Historical Gem Cutting Regions: Venice, Florence & Genoa
Early Diamond Trade Routes
Article Copyright © 2010 AllAboutGemstones.com
In the second century AD, the Greek geographer, Ptolemy was one of the first westerners to chart a corse from the Mediterranean region to India and the Far East (map from Ptolemy's Geographia, below). These early land and sea routes were used for spices, tea, textiles, precious metals, gems, and other exotic commodities.
Venice and the Diamond Trade
The early gem-trading capital of Europe was Venice (Venetzia), where the cutting, faceting, and polishing of diamonds originated during the 1330s to 1340s, and Venice became the first capital of the early diamond trade. Most of the diamonds entering Europe came from India (Golconda) and Borneo (Landak). By the late 14th century, the diamond trade route went through Venice to Amsterdam, Antwerp, and Bruges.
Before Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama's discovery of a sea route around the southern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope), diamond trade routes from India were by a combination of sea and land (below, right).
The Persian and Arabic cultures had a fascination with diamonds and gems that predated Europe's, and as such, they were able to exercise great control over most of the Indian diamond trade that was transiting over the ancient 'Silk Road' caravan routes. This made diamond expeditions costly and dangerous affairs.
Legends of diamond sources other than India, have there origins in the roundabout land crossings through Arabia, Constantinopal, Egypt, Ethiopia, Persia, and Yemen. Adventurous tales of Persian origin, like the 'Second Voyage of Sinbad,' and his discovery of a land where the valley was "carpeted with diamonds" (Valley of Diamonds), describe a land that is not to dissimilar to India.
Venetian & Florentine Gem-Cutters
Three significant Renaissance gem-cutters from the region, during the 1400s were, Giovanni delle Corniole (c. 1470 - c. 1516), Pier (Pietro) Maria Serbaldi da Pescia (c. 1455 - c. 1522), and Genoese gem-engraver Giacomo Tagliacarne (below, right).
Giacomo Tagliacarne |
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Giovanni delle Corniole (c. 1470 - c. 1516), who studied his craft in Florence, by emulating the detailed gemstone engravings of the Medici family's 'Grand Ducal' art collections [2].
In the late 1600s, notable Venetian lapidary, Vincent Peruzzi created the "Triple-Cut Brilliant" (aka Peruzzi Cut) diamond by doubling the number of crown facets found on a 'Mazarin cut.'
Although Venice would soon be displaced by Bruges and Antwerp as a cutting center, it remained a major trading port. With a reliable and relatively safe route to India, that would bypass the hardships and dangers of land crossings, Venice and Lisbon became the European hubs of the indian gem trade.
On To:
Italian & Flemish Renaissance Gem Cutters
Old European Gemstone Cuts
Fancy Gem Cuts & Fantasy Cuts
Bibliography on Gem Cutting in Venice, Florence & Genoa
1. Jean Baptiste Tavernier, The Six Voyages.
2. Gloria Chiarini, Florence - Jewellery of the Past  . www.mega.it
3. The Bead Site, Roman Maps and the Concept of Indian Gems . www.thebeadsite.com
4. Edelsteinminen, Idar Oberstein Jewel Mines . www.edelsteinminen-idar-oberstein.de
5. Schmuck, Industrieverband Schmuck Deutschland . www.iv-schmuck-metall.de
6. The Bead Site, Roman Maps and the Concept of Indian Gems . www.thebeadsite.com
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