Anthropology of Precious Minerals

Why do people single out gold, sapphires, diamonds, and other minerals as particularly &quote;precious&quote;? What makes precious minerals &quote;precious&quote;? Drawing from ethnographic and cross-cultural research, this collection of anthropological essays and case studies answers these questions by exploring humans' multifaceted relationships with the minerals they deem &quote;precious.&quote;The Anthropology of Precious Minerals addresses the entanglement of humans and minerals, with a particular focus on the practices of scrappers, miners, and hunters as they work to extract value. The editors draw from history, archaeology, and ethnography, and remind us that &quote;preciousness&quote; must always be understood in relation to complex cultural, political-economic, and semiotic systems of value.