[INDOLOGY] Gemology in S. Asia?

[Andrew Nicholson]

Dear Colleagues,

A professor in the English department at my university approached me
with a question about a text she had encountered, S.M. Tagore's
Manimala (1879). I explained to her what is going on in that
interesting quadrilingual (Sanskrit-Hindi-Bengali-English) work.
However, she has other questions about the history of gems and
gemology in South Asia that are well outside my range of expertise.

I was wondering if some of you might recommend books on the cultural
history of precious stones in S. Asia (preferably accessible to
someone with limited knowledge of S. Asia). Additionally, if one of
you who is an expert on the history of gems in S. Asia might be
willing to answer her questions, or if there is another colleague
off-list who might, I'm sure she would be very grateful if I could put
you in touch via e-mail.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Andrew
____________________________
Andrew J. Nicholson
Associate Professor
SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY 11794-5343 USA
http://philosophicalrasika.com/