Trip to the Smithsonian

[Lady_Disdain]

I was able to drop bythe Natural History Museum and, of course, headed straight to the gemology and minerals collection.

While there are many spectacular gems, I must say they were short on the rare gems (or maybe they just weren''t showing them): no hauyne, nothing tenebrescent, etc. I also didn''t see that many spinels (not one Mahenge) and thought that several PSers had nicer specimens of some gems. Then again, maybe they just weren''t displaying what I wanted to see.

But there was plenty of interesting things to see (and photograph!). Since many have posted good photos from the collection, I will try to focus on the less famous pieces (with a few exceptions).

 

[Lady_Disdain]

First up: trapiche emeralds. These were the first nice trapiche I have seen. Since the stones are nice and transparent, you can see how the trapiche structure extends in the stone.

 

[Arkteia]

Very interesting, Lady Disdain! Do you have more?
And BTW - till when do they run expo on Hope/Graf diamonds?

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Since I started with emeralds, here is an spectacular emerald necklace.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Plenty more! I am just a bit slow posting them because I am resizing them asI post (as well as trying to book a hotel room, verify a flight and other boring stuff).

I was really impressed with the emeralds. Good quality emeralds are really on a a different league and nothing like what we usually see. This was an interesting piece, as most of the stones (including the diamonds) are actually faceted beads, not set stones. You can see it quite clearly on this photo. There was no explanation on this piece, but I suspect Indian stones reset in Europe.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I am not sure how long the Graff will be on display, but I imagine it will be a while. I must say I was rather disappointed in both the Graff and the Hope: too dark and grey for my taste - as well as that honking window on the Graff (sorry).

Considering the crowds and the usual difficulty in photographing gems, here is a not very nice picture of the Graff. I managed to get a little fire, as well as the window, but the colour is way too grey in this picture.

 

[Arkteia]

God, what a necklace! To think that someone owned it!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Ok, I was going to stop with the emeralds, but just for Crasru... You really can''t tell the scale of this piece from the photo, but it is a long necklace. I think it would hit at about mid-chest, not a short choker. Perhaps that will give you the scale of the 168 cts Mackay Emerald. I think I would get a backache wearing that. Not to mention a neckache from looking down at it all the time.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

And, since to finish with the diamonds, here is the Shepherd yellow - 18.3cts of sunny, flawless goodness. Yep, I really liked this one!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I liked this little display with the colour variations of grossular. Perhaps a few more people will understand the amazing range of colours in garnets.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

And a similar display of labradorite. I had no idea it could be this pretty.

 

[chictomato]

Date: 6/22/2010 1:17:35 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain
I liked this little display with the colour variations of grossular. Perhaps a few more people will understand the amazing range of colours in garnets.

This is very interesting, you don''t always get to see this amazing range of colors!

 

[Lady_Disdain]

And zircons!Isn't the orange emerald cut sweet?

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Very blue aquas. A bit hard to tell, because of the way they are tilted. The left one is a greenish blue (I think unheated, but there was little information on treatment, other than the irradiaded coloured diamonds) and the one on the right actually looks like a huge london blue topaz (sad, considering how much it must cost).

 

[Lady_Disdain]

It is getting late around here, so one last picture for today: 17ct alexandrite. It is shown under alternating light sources, so both colours can be seen. Of course, the green didn''t photograph but just look at this red/pink! It glows.

(coming tomorow: all things cats eye, star and rare)

 

[BWise]

Goodness heaven! All these eye candies!!!!!

This alexandrite, I would have never guessed. That hot pink!

 

[iLander]

THANK YOU for all the pics, this is a fabulous thread!

 

[chrono]

Lots of lovely pictures with so many favourites. Thank you Lady D!

 

[Harriet]

Hi hi! Thanks for the pics. Did you see the cut phosphophyllite? Are you by any chance coming North to New York?

 

[brandy_z28]

Thank you for sharing those with us Lady_D!

 

[VapidLapid]

Oh I hate to think of all those wonderful stones jailed up there like criminals never again to be oogled at a coronation or Gala event or the Oscars or a beheading

 

[T L]

Thank you so much for the photos Lady D. I recently went back to the Grainger Hall of Gems at the Chicago Field Museum and took much better photos than the last time, and much clearer, so I will post them when PS2 is up. By the way, the emeralds are spectacular, and I think it''s rather funny that we all have eyes so tuned to fine color that many PS''ers think the Hope and the Graff are drab diamonds. Very funny!

 

[Lovinggems]

Wow those emerald necklaces ar amazing! Thank you for the photos!

 

[BWise]

I have to come back here and drool again...

That''s it, I will try to take a day off and sneak to the museum myself. It is a shame living in DC area but not going to visit the gems monthly.

I often wish the lighting in the meseum can be improved as many of the gems deserves to be in the spotlight. But they were just quitely grouped together for display. So many people walked by them with a casual glance, then moved on to the next. I was like ''people, do you have any idea what''s in front of you?! That''s a top notch xxx'' (in my thoughts of course)

 

[movie zombie]

aquas! lovely!

mz

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I love the emerald necklaces. Although I realize that there appears to be light cast on the necklace, the color of the emeralds in not that dark er green that is considered top color. This is the color that I have always thought emeralds should be.
I would take this color over the darker.
Its beautiful.

Thanks,

Annette

 

[T L]

Date: 6/22/2010 1:10:33 PM
Author: smitcompton
Hi,

I love the emerald necklaces. Although I realize that there appears to be light cast on the necklace, the color of the emeralds in not that dark er green that is considered top color. This is the color that I have always thought emeralds should be.
I would take this color over the darker.
Its beautiful.

Thanks,

Annette

Smit, I believe it's the light hitting the stones. The emerald centerpiece above in the Inquisition Necklace above is considered to be one of the finest in the world and it was mined in Columbia. I reattached the photo of it in this posting so people knew which one. The Smithsonian has some of the most famous and gemmy emeralds in the world. You really need to see a fine emerald in person to appreciate one. They rarely photograph well, and they never look like they do IRL.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/22/2010 1:30:29 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain
Very blue aquas. A bit hard to tell, because of the way they are tilted. The left one is a greenish blue (I think unheated, but there was little information on treatment, other than the irradiaded coloured diamonds) and the one on the right actually looks like a huge london blue topaz (sad, considering how much it must cost).

Is it just me, or do most museums always have the huge windowed boring aqua?

 

[T L]

Date: 6/22/2010 1:38:33 AM
Author: Lady_Disdain

It is getting late around here, so one last picture for today: 17ct alexandrite. It is shown under alternating light sources, so both colours can be seen. Of course, the green didn''t photograph but just look at this red/pink! It glows.

(coming tomorow: all things cats eye, star and rare)

Fabulous alex if that''s the pink color. Typically they go from muddy olive to muddy brown.

 

[ArtistJess]