George Frederick Kunz

author

George Frederick Kunz

1856–1932

A self-taught gem expert who helped shape how Americans thought about precious stones, he turned a youthful fascination with minerals into a career at Tiffany & Co. and a lasting influence on gemology, collecting, and museum work.

5 Audiobooks

The Book of the Pearl The history, art, science, and industry of the queen of gems

The Book of the Pearl The history, art, science, and industry of the queen of gems

by George Frederick Kunz, Charles Hugh Stevenson

The Curious Lore of Precious Stones Being a description of their sentiments and folk lore, superstitions, symbolism, mysticism, use in medicine, protection, prevention, religion, and divination. Crystal gazing, birth-stones, lucky stones and talismans, astral, zodiacal, and planetary

The Curious Lore of Precious Stones Being a description of their sentiments and folk lore, superstitions, symbolism, mysticism, use in medicine, protection, prevention, religion, and divination. Crystal gazing, birth-stones, lucky stones and talismans, astral, zodiacal, and planetary

by George Frederick Kunz

Rings for the finger : from the earliest known times to the present, with full descriptions of the origin, early making, materials, the archæology, history, for affection, for love, for engagement, for wedding, commemorative, mourning, etc.

Rings for the finger : from the earliest known times to the present, with full descriptions of the origin, early making, materials, the archæology, history, for affection, for love, for engagement, for wedding, commemorative, mourning, etc.

by George Frederick Kunz

Shakespeare and Precious Stones Treating of the Known References of Precious Stones in Shakespeare's Works, with Comments as to the Origin of His Material, the Knowledge of the Poet Concerning Precious Stones, and References as to Where the Precious Stones of His Time Came from

Shakespeare and Precious Stones Treating of the Known References of Precious Stones in Shakespeare's Works, with Comments as to the Origin of His Material, the Knowledge of the Poet Concerning Precious Stones, and References as to Where the Precious Stones of His Time Came from

by George Frederick Kunz

The magic of jewels and charms

The magic of jewels and charms

by George Frederick Kunz

About the author

Born in New York City in 1856 and raised in Hoboken, George Frederick Kunz became known as one of America’s leading authorities on gems and minerals. He was largely self-educated, began collecting minerals as a boy, and built an early reputation through his sharp eye for important specimens.

In 1879, Tiffany & Co. hired him as a gem expert, and he remained closely tied to the firm for the rest of his life, later serving as a vice president. Beyond the jewelry trade, he also worked with scientific and cultural institutions, including the U.S. Geological Survey and major museums, helping connect the worlds of commerce, science, and public education.

Kunz wrote widely on gemstones, pearls, and decorative arts, and his name lives on in kunzite, the pink variety of spodumene named in his honor. He died in 1932, remembered not just as a jeweler’s expert, but as a lively popularizer of mineralogy whose enthusiasm brought gems and minerals to a much wider audience.