Russia’s Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones (1925) is the first official inventory of the Russian Crown Jewels.

The USGS Libraries are proud to present the official press release of the discovery of previously unknown images of the Russian Crown Jewels. You can also listen to the podcast and view the media gallery. Any new information related to the Crown Jewels will be posted on the library blog (see links below).

If you would like to see our unique album in person, Russian Diamond Fund is scheduled to be on display as part of an upcoming exhibit at the Hillwood Museum in Washington, DC in February, 2013. The Hillwood Museum also houses the Nuptial Crown an important piece of the Crown Jewels which was sold by the Soviet government in 1927.

We welcome inquiries and contributions from scholars and researchers that can provide any further insight into the album we possess or its importance to the history of the Jewels. The Libraries are not actively pursuing any further line of inquiry related to the Jewels at this time. Gemstones in their finished state are not the focus of research at the USGS; both Russian Diamond Fund and Russia’s Treasure of Diamonds and Precious Stones came into the care of the Libraries as part of the estate of George Frederick Kunz.

The research behind this discovery was a collaborative effort. The Libraries would like to thank the Gemological Institute of America, the American Museum of Natural History, the Hillwood Institute (particularly Kristen Regina), the Smithsonian, and the Corcoran Gallery for their interest and support. We would also like to thank Christel McCanless and Annemiek Wintraecken for their research and Irena Kavalek and Kent Southworth for their translations.

See also:
The USGS Libraries homepage
Official Press Release: Tracking the Story of the Russian Crown Jewels
USGS Youtube Video: Diamonds and Dusty Pages
USGS Media Gallery: Images of Gems

A sketch of the Tavernier Blue Diamond from three angles (1678)

A book containing the earliest known images of the Tavernier Blue diamond later called the French Blue and now known as the Hope Diamond is now available online. The USGS Libraries have recently digitized a first English edition of “The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier” (1678) which describes the adventures of the French merchant and explorer Jean-Baptist Tavernier (1605-1689) across Persia and India.

A sketch from three angles of the Tavernier Blue is accompanied by a short description of the stone as “a Diamond cleane of a faire violet” and as one “of the 14 fairest Diamonds chosen out among all those which Monsieur Tavernier sold to the King at his last return from the Indies, upon which consideration, and for severall services done the Kingdome His Majesty honored him with the title of Noble.” After it was sold to the king this diamond was renamed the “French Blue” or the “Blue Diamond of the Crown” and it remained in the possession of the French Royal Family until it was stolen in 1792. Its whereabouts were unknown until 1812, where it made its appearance in the Francillon memo with the new cut of the Hope Diamond we know today.

Tavernier includes numerous other descriptions of remarkable jewels and gemstones that he saw or purchased in the course of his travels including the Great Mogul Diamond, French royal rubies, and the “perfect” pearl of Persia.

The full text of “The Six Voyages of John Baptista Tavernier“ and the sketch of the Tavernier Blue.

Richard Schneider, from the National Archives Preservation Program, gave a fascinating presentation to the USGS Denver Library staff and members of the Colorado archive community on August 7, 2012 about the photographs of Major James Warren Bagley.  Bagley took panoramic photos of Alaska while preparing topographical maps for the Survey from 1910 – 1932.  Mr. Schneider explained the process involved in capturing these shots, including Bagley’s specialized camera adaptations and the need to process and store film in the field. Being early twentieth century Alaska,  there were no paved roads,  railroads, or any type of motor vehicle that could be used to transport USGS personnel and their photographic equipment over the rough terrain.  Pack trains of horses were used to carry the surveyors, their equipment, processing chemicals, nitrate film, and supplies across Alaska during the short summer season.  Bagley wrote USGS Bulletin 657 in 1917 entitled “The use of the panoramic camera in topographic surveying with notes on the application of photogrammetry to aerial surveys“ that discusses his technique for capturing these historic and functional photographs.  It is significant to remember that the photographs were only meant to serve as resource material for the topographic maps Bagley and his group were making.

The National Archives acquired the nitrate negatives of Bagley’s expedition from the USGS Denver Library Photographic Collection in 2007.  Archivists at NARA made copy negatives from the nitrate originals for preservation purposes since the original nitrate negatives were deteriorating and presented a potential fire hazard.  During this process, Mr. Schneider discovered thousands of Alaskan panoramas. The cooperative effort of USGS and NARA ensures that these photographs will be preserved and available to the public for generations to come.

For more information about the historical photography of the USGS, visit: http://libraryphoto.cr.usgs.gov

Pictured: photographer James Bagley, far right.

By 1917, James Bagley (pictured with hand on hip) would have more of an interest in developing aerial photography for USGS needs.  The program of using panoramas however, would continue until 1932.  J. W. Bagley, Port Valdez District, Station 71, Frames 3 and 4.  ”College Fjord”. South-central Alaska. 1916.

“Nature’s Gems”- American wild flowers in their native haunts. Photo by G.S. Appleton.

The USGS Libraries Program has joined the Biodiversity Heritage Library, a consortium of natural history and botanical libraries that cooperate to digitize and make accessible the legacy literature of biodiversity held in their collections. USGS Libraries have collections that can support research in biodiversity, specifically with literature from paleobotany and paleoclimatology as well as some surprising gems from early biological research both in the United States and across the world.

