Historical Stones. Myths and Reality

10 hrs. 12 min.

Miscellaneous

Language Russian

Author Vladimir Pechenkin

Narrator Mikhail Roslyakov

Description

Collector and geologist Vladimir Pechenkin wrote an engaging book about precious and other historical stones. Here is the Shining Jade of Japanese emperors, which only the emperors themselves have the right to see. And the tombstone of Tamerlane made of a dark-green jade monolith, giving rise to countless legends. And the snow-white jade disk of He, in exchange for which fifteen cities were given in China. And the famous diamond “Koh-i-Noor,” which has been in the treasuries of many Eastern rulers and now adorns the English queen’s crown. And the “pound-weight” emerald found in the Urals, which was then lost forever. And the pearls of the French empress, which passed through the hands of a courtesan and ended up on the belt of a murdered Russian empress. And rock crystal that played the role of diamonds in the pendants of Anna of Austria—thereby saving the queen’s honor. And malachite, which before becoming a valuable ornamental stone for hundreds of years was raw material for smelting copper.