emery (as an abrasive)

Emery is a natural mixture of iron oxides and corundum. Corundum is a form of aluminum oxide (rubies and sapphires are also aluminum oxide; in fact precious sapphires are found in the deposits of emery in North Carolina and Georgia).

The name comes from Cape Emeri on the Greek island of Naxos, where emery was mined for centuries. Emery is used to polish metal, and is coated only on cloth, not paper.

In the 16th and 17th centuries pins and needles were stored in small cases called “emeries,” because they were charged with loose emery powder. In those days pins and needles were not plated and the abrasive action of the emery kept them free of rust.

Emery cloth was invented in England by Lothrop in 1831.