P42. Scientific investigations on gemmological and ornamental materials

• Giovanna Agrosí - Università di Bari
• Maria Cristina Caggiani - Università di Catania
• Gioacchino Tempesta - Università di Bari

gioacchino.tempesta@uniba.it
 
Mineralogical, geochemical, and petrographic studies on gemmological and ornamental materials are assuming an increasing importance in the field of Earth Science and represent an important link with gemmology and cultural heritage. This session represents an opportunity for a discussion and an update on the following topics:

• growth conditions and origin of gem-quality minerals
• mineralogical characterization on natural gems and their synthetic homologous
• innovative methods of investigation and any items that may be of interest also for trade and traceability of gem-quality minerals in today's marketplace.

The focus of this session concerns also the mineralogical and petrographic characterization of ornamental materials, as well as historical marbles, semi-precious stones, and synthetic composites materials, with the aim of tracing their origin, use and diffusion in time, up to private and public collections and modern exploitations in the building and decorative sectors. The contributions on these topics can be a crucial opportunity for promoting discussion and collaboration between researchers working in these overlapping fields and laying the grounds for new tasks and research lines.
 
Gemmology, Ornamental materials, Mineralogy, Petrography, Cultural Heritage