TREASURES OF THE EARTH looks at the most remarkable materials the earth has given up - and how over millennia, they have affected men and women, for better or for worse. Most of us own a small piece of gold, a diamond ring or a pearl necklace - but many will never know the lengths to which people have gone to acquire them.

This extraordinary production will take you to the world of ancient myths and magic, leading edge science, human adventure and tales of extraordinary wealth and power to understand the vibrant, allutring and dangerous world of gold, diamonds, amber & pearls. Originally seen on the Discovery Channel, these extraordinary programs travel across time and around the world to tell the captivating story of these fabulous minerals.

1 - GOLD
It has the atomic number 79, it has driven people mad, it has inspired writers and artists, it has started wars, it has brought riches beyond all dreams, it has destroyed civilizations. It is a symbol of commitment, and excellence. It is the symbol of economic stability and purity. No other substance has played such a dramatic role in the history of mankind. Man's ceaseless yearning for it has taken him to the farthest corners of the globe, and in his passion to obtain it, he has plundered and destroyed, pillaged and killed. Since Creation we have had a love affair with gold.

It's on our fingers, in our teeth or hanging from our ears - but most of all it's to be found deep in our hearts.

2 - DIAMONDS
Shrouded in mystery, intrigue and superstition, diamonds over time have enjoyed a long, romantic, and often turbulent history. Pinnacles of beauty and perfection, diamonds have made men wealthy beyond their wildest dreams. They have adorned royalty, potentates, and movie stars, but they also caused countless misfortune. As gold reflects the collective history of mankind, Diamonds tell the stories of individuals. The greatest stones themselves are so unique that they seem almost to have personalities of their own. Today diamonds are a symbol of enduring love, and their natural hard properties play a leading role at the cutting edge of science and space exploration.

3 - PEARLS & AMBER
Mythical creations, deemed to have celestial origin. Their life-giving powers reach back to the dawn of time. For centuries treasured more than gold. They launched expeditions of conquest and discovery, and drained the treasuries of some of the world's largest empires. As ornament and talisman, Warriors wore them into battle. Queens and gladiators prized them alike. Amber and Pearls - their story is the story of humanity from its earliest beginnings.

Following the success of the award-winning 3 hour television series TREASURES OF THE EARTH, EMS Productions is producing a companion 12 half-hours exploring in greater depth how gold, diamonds, amber and pearls have captivated and shaped the world we live in.

Filmed in the Americas, Africa, Europe and Asia, TREASURES OF THE EARTH opens a world of magic, human adventure, wealth, power and leading edge science.

1.  Earth Treasures overview
As introduction, this episode explores the extraordinary role Gold, Diamonds, Amber and Pearls have played in history and examines their value now to modern science. As symbols of vanity and greed... of beauty and purity... these treasures arouse us, inspire us, and bind us to our past. Our age old love affair with them continues to fuel our passions and shape our destiny.

2.  Gold — Fabric of the Future
For gold, men go down deeper into the earth than for anything else — 2 miles down, to where the pressure on the rock can make it burst in your face. Although close on 4,000 tons of gold are mined each year, the demand for the yellow metal always exceeds the supply. While most of the gold mined goes into jewellery making, it is now also increasingly valued by science. Gold’s remarkable thermal and electrical properties make it an essential component to everything from touch-tone phones to spacecraft.

3.  Gold — a Glimmer of Eternity
In the words of an ancient poet:  “The mind of man,  is devoured by the supreme possession of gold”. No other substance has played such a dramatic role in the history of mankind. The ancient Egyptians worshipped it, while the Romans turned gold into money and plundered the ancient world for it. Today gold continues to play a central role in all major religions. We look at its spiritual role in both Roman Catholicism and Sikhism— in the treasury of the Cathedral of St Servaas in Maastricht, the Netherlands and at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, India.

4.  Gold — Conquest of the Incas
High in the Peruvian Andes, the Incas established an empire with gold at its heart. In 1533, a small band of men march into Peru under the flag of Spain and brought the empire to its knees. In a few short years a legacy of art and craftsmanship 2,000 years in the making, vanished into the melting pot. But the flood of gold into Spain also had disastrous and unforeseen consequences for Europe — ultimately destroying the Spanish economy.

5.  Gold — India’s Treasured Obsession
For centuries India has been the world’s biggest user of gold, and today consumes over 800 tonnes each year. Gold here is an integral part of the social and religious fabric of society. Five million weddings take place each year in India, and the status of a family is still judged by the gold exchanged as the bride’s dowry. Gold is also used in medicine and plays a vital role as a simple and very portable form of savings. Gold in India continues to play a vital and highly visible role in all facets of day-to-day life.

6.  Diamond mining and science
For all its breathtaking beauty and colourful history, a diamond is costly because it’s one of the rarest substances on Earth.Diamonds were first discovered in the rivers of India over two and a half thousand years ago. Today, around 110 million carats are mined each year worldwide.Diamonds durable properties have made them symbols of eternal love, and, vital components of leading edge science and technology.

7.  Diamonds myths & history
Shrouded in superstition, mystery and intrigue, diamonds have enjoyed a romantic, and often, turbulent history. The word ‘diamond’ derives from the Greek word ‘adamas’ which means ‘unconquerable’.Many believed diamonds embodied supernatural powers that bestowed good luck and kept evil at bay.This episode features the Smithsonian’s extraordinary gem collection, tracing the stories of some of the world’s most notorious and captivating diamonds — including, the Koohinoor, the Cullinan and the Blue Hope.

8.  Diamond passions
Based in Antwerp, the world’s diamond capital, master diamond cutter Gabi Tolkowsky has developed a series of innovative cuts, based on non-conventional angles, that dramatically increase the brilliance and yield of a stone. But Gabi Tolkowsky’s greatest challenge lay in the designing, cutting and polishing of the 274 carats “Centenary Diamond” — the largest top quality polished diamond outside the British Crown Jewels.

9.  Amber history and art
From the very beginning amber was endowed with magical properties. Some of the earliest decorative objects ever found come from the graves of Stone Age chieftains of the Baltic — glowing golden beads, pendants more than 10,000 years old. From this time on, the craving for amber has increased, and the art of crafting it reached great heights - none so more than in the ‘Amber Room’ — the most lavish amber art work ever created.

10.  Amber science
Featuring Dr David Grimaldi — member of the pioneering team at the American Museum of Natural History who first extracted DNA from an insect trapped in Amber. While Jurassic Park may never be a reality, David Grimaldi explains the valuable role amber plays in science, as a “window in time”, giving us a rare glimpse into the world of the dinosaurs.

11.  Pearls - natural
For thousands of years, the finest pearls in the world came from the Persian Gulf — there life literally hung on the price of a pearl. In this episode we take a fascinating  trip back in time, on board a traditional pearling dhow, in the company of old pearl divers working in the way they have done for centuries. The increasingly rare natural pearl still ranks among the costliest jewels on earth.

12.  Pearls - artificial & cultivated
Queen Cleopatra, the Romans, Mary Queen of Scots and the Nizam Rulers of India all had one thing in common: a passion for pearls. For centuries men looked for the secret of how recreate artificially their beauty. Mr. Mikimoto from Japan successfully mimicked nature when in 1905, after years of trial and error, he found a way to ‘culture’ pearls.