The scientific study of gems, including their identification, origin, properties, treatment, and evaluation.
Combines Latin gemma 'jewel, precious stone' with Greek -logia 'study, discourse.' The term crystallized in English during the 19th century as gemology became a formal scientific discipline separate from general mineralogy.
Gemology is surprisingly modern as a formal science—the first gemological societies only emerged in the 1930s, but gem traders have been developing evaluation techniques for over 2,000 years, blending ancient wisdom with cutting-edge spectroscopy.
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