On March 16, 2013 our speaker is Bonita Chamberlain. She is returning for the third time by popular demand. The topic of the program is
Gemstones
have mesmerized people for centuries. Every culture has myths and
legends that have followed these gemstones until today. Think
about the image that is brought to mind when the Hope Diamond is mentioned.
Many more stones have stories and legends to equal that of the Hope.
- Offer a libation to the dead while
wearing white quartz, and you give the dead the gift of happiness.
- Rubies will
pale in the presence of poison while amber will blacken, and blue sapphires
will change color to warn of an enemy's attack.
- White chalcedony will increase
a mother's milk.
- Citrine will increase prosperity.
- Opal, often connected
with healing diseases of the eye, is known as the thief's stone because of its
ability to sharpen the wearer's sight while dimming a pursuer's vision, thus
conferring invisibility.
- Aquamarine is a stone of courage and a protection for
sailors, though emerald is also valued by travelers for its ability to calm
stormy seas.
- Topaz not only dispels nightmares but cures madness and cowardice.
- Diamonds, which have long been a symbol of purity and invincibility, guard the
wearer against phantasms, sorcery, snakebite, fire and floods.
- Turquoise
not only protects you from evil but from falling from a horse.
The beliefs about
a gem’s value, influence, and innate powers are highly specific, and influenced
by the time, place, and culture in which they arise. To collect the beliefs
ascribed to any one stone, is often to find that someone somewhere believed it
capable of just about anything.
You
will be taken through the birthstone months with examples of famous pieces of
jewelry, the legend, lore and myths, and healing properties of the stones.
About the Speaker
Bonita Chamberlin
has spent more than 30 years working in Afghanistan under five regimes: the monarchy, Soviet occupation, civil war, Taliban and now the
Coalition Forces.
From 1976 to 1980, she interfaced
with the Afghan government and multinational corporations, especially SunMaid
and Lummus to facilitate business and economic development. Chamberlin designed
and executed profit and income-generating projects primarily through natural
resource development and agriculture.
In the mid-1980s Chamberlin was asked to return by Ahmad Shah Massoud, to
assist them in mining the gemstones being uncovered by the Soviet bombs. From
1983 until 1997 she crossed the Hindu Kush Mountains with the Mujahideen dressed as an Afghan man to avoid
Soviet detection.
Under primitive conditions, she assisted the local tribesmen
of Panjsher, Badakhshan, Nuristan, and Sorobi in the proper mining, marketing,
and sale of the gems and minerals.
As a
result of this extensive work, Bonita has walked the country, mapping it,
thereby being a resource for the Department of Defense after 9/11. Her research
was published in the 1995 book she co-authored, titled, Gemstones of
Afghanistan, regarded as the original and most complete study of Afghanistan’s
gems and minerals.
Samples of Afghan Jewelry to see from Bonita's collection follow.
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| Colorful stones |
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| Earrings of Topaz |
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| Purple lovers' pendant |
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| Amethysts and Geodes |
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| Moonstones |
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| Aaquamarine Pendant |
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| Citrine Pendant |
