped with gold.
(none)	(none)	1928,1009.205	(none)	(none)
9330	(none)	1928,1009.25	(none)	Cylinder seal Hematite Scene: 2 men, 2 bulls, 1 lion fighting.
8656	(none)	1928,1009.34	(none)	Cylinder seal. Lapis lazuli 2 registers: above, eagle displayed below, banquet scene with 3 seated figures and shrine door
8923	(none)	1928,1009.343	(none)	Copper pin. With head of lapis ball capped with silver. (tip broken: all in very bad condition) [type] V
8343	(none)	1928,1009.345	(none)	Copper pin with ball head of lapis lazuli. Stem broken but complete. [Type] V
8015	(none)	1928,1009.346	(none)	Copper pin. Plain, with small ball head. [type] V.
7954	(none)	1928,1009.35	(none)	Cylinder seal. Lapis lazuli, with one gold cap. Damaged, chipped in lower register. Two registers; above, 4 figures approaching a seated deity; below, 3 figures (one broken away) approaching the seated deity behind whom is a crescent moon on a staff.
8584	(none)	1928,1009.36	(none)	Cylinder seal. Blue lapis. Two wild goats rampant against a tree: another tree behind.
(none)	(none)	1928,1009.375	(none)	(none)
9000	(none)	1928,1009.378	(none)	Originally of wood (which has disappeared and left no trace at all), the top and edges encrusted with bone, shell, lapis and red paste tesserae set in bitumen: the bone tesserae are themselves engraved with geometrical and other patterns and inlaid with red paste and lapis. The board is in 2 unequal parts, rectangular, joined by a narrow neck: the upper part consists of 6 squares inside the border, the neck is 1 square wide and 2 long, the lower part had originally 4 rows of squares (12) and below those one or more rows of long triangular tesserae, shell and mother of pearl, with red paste triangles between them, the points of (one row of) the white tesserae pointing downwards. When found the object lay face downwards and on a slant: the upper part, nect, and 3 rows of squares of the lower part were complete, all except for one square at the bottom of the 4th row there was left there in position only a broken corner of a square. The broken square and 3 others, and also a number of triangles, were found separately in the dirt in front and below, but part of a row of white triangles (the red paste was reduced to powder) lay points upwards and face outwards against the back of the board: clearly the latter had been broken and doubled back: the tesserae at the line of the break had sprung and been dislodged. [drawing 1:5]
9326	(none)	1928,1009.38	(none)	Cylinder seal Lapis Standing god and 3 worshippers
7957	(none)	1928,1009.40	(none)	Cylinder seal. Lapis lazuli. Introductory scene, standing god, minor god and worshipper. Poor engraving.