Gemstone Collection

Birthstone Series: Amythest Quartz
An Amythest quartz specimen. Amythest is a form of quartz that is usually purple in colour, it is the birthstone for the month of March. Natural History Museum specimen number 84817

Opal gem with opal rock
The polished gem is from an unknown locality while the rough specimen of opal rock comes from Baracoo River, Queensland, Australia

Selection of diamond crystals
Diamond crystals from the Natural History Museum collections

Jasper
A polished slab of jasper from Campsie Fells, Stirlingshire. Jasper is cryptocrystalline agate quartz (silicon dioxide)

Garnet Peridotite
Garnet-peridotite, a major constituent in the make-up of the Earth. Image published in Natures Connections An Exploration of Natural History. Published in 2000

Benitoite was discovered in 1906 near the San Benito river in California which remains the only known locality for this (barium titanium silicate) mineral

Beryl
A cut heliodor beryl stone of 135.93 carats. Beryl comprises of beryllium aluminum silicate

Cut diamond and crystals
A cut diamond surrounded by rough crystals. Diamond is comprised of compacted carbon and is the hardest natural substance known on Earth

Crucifix set with sapphires, zircon, spinel, cairngorm and amethyst. The whole cross is bordered by diamonds

Zircon cut stones
Cut stones showing the natural colour range and lustre of zircon. Zircon is the birthstone of December. It comprises of (zirconium silicate) and is not the same as the artificial gem cubic zircona

Second coffin of Tutankhamun
The second of three coffins of Pharao Tutankhamun (reigned 13321323 BC), as discovered by Howard Carter among others in 1922 in the Valley of Kings

Agate stones, Agata. Handcoloured copperplate stipple engraving from Antoine Laurent de Jussieus Dizionario delle Scienze Naturali, Dictionary of Natural Science, Florence, Italy, 1837

Aphanite and chalcedony flint
Aphanite 1, and chalcedony flint with mastoids 2. Afanite, Selce calcedonioso a mastoidi. Handcoloured copperplate stipple engraving from Antoine Laurent de Jussieus Dizionario delle Scienze

Onyx agate. Agata onice, con la sua scorza, a zone innumerevoli. Handcoloured copperplate stipple engraving from Antoine Laurent de Jussieus Dizionario delle Scienze Naturali

Interior of a rock salt mine at Northwich, Cheshire. Miners preparing to haul salt up to the surface. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der

Outcrop of gneissic rock almost 40 feet high. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte: Des Mineralreichs, Augsburg, 1828

View of the metal ore veins inside a mountain
View of the metal ore veins inside a so-called Stollart in a mountain with unusual parallel veins. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der

Basalt columns on a mountainside in Westphalia, Germany. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte: Des Mineralreichs, Augsburg, 1828

View of the basalt columns of Giants Causeway, Antrim, Northern Ireland. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte: Des Mineralreichs

Mica and quartz rock formation in Brazil. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte: Des Mineralreichs, Augsburg, 1828

Chinese artists painting porcelain plates to be fired in a low-temperature oven. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte

Chinese potter firing a porcelain plate in a furnace to fix the glaze on it. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte

Geologists studying fossil examples stored 40 to 50 per drawer in a cabinet of curiosities. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte

Gentlemen geologists laboriously search for minerals in a river. Handcoloured copperplate engraving from Gottlieb Tobias Wilhelms Unterhaltungen aus der Naturgeschichte: Des Mineralreichs, Augsburg

Town of Oberstein and gem-polishing mill
View of the town, bridge and crag church at Oberstein 1, and view of the agate and jasper gemstone polishing mill 2. Vue de bourg en face du pont, Atelier de travail

Gem and cameo engraving tools and equipment. Copperplate engraving by William Blake and Wilson Lowry after a drawing by J

Pueblo Indian drilling turquoise, New Mexico, USA
Pueblo Indian drilling turquoise for the making of necklaces, New Mexico, USA. Date: circa 1920

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz (silicon dioxide) and is a popular gemstone

Topaz
This 2982-carat topaz is the largest cut gem at the museum

Corundum variety ruby; crystal and gems
Crystal and gem specimens of ruby, the red variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Corundum has two varieties, the other being sapphire

Schist
A garnet schist from Moidart, Scotland. This specimen is a medium-grained metamorphic rock

Egyptian art. Tutankhamuns pectoral. Dynasty 18. 1332-1322
Egyptian art. Tutankhamuns pectoral with solar and lunar emblem and Scarab. Dynasty 18. 1332-1322 BC. New Kingdom of Egypt. Egyptian Museum Cairo

Votive crown of Recceswinth, found in the treasure of Guarra
Votive crown of the Visigoth king Recceswinth, made of gold and precious stones in the 2nd half of the 7th century. Treasure of Guarrazar. National Archaeological Museum. Madrid. Spain

The Hope Chrysoberyl
Glittering 45-carat chrysoberyl gemstone from Brazil which, has been known among gemmologists for about 170 years

Sapphire Buddha pin less then two centimetres tall. Sapphie is so hard it would have needed something as hard or harder to shape it, most probably another Sapphire

Charles R Matthews Collection
Collection of precious gems held at the Natural History Museum, London. The full collection comprises 268 fine gemstones, of which at least forty are from Myanmar (Burma)

Colenso Diamond
A 133-carat diamond donated to the Natural History Museum in 1887 by the poet John Ruskin. It was stolen in 1965 and remains missing

Colenso Diamond Wanted Poster
Poster offering reward of e750 for the return of the Colenso Diamond. On 29th April, 1965, from the Mineral Gallery at the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Rd, SW7

Peridot
Crystal of peridot from Zebirget (St Johns Island), Red Sea. Peridot is the gemstone variety of olivine (magnesium iron silicate)

Garnet-topped doublet
A green garnet-topped doublet. Garnets are common in metamorphosed rocks and also in some igneous formations

Oyster shell with pearl
Oyster is a name given to a group of molluscs which can be found on sea beds, often in coastal waters. The pearl, a smooth spherical object can form inside its shell

Murchison Snuff Box
The base of the gold snuff box presented to Sir Roderick Impey Murchison by Tsar Alexander II

Chrysoberyl cut stone
This is Alexandrite, a cushion-shaped Chrysoberyl (beryllium aluminum oxide) gemstone. Alexandrite is named after the former czar of Russia, Alexander II

Diamond crystal
Natural diamond crystal in Kimberlite from Kimberley, South Africa. Kimberlite is the rock in which diamonds occur. The rock was named after the the South African site, Kimberley

Replicas of the Koh-I-Noor diamond
Replicas of the Kor-i-noor diamond created from cubic zirconia by John Nels Hatleberg

Amber jewelry. Shop window
Poland. Gdansk. Amber jewelry. Shop window. St. Mary Street

Advert for Bensons jewellery and bracelet watches 1889
Selection of novelty jewellery all with lucky moonstones and set with diamonds, and also a variety of womens bracelet wristwatches. All available from Bensons jewelers, Bond Street, London. 1889

Advert for Bensons Christmas jewellery 1889
Novelty jewellery to celebrate the 90 date (1890s) and also a variety of Christmas related theme brooches including holly, mistletoe and ivy, and also a selection of womens bracelet wristwatches

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