Friday, March 8, 2013

A Few Gems

Woo! Time for another theoretical names post (I have a lot of fun with these).
Lots of gemstone- & other mineralogical-type names are/have been used in English. Ruby, Jasper, JadeOpal, Pearl, Amber, Emery, & Coral are all pretty recognizable, and several more have been in rarer use as well--Amethyst, Garnet, CelestineDiamondEmerald, SapphireTopaz, HyacinthBeryl.
And so, here are a few more gems & minerals that could be used as names, IMO.


Gemstones in other languages (asterisks indicate established names):
  • Ágata (AH-gah-tah, Spanish, Portuguese, Galician)--"agate". Italian is Agata (ah-GAH-tah) [also a form of Agatha].
  • Ametista (ah-meh-TEES-tah, Italian)--"amethyst". Spanish is Amatista.
  • Azurita (ah-soo-REE-tah, Spanish)--"azurite"
  • Berillo (beh-REEL-loh, Italian)--"beryl"
  • Biyu (bee-yoo, Mandarin [碧玉])--"jasper" [lit. "blue jade"]
  • Lazurit (lah-ZOO-reet, Russian [лазурит])--"lapis lazuli". Japanese is Ruri (roo-ree) [ 琉璃--lit. "sulfur(?) glass"]
  • Maragda (mah-RAHG-dah, Catalan)--"emerald". Spanish & Portuguese is Esmeralda* (fem).
  • Mercan* (mehr-JAHN, Turkish, feminine)--"coral"
  • Meripihka (MEHR-ih-pihh-kah, [the H is not silent] Finnish)--"amber"
  • Nilam* (NEE-lam, Hindi, unisex)--"sapphire". Portuguese is Safira.
  • Olivina (oh-lee-VEE-nah, Italian)--"olivine, peridot"
  • Rubin (roo-BEEN, Czech, Danish, Dutch, German....)--"ruby". Italian is Rubino* (masculine).
  • Yeşim* (yeh-SHEEM, Turkish, feminine)--"jade". Italian is Giada* (JAH-dah, feminine); Russian is Nefrit (NEH-freet) [нефрит].

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