This book contains chapters presented at the International workshop ‘Minerals as Advanced Materials I’ that was held in the hotel of the Russian Academy of Sciences on the Imandra lake, Kola peninsula, one of the most beautiful places of the Russian North, during 8–12 July, 2007. The idea of the workshop originated from the necessity of interactions between mineralogy and material science, including all aspects of both these disciplines. Many important materials that dominate modern technological development were known to mineralogists for hundreds years, though their properties were not fully recognized. Mineralogy, on the other hand, needs new impacts for the further development in the line of modern scientific achievements, including novel insights provided by development of bio- and nanotechnologies as well as by the understanding of a deep role that information plays in the formation of natural structures and definition of natural processes. <...>

Although Britain is a major gemstone trader, it currently produces little from indigenous sources. There are, however, records of a wide variety of gem material, particularly in Scotland. In addition to sapphire, ruby and possible diamond, the country has yielded topaz, beryl, and many varieties of semi-precious stones including cairngorm, amethyst, garnet, tourmaline, agate, zircon, ‘Blue John’ flourite and jet. There is also an unconfirmed report of Scottish emerald. Most of these gemstones were found by amateur geologists and gemmologists but recent discoveries, particularly of iamond indicator minerals in Scandinavia and Ireland, have raised commercial interest in the potential of Britain as a source of precious stones. <...>0

Geologically, the Carpathian Range is the continuation of the Eastern Alps towards the East forming an arching bow-shaped mountain chain of 1,500 km in length that extends through several countries, (i.e. the Czech Republic. Slovakia, Poland. Hungary, Ukraine, and Romania). From a mineralogical viewpoint, the Carpathians, with its more than 1,000 mineral species, is an extremely interesting area. Its geological formations vary in ages and compositions. The structural evolution is highly complicated. It has also been a traditional mining area since prehistoric times. More than fifty valid mineral species were first described from this region (karpatite. koktaite, libethenite, native tellurium, pilsenite, rozenite. rhodochrosite.  etc.). Some very rare species, originally discovered in other parts of the world, also occur here (cymrite, hetaerolite. nambulite, segnitite, capgaronnite, etc.). <...>