Robert Indiana kept a series of illustrated journals during the late 1950s and 1960s, in which he discusses the development of his work as well as his daily life on Coenties Slip.

This journal page covers October 23–26, 1960. Indiana's entry for October 23 is blank, and his entry for October 24 states only that artist Richard Smith was back in New York.

In his entry for October 25 Indiana notes visiting seven different gallery shows, the first being William Ronald at Kootz Gallery, which he describes as "very interesting—one of the best shows I’ve seen in this gallery. Handsome, bold—rather roughly painted images of a rebellant sort." He also records seeing the Paul Granlund show at the Allan Frumkin Gallery, where he ran into artists Lenore Tawney and Margo Hoff; Terry Frost at Bertha Schaefer Gallery ("Bleak British non-objectives. Five seconds there enough."); Ad Reinhardt at Betty Parsons Gallery ("dark, unseeable canvases in the large gallery; earlier more colorful, visual paintings in section two where its proprietor excused himself [to] shave."); a French 20th Century Masters show at Sidney Janis Gallery; Mark di Suervo at Green Gallery ("Denizen [ill-fated] of our area who has used tremendous hunks of razed building to form great, plastic, construction ensembles."); and George McNeil at Howard Wise Gallery.

In his entry for October 26 Indiana describes working on a "2-starred taller const[ruction]" (this work would become Gem), finishing its black stripes, and painting the stars and front niches white.