The first 6 books from the USGS Libraries have been added to the collections of the Biodiversity Heritage Library and you can see that list at: http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/RecentRss/100/ALL/USGS

On of the first books contributed by the USGS was an 1845 book titled “American wild flowers in their native haunts.” The book contains lovely hand-colored images. Those images are now available on Flickr.

The USGS is looking forward to an ongoing collaboration with the members of the Biodiversity Heritage Library to bring the valuable resources of the world’s scientific libraries to a broader group of users.

Image of a page from the Francillon memo with a drawing of what appears to be the Hope Diamond.

One of the most unique and important articles in the USGS Libraries collections is a document called the Francillon Memo. This simple memo was written in September of 1812 by John Francillon, a jeweler practicing in London, England. The Francillon Memo includes a hand-colored trace outline of what we know today as the Hope Diamond.

The Francillon Memorandum says: “The above drawing is the exact size and shape of a very curious superfine deep blue Diamond. Brilliant cut, and equal to a fine deep blue Sapphire. It is beauty full and all perfection without specks or flaws, and the color even and perfect all over the Diamond. I traced it round the diamond with a pencil by leave of Mr. Daniel Eliason and it is as finely cut as I have ever seen in a Diamond. The color of the Drawing is as near the color of the Diamond as possible. Dated: 19th September, 1812. John Francillon, No. 29 Norfolk Street, Strand, London.”

The Francillon Memo was discovered by George Frederick Kunz in a 1768 book by Pouget cataloging the French Royal jewelry. Also included in the book is other evidence placing the stone that would become the Hope Diamond in England in 1812. The memo and other drawings remain in the Pouget book today, kept in the Rare Book Collection of the USGS Libraries Program in Reston, Virginia.

Aerial photo of Khandahar

USGS projects in Afghanistan have produced a substantial number of publications, maps, and other documents.

Extensive research by the U.S. Geological Survey, the Afghan Geological Survey, and the Department of Defense has yielded volumes of information about areas of high mineral potential in Afghanistan, including rare earth elements, gold, iron, and copper.

You can peruse pages of search results to see the range of USGS research on Afghanistan in the USGS Publications Warehouse.

Field notes and annotated map from the Herbert E. Gregory Collection. Photo by Clay Martin

The USGS Field Records Collection in Denver, Colorado is an archive of unpublished field notes, annotated maps, sketches, correspondence, analysis reports, and other data created or collected by more than 1200 USGS scientists during field studies and exploration of the continental United States, Hawaii, and other locations around the world. Materials in the collection represent almost 130 years of scientific investigations by the USGS, from the earliest days of the agency to recently completed projects. The collection includes 3,500 linear feet of document containers, 20,000 maps, more than 80,000 aerial photographs. Materials in the collection are managed as Federal records to ensure ongoing access for future researchers.  Field Records Collection staff provides reference and research assistance to USGS scientists, researchers from other Federal and State agencies, and the general public.  Detailed collection inventories with references to associated USGS publications are available for search, browse, and download from the Field Records Collection website at: http://www.cr.usgs.gov/fieldrecords.

McKee, E.D. 1957. Grand Canyon, Arizona

The USGS Photographic Library in Denver, Colorado is an archive of still photographs and original sketches dating from the 1870′s and taken by USGS scientists as part of their field studies. Topics include USGS personnel, earthquakes, volcanoes, geologic hazards and other phenomena, historical mining operations, and earth science photographs. The works of pioneer photographers such as W.H. Jackson, T.H. O’Sullivan, Carleton Watkins, J.K. Hiller, Thomas Moran, A.J. Russell, E.O. Beaman and William Bell are represented in the collection. Some photographs have been used to illustrate publications, but most have never been published. Selected photographs from the collection can be accessed online from the USGS Photographic Collection web site.

Image of the Flagstaff library collection

Welcome to the USGS Library in Flagstaff, Arizona. Our library serves both USGS personnel and visiting researchers and members of the public. Our collections are focused primarily on astrogeology – a planetary science discipline concerned with the geology of the celestial bodies such as the planets and their moons, asteroids, comets, and meteorites.

The Flagstaff offices of the USGS house a number of research programs in astrogeology as well as researchers from our Ecosystems, Natural Hazards, and Climate and Land Use Change Mission Areas. The Flagstaff library is equipped and ready to support all of the various research activities that happen in and around the desert southwest.

The Flagstaff Library is located at 2255 N. Gemini Drive. Our hours are 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday except Federal holidays. You can reach is by phone at 928-556-7008 or via e-mail at flag_lib@usgs.gov

USGS Library Treasures display. Photo credit: Lakegan Harris/USGS.

Since its creation in 1882, the USGS Library has grown to become the world’s largest library dedicated to earth and natural sciences, holding more than 1.5 million volumes and 800,000 maps. Richard Huffine, Director of the USGS Libraries Program, highlights some of the rarest, most valuable, and significant materials held by the USGS in his lecture “Treasures of the USGS Library.” These include early maps of America, documents that establish the provenance of the Hope Diamond, and documentation of our exploration of the American West by Hayden, King, Powell and Wheeler.

The Library’s initiative to digitize their collection for online access will make these cultural and historic records available worldwide to anyone at anytime. Join us and learn how the USGS is using history to inform the future directions of USGS research and scholarship.