Event 2: Gems and Minerals exhibit at the Natural History Museum

Gem and Mineral Hall at Natural History Museum LA:

My ticket/map

Me at the museum 

For my second event, I decided to go to the Natural History Museum to see the Gem and Minerals hall. I thought that it would be very interesting to see how humans have "beautified"gems and minerals into jewelry, art pieces, and other materials. In the Gem and Minerals hall, they have a large display of different gems and minerals. They also have different objects, such as vases, bowls, and sculptures, that are all made out of different gems and minerals. Then, in a vaulted room, there are different cuts of diamonds and other precious stones, along with donated jewelry. The most interesting part of the exhibit is that they had displays of unfinished/uncut/unpolished pieces as well as polished ones. Seeing both of these versions of the same gem/mineral allowed me to see how we can physically alter the appearance of something in order to create something new.

I took a lot of photos at this event, and here are my favorites:

Gold, Barite and Dioptase

Rhodocrosite, Sphaerocobaltite and Smithsonite

Silver, Copper, Gypsum (Selenite), and Amethyst Quartz

Pyrite 

Hematite, Dioptase, and Magnatite

Fluorite Vases and Bowl 

Topaz and Phenarite polished/cut Gems

Ruby corundum eagle, Tourmaline Bird Brooch,
Quartz frog, and Aquamarine Bird

Morganite Carving of King Tut

According to the dictionary, a mineral is "any of a class of substances occurring in nature, usually comprising inorganic substances, as quartz or feldspar, of definite chemical composition and usually of definite crystal structure, but sometimes also including rocks formed by these substances as well as certain natural products of organic origin, as asphalt or coal"(Dictionary.com). A gem is "a cut and polished precious stone or pearl fine enough for use in jewelry" (Dictionary.com). The minerals are often the precursors for the gems, and to see their transformation is amazing.

For example, an unpolished vs. polished diamond:

The diamond on the right does not look anything like the the diamond on the left. However, they are the same material, however the one on the right is polished and cut. Polishing and cutting diamonds or another minerals requires a lot of technology and skilled technician. Similar to a science experiment, the technicians and designers mix and match the jewels to create new jewelry pieces for people to wear. 



The process of polishing gems: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zS6XFHFl9Q
Even though this video is a commercial, it shows how through the use of machinery you can polish a rough stone into something beautiful.

I also found another video on how to polish a geode. Once again, by using technology we can change the look of the original piece in order to make it beautiful. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C4IGmGYvdU

I would suggest going to the Natural History Museum. There are many interesting exhibits, and the Gem and Minerals one is no exception.

Bibliography:
"Gem." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gem?s=t>.
Johnson, Mark. "Appreciating the True Beauty of Rough Diamonds."Serendipity Diamonds Blog. Serendipity Diamonds, 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 01 Aug. 2014. <http://www.serendipitydiamonds.com/blog/the-true-beauty-of-rough-diamonds/>.
Legend, Rockpick, Co. "How To Polish A Geode - Lapidary Information Tutorial." YouTube. YouTube, 22 May 2013. Web. 01 Aug. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C4IGmGYvdU>.
"Mineral." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 01 Aug. 2014. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mineral?s=t>.
School, Jewel. "How to Polish Gemstones with the Jool Tool." YouTube. YouTube, 1 Aug. 2012. Web. 01 Aug. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zS6XFHFl9Q>.