Chart of Gems from A Popular Treatise on Gems

Lewis Feuchtwanger

1838

Page of colored squares and English labels.

This chart displaying the colors of gems and minerals is from A Popular Treatise on Gems and Minerals by Lewis Feuchtwanger, a German Jewish immigrant to the United States, a doctor who was also well known for his scientific research as a metallurgist and gemologist. The book was first published in 1859 and was reprinted in several editions.

Credits

Courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.

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Creator Bio

Lewis Feuchtwanger

Lewis Feuchtwanger was a German doctor and metallurgist who immigrated to New York City in 1829, where he opened a pharmacy and practiced medicine. He became well known for his collection of minerals and for attempting to introduce nickel silver into U.S. coinage, drawing attention to the combustibility of saltpeter. He was a member of scientific societies in the United States and abroad.

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