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)
17810E	(none)	(none)	(none)	Group. From a single burial. (A) [A, G-H] 3 gold frontlets, oval type with prolongations pierced for threads, but one broken and incomplete. [drawing] (B) Fillet of twisted gold ribbon. (C) [C and I] Gold earrings, a pair , small hollow lunate type. (D) One silver earring, same type. (E) Beads, gold balls, double conoids and diamonds (some balls fluted) carnelian and lapis diamonds, carnelian bugles and balls and barrels, lapis double conoids : order uncertain. (F) Copper dagger.
17813D	(none)	(none)	(none)	Group. From one burial. (A) [A and K-L] 3 gold frontlets. (B) Twisted gold hair-ribbon. (C) [C and M] Two gold hair-rings, spirally coiled with lunate ends, with one of them [N] a silver ring. (D) Beads: a string of very small fluted gold balls and carnelian balls and one very thin lapis bugle with gold caps. (E) Beads: gold balls, agate, carnelian, marble and jasper; long bugles, flattened lentoids, disks and lentoids. (F) [F and O] Two gold bracelets, of thin gold bent over copper wire. (G) Silver bracelet, plain wire. (H) [H and I] Copper bracelets, 2, plain wire. (J) Copper axe, thus: [reference to drawing] a copy of the old type but not cast: hammered and the socket made by bending. Type S10. [drawing]
17815F	(none)	(none)	(none)	Group. From one burial. (A) Four gold frontlets oval type with tag ends, a good deal damaged and broken [A, G-I]. (B) A length of gold hair ribbon. (C) Gold finger ring of flat make wide edges bent inwards to make a ribbed hoop. (D) A pair of gold earrings of the small hollow lunate type, interlaced. [D and J] (E) Cylinder seal, white shell, introduction scene with seated goddess, crescent, 2 standing figures and tree. cf. U.1979 and U.1987. (F) Beads: small gold balls, plain and fluted, with carnelian and lapis lentoids: gold and carnelian diamonds: long carnelian bugles, carnelian lentoids, agate beads, lapis lentoid and gold balls.
17817B	(none)	(none)	(none)	Group. From one burial. (A) Cylinder seal, dark steatite: goddess on a goose, crescent on staff, snake emblem (?) and worshipper (naked) holding a full libation jug. (B) A few beads, gold balls, small, steatite, lentoid, carnelian ball and lapis fly. (C) Copper axe.
17826	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. Mixed: a long barrel of blue paste with gold caps, lentoids of carnelian, jasper, amazonite (?) and chrysoprase, crystal pendant and carnelian rings. Kassite.
17842A	(none)	1932,1008.117	(none)	Beads. A mixed lot. 192 carnelian bugles. 56 carnelian double conoids, lentoids and barrels. 11 large carnelian double conoids and facetted lentoids. 421 carnelian rings. 81 larger carnelian rings. 41 glazed frit balls. 43 lapis lazuli, rings, bugles, ovoids, small mixed beads, apatite (?) quartzite, shell, agate and crystal.
17852	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. A mixed collection of carnelian, sard & agate lentoids & bugles, carnelian rings, lapis paste lentoids, glazed frit fluted ball, lapis ball, quartz lentoid, amethyst lentoid, pebble lentoid, 2 unshaped but pierced rock crystal lumps & a steatite cylinder seal completely defaced.
17898	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. Mixed lot, off many shapes and materials, found in or just below the floor of an early Neo-Babylonian level and presumably of that date, though some may well be old beads re-used. Shapes include ball, ring, cylinder, rhomboid, diamond, date shaped, elliptical, polygonal, double conoid, poppyseed, chisel, pear pendant, one miniature celt. Materials include carnelian, marble, steatite, sard, calcite, quartz, amethyst, agate, mother of pearl, shell, glazed frit, limestone (?), granite, hematite, crystal.
