Jewels of the Smithsonian...

[m-2-b]

Hi PS'ers!

I thought I'd take everyone along with me on a journey to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (we just came back from visiting Washington, D.C., for spring break)! Of course, I darted directly to the gem gallery when the museum opened with my trusty camera in tow!

First up, the Hope Diamond (which I think needed a quick cleaning IMHO ). The color did not look as bright a blue as I had imagined in my mind, nor as brilliant from the pictures online. Maybe it's just the dim museum lighting? It was constantly rotating every few seconds and being watched like a hawk by the security guard! I tried to do my best under the circumstances with all of the photos!



More info can be found here:
https://mineralsciences.si.edu/hope.htm

 

[m-2-b]

Here's a back view of the necklace which is made up of various shaped bezeled diamonds:

 

[Octo2005]

Thanks for sharing @m-2-b

 

[m-2-b]

Next up, the Cullinan Blue Diamond Necklace (2.6 ct center oval brilliant blue diamond, 5.57 ctw of blue diamonds):



A close up:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002740/cullinan-blue-diamond-necklace

 

[m-2-b]

The magnificent 423 ct Logan Sapphire from Sri Lanka:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002687/logan-sapphire

 

[m-2-b]

The Napolean Diamond Necklace (estimated total weight of 263 cts):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002696/napoleon-diamond-necklace

 

[m-2-b]

The Hazen Diamond Necklace (131.43 total ct weight) by Harry Winston, Inc.:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002710/hazen-diamond-necklace

 

[m-2-b]

A close up of this beauty:

 

[the_mother_thing]

Gorgeous pics, @m-2-b Thanks so much for sharing the bling!

 

[m-2-b]

The Maharaja of Indore Necklace (45 ct emerald center):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002801/maharaja-of-indore-necklace

 

[m-2-b]

The Carmen Lucia Ruby (23.10 ct Burma Ruby):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002734/carmen-lcia-ruby

 

[m-2-b]

The Marie Louise Diadem (700 cts OMC diamonds) given by Napoleon to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise:



Sorry that this one did not photograph well! Better photo can be seen here of all the diamonds/turquoise in all of it's glory:

https://geogallery.si.edu/10002698/marie-louise-diadem

 

[m-2-b]

The Hall Sapphire Necklace (left) and the Bismarck Sapphire Necklace (right):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002709/hall-sapphire-necklace
https://geogallery.si.edu/10002691/bismarck-sapphire-necklace

 

[valeria101]

The Maharaja of Indore Necklace

https://geogallery.si.edu/10002801/maharaja-of-indore-necklace

First thought after awe:

how did one drill through diamonds in India in the 1600's !? @diagem

The holes seem small and precise & oddly rough ... (see closeup). Wondering what the necklace might have been like in its original form (asuming simple & involving pearls).

Digressing,

 

[m-2-b]

The Wilkinson Diamond Brooch (61.3 total ct weight of fancy colored diamonds) on the left and the Wilkinson Diamond Ringdant (22 ct light yellow emerald cut diamond center) on the right:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002705/wilkinson-diamond-brooch
https://geogallery.si.edu/10002833/wilkinson-diamond-ringdant

Sorry that the light yellow colored EC did not translate in this photo! And BTW, I never heard of the term "ringdant" until now!

 

[m-2-b]

The Maximilian Emerald Ring (21.04 cts) on the far left, the Mackay Emerald and Diamond Necklace (167.97 ct center emerald) on the far right:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002700/maximilian-emerald
https://geogallery.si.edu/10002723/mackay-emerald-necklace

 

[m-2-b]

The Hooker Yellow Diamond necklace (244.1 cts of starburst-cut fancy yellow diamonds) on the far left, the Hooker Yellow Diamond earrings (25.28 cts) on top, the Hooker Yellow Diamond ring (61.12 ct fancy yellow diamond) on the bottom, the Hooker Emerald Brooch (75.47 ct Colombian emerald) on the far right:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002731/hooker-yellow-diamonds
https://geogallery.si.edu/10002707/hooker-emerald

Anyone heard of Starburst-cuts by chance?

 

[leukolenos]

Wow! Thanks for sharing! I’m headed there tomorrow! Can’t wait to see it all with my own eyes!

 

[MissGotRocks]

I love that part of the museum! Your pictures are great but being there in person is awesome, isn't it? You could just look your eyes out at all the beautiful bling! Thanks for sharing these pictures with us!

 

[m-2-b]

The Marie Antoinette Earrings (14.25 cts and 20.34 cts pear shaped diamonds):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002695/marie-antoinette-diamond-earrings

I'm surprised to hear of the weight discrepancy between the 2 pear diamonds for matching earrings!

 

[m-2-b]

The Blue Heart Diamond Ring (30.62 ct natural fancy blue heart shaped diamond) from South Africa:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002692/blue-heart-diamond

I love halo rings!!!

 

[m-2-b]

A Burmese Ruby and Diamond Bracelet (60 cts of Burmese Rubies):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002697/burmese-ruby-bracelet

 

[m-2-b]

The Shepherd Diamond (18.3 ct OMC) from South Africa:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002812/shepard-diamond

 

[m-2-b]

The Portuguese Diamond (127.01 ct step cut diamond) on the right:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10002688/portuguese-diamond

It's got VSB fluorescence!

 

[m-2-b]

The Pearson Diamond (16.72 cts):



https://geogallery.si.edu/10026099/pearson-diamond

I can imagine a rock like this on Phoenix's finger!

 

[m-2-b]

The Jolie Citrine Necklace (177.11 ct pear-shaped citrine), designed in collaboration with actress Angelina Jolie:



https://geogallery.si.edu/10026500/jolie-citrine-necklace

 

[m-2-b]

I thought I'd add pictures of the jewels Michelle Obama wore to the inauguration in 2009 (from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History). The ring is a Loree Rodkin rose cut halo totaling 13 cts along with 13 cts total weight of WG/diamond bangle bracelets and 61 cts of triple rose-cut diamonds with briolette cluster earrings in WG:



Here's her complete ensemble (Jason Wu white silk chiffon gown embellished with Swarovski crystal and organza flowers):



More info can be found here:

http://americanhistory.si.edu/first-ladies/michelle-obama

 

[m-2-b]

For the PS fashionista's out there, here is a glimpse of Melania's simple yet elegant vanilla silk crepe inaugural gown as well:





Unfortunately, there was no bling on display for her (particularly her EC ER honker)!

 

[m-2-b]

Thanks for looking, everyone! I hope it was a bling treat for the eyes!!!

 

[sarahb]

Gorgeous photos m-2-b!! It WAS a treat, we woke up to snow today in MI!! Thank you for taking them & posting, I love the Smithsonian Museums, so much fun!!