Naming minerals and gems: Between specialized terminology and common vocabulary

Abstract

The article bridges specialized terminology and common vocabulary in the context of minerals and gems. Although minerals have been named for thousands of years, new ones are continuously being discovered and named. The processes used for naming them have evolved over time and were significantly shaped by two historical events. The great advances of mineral chemistry in the 18th century provided a scientific basis for naming new discoveries. The International Mineralogical Association, created in 1959, became the agency that registers new official mineral names. This article proposes a typology of these complex and evolving naming processes: minerals can be named after the place where they were discovered (a country, a mine), after their visible characteristics (their color or shine), after their chemical components (especially after the 18th century), or after the person who discovered them or in someone’s honor. Additionally, ‘unofficial’ fancy names are often used in commercial settings, although they are considered as erroneous by scientists, and even considered as fraudulent in some countries. These official and unofficial names, used daily by different users, create parallel terminologies that do not seem to interact.

Key words: terminology, naming processes, minerals and gems, specialized terminology, common vocabulary.