17904	(none)	(none)	(none)	Cylinder seal. Lapis lazuli. Introductory scene, 2 standing figures, seated deity; 3 lines of erased inscription.
17906	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. 4 gold balls; 3 gold ribbed balls; 6 barrel carnelian; 3 lentoid carnelian; 1 flat diamond gold; 5 barrel apatite; 2 agate, rectangualr with vesical section.
17908	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. 3 flat barrel agates; 1 flat barrel blue granite; 1/2 flat lentoid marble.
17924A	(none)	1932,1008.71	(none)	Weights. A) and C) haemitite, B) diorite. -- Type II [drawing 1:1]
17932	(none)	1932,1008.72	(none)	Weight. Hematite. Inscribed; broken. Type II. [drawing 1:1]
17935A	(none)	(none)	(none)	Celts. [All objects drawn, objects grouped by material description] [A-B] Jasper [drawing 1:1] [C-E] Diorite [drawing 1:1] [F] Basalt [drawing 1:1] [G] Limestone [drawing 1:1]
17959	(none)	(none)	(none)	Cylinder seal. Hematite. 2 gazelle; 2 men holding staff between them.
17967	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. Carnelian, ring, ball, biconvex square, date-shaped, double conoid, cylindrical. Agate, elliptical, biconvex square.
17968	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. Carnelian, chisel pendants, pop-eyed pendant, date shaped, cylindrical, ring, ball-shaped. Agate, rhomboid, date-shaped. Gold, 1 ball-shaped.
17970	(none)	(none)	(none)	Cylinder seal. Hematite. 3 standing figures and 1 kneeling; star; crescent; serpent.
17971	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. Carnelian, date-shaped, double conoid, ring, ball-shaped.
17978	(none)	(none)	(none)	Ear stud. Jasper. [drawing 1:1]
18112	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. Carnelian rings and balls. Agat ovoid: blue paste date-shaped blue paste axe-head bead, agate discoid (flat). Also, 1 gold lunate earring.
18113A	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads [A]. Agate elliptical and date shaped, marble elliptical, carnelian date-shaped, carnelian tubular and ball shaped and long double conoid, shaped agate, facetted eliptical in carnelian, blue glaze disk. [drawing] [B-C] Also, scraps of gold foil. [D-E] Also 2 bone spindle whorl.
18115	(none)	(none)	(none)	Beads. 1 malachite cylinder, 2 white calcite rhomboids, 1 cylinder seal, grey steatite, much defaced, with seated goddess and 2 standing figures and traces of 2 columns of inscription: cylinders of shell, steatite, pine limestone, some originally with figures but all defaced, eliptical beads of white calcite, agate, biconvex rectangles, square section tubular red limestone, black stone discoid, carnelian date-shaped, glass ball, and one limestone disk with crudely incised design thus [reference to drawing]. [drawing]
18120A	(none)	(none)	(none)	[A] Beads. Carnelian balls and rings and tubular steatite cylinders and date-shaped. Carnelian eliptical, calcite eliptical jasper (?) biconvex square, hematite pear pendant, flattened rough pebble pendant and a few large paste beads, much decayed also. [B] 1 very small gold lunate earring. [C-D] 2 small silver earrings and [drawing] [E-F] two plain silver rings.
18121A	(none)	(none)	(none)	[A] Beads. Agate ball and carnelian balls and double conoids; chalcedony double conoid; lapis, jasper agate and carnelian date-shaped; jasper (?) double conoid; [B] amethyst scaraboid; [A] steatite flattened balls; glazed frit discoid; [C-D] 2 glazed frit thick discoids with criss-cross on one side: [E] small glazed scaraboid with bungled heiroglyphs: [F] pebble scaraboid. Roughly incised thus: [drawing] [G] carnelian domical ovoid roughly engraved with figure of deer (?); [H] small puzuzu head in turquoise: [I] chalcedony seal, with Persian figure of a man standing in prayer. [drawing] [J] Also: a copper fibula. [drawing]