|
|
 |
|
Home / Exhibits / Special Exhibits
Learn More about the Exhibition
Purchase Tickets
|
 |
Niki Kavakonis Designs. © Royal Ontario Museum, 2008. Tip of the Iceberg ring.
Click image to enlarge.
|
|
|
|
Marilyn Monroe popularized a certain highly-prized gem when she sang “Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend.” And, there’s the old saying, “diamonds are forever.”
For centuries, these stunning stones have inspired extravagant myths and unyielding desires in diverse cultures throughout the world. Marvel at these minerals, described as “dazzling,” “cool,” “elegant,” “regal,” “unyielding,” “stylish” and “pure” in The Nature of Diamonds, an exhibit that explores humanity’s fascination with diamonds and provides an in-depth look at diamonds as a natural substance—from its geological origins, place in history, art, adornment, and literature, to its numerous uses in modern technology and research.
“Understanding the nature of diamonds and appreciating the science behind what makes these dazzling crystals sparkle, makes this precious gem even more magnificent to behold,” said Joel A. Bartsch, president of the Houston Museum of Natural Science.
The special exhibition features dozens of breathtaking gems and jewels on loan from public and private collections all over the world. Highlights of the show include a stunning, layered gold mesh necklace sprinkled with rough diamonds and cultured keshi pearls - created by noted architect Frank Gehry for Tiffany & Company; an 1855 corsage ornament studded with more than 2,000 diamonds, owned by Princess Mathilde, the niece of Napoleon Bonaparte; a Cartier flapper headband from the 1920s; the Elton John Cartier shoulder brooch; and the giant Aurora Butterfly of Peace, an artistic arrangement of 240 naturally colored diamonds, on loan from Aurora Gems, New York. Also on view are spectacular single diamonds such as the Old Stone from the Diamond Trading Center and the Arkansas Diamond from Tiffany & Co., alongside a diverse array of other exhibits, all illuminating the many roles and qualities of diamonds.
What is a diamond?
|
|
 |
Hollywood star Salma Hayek wore this tiara designed by Cynthia Bach to a dinner at the White House in 1998 during the Clinton Administration. Cynthia Bach.
Click image to enlarge.
|
|
|
A crystalline form of carbon, diamond is one of the world’s most precious mineral resources. It is the hardest of all substances, ideal as an abrasive or unscratchable surface, with numerous—and ever-growing—technological uses, ranging from windows for space probes to heat spreaders in critical electronic devices. Yet diamond, whose brilliant refractivity and superb dispersion of light create flashing rainbow colors, is most renowned as a peerless, glittering gem, unparalleled in its use as adornment. This dichotomy—as a stone that is at once utilitarian and decorative—has given rise to the allusions and symbolism that create a mystical aura around this mineral.
Extend Your Experience
After visiting The Nature of Diamonds, surround yourself around a world-renowned collection of the rarest and most beautiful mineral crystals of all types in the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals. This spectacular hall houses the world’s finest display-quality collection of minerals, which includes more than 750 beautifully crystallized mineral specimens. Walk-around display cases and fiber-optic lighting provide an optimum view of these dazzling treasures.
Then, experience the extraordinary—The Smith Gem Vault. The newest permanent exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Smith Gem Vault contains some of the most coveted and mesmerizing polished and cut gems and jewels ever displayed in a single exhibit. Floating lightly in space and radiating intense color, the jeweled masterpieces on display literally take your breath away. The special collection includes the world’s finest aquamarine, the largest emerald crystal ever recovered in North America and the world’s finest boulder opal in addition to dazzling examples of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, aquamarines, topaz, amethyst, alexandrite and tourmaline.
|
|
|
|
