Hope Diamond and the National Gem Collection
They say a diamond is a girl's best friend. Imagine taking your date to the world's greatest collection of gems on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. More than 7,500 individual gemstones, ranging from less than a half-carat to almost 23,000 carats, fill the cases in in the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals. Harry Winston's gift of the Hope Diamond inaugurated the stunning series of spectacular gifts that transformed the National Gem Collection from a fine to a truly fabulous one. The National Museum of Natural History is located at 10th Street & Constitution Avenue, and is open daily 10 am 5:30 pm. The closest Metro Station is the Smithsonian Station on the Blue and Orange line.
Rhodochrosite main use is as an ore of manganese which is a key component of low-cost stainless steel formulations and certain alluminium alloys. Quality banded specimens are often used for decorative stones and jewelry. Due to its being relatively soft, and having perfect cleaveage, it is very difficult to cut, and therefore rarely found faceted in jewelry.
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Turquoise Bracelet made by the Native American Zuni tribe. It is rare and valuable in finer grades and has been prized as a gem and ornamental stone for thousands of years owing to its unique hue.
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Opal with demantoid from Lightning Ridge, Australia. Australia's National Gem. *
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Opal with diamond and corundum. This pin appears alive and sparkling in all the colours of the rainbow.
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Labradorite - 810.7 carats from Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada *
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Emerald Necklace
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Beryl (morganite) - 235.5 and 106.3 carats are from Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Hope Diamond - The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem by Richard Kurin. The true story behind the most famous-and infamous-stone in the world.
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Beryl (aquamarine) - 184 and 186.9 carats come from Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Fluorite - 354.4 and 492.1 carats from Korea.
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Elbaite - 258.1 and 75.4 carats from Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Gold - 2544 grams from the Union Placer mine, California
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To purchase a Hope Diamond Pendant and view other Washington DC souvenirs please visit www.DCGiftShop.com *
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To purchase a Hope Diamond Pin and view other Washington DC souvenirs please visit www.DCGiftShop.com *
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