Gemstone Collection (page 2)

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

Ostensorium. Gothic. 14th C. Detail cross adorned with green
Ostensorium of gold and silver. Gothic. 14th C. Detail cross adorned with green gems. Treasure of Cathedral of Barcelona. Catalonia. Spain

Baroque art. Sacred art. Plaque. Silver. Seu d Urgell. Catalonia. Spain. 17th century

Coffer of agates. Spain
Coffer of agates. 11th century. Made in silver and decorated with agates. From the Collegiate Church of Saint Isidore of Leon. National Archaeological Museum. Madrid. Spain

Mary Augusta May Yohe - American musical theatre actress
Mary Augusta " May" Yohe (18661938) - American musical theatre actress. In 1894, she married Lord Francis Hope and possessed the Hope Diamond. Date: circa 1910s

Diamond in pebble
A solitary diamond in conglomerate, from Golconda, India

Aquamarine
This Russian gem is about the size of a peach and weighs 898 carats

Morganite
This gemstone is 600 carats and one of the worlds largest Morganite specimens

Opal in its natural form. The boulder has been split open to reveal the shimmering opal inside

Diamond flower brooch
Victorian diamond-encrusted flower with a sapphire at its centre

Tourmaline cut stones see 666
A group of tourmaline cut stones. Tourmaline is the name given to a group of eleven minerals which all have a general chemical formula

Jade
A block of jade measuring more than a metre across and weighing over half a tonne

Black opal
131-carat black opal found in the Lightning Ridge area of New South Wales, Australia

Emerald
Possibly from the collection of Rt Hon Charles Greville in 1810. Emerald is a variety of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate). The green colour attributed to small amounts of chromium

Yellow sapphire from Sri Lanka, 101 carats. Acquired by the museum in 1874

Agate thundereggs

Imperial Topaz
Found in 1852 in one of the oldest mines in the southeastern Ouro Preto region of Brazil

Padparadscha is one of the most unusual varieties of the mineral corundum

Moss agate specimen

Bloodstone or heliotrope carvings
These frogs were carved from bloodstone by Paul Dreher. Bloodstone is green agate containing speckles of red jasper. All these derive from the cryptocrystalline quartz group

Opal necklace given to the museum in 1958

Spinel specimen
Spinel crystals from Vietnam. The rock has been chipped away to reveal the well-defined crystals

Diamond spikes

Natural ruby crystal
This ruby is a staggering 1, 085 carats. Mined in Burmas Mogok (Myanmar s) mines and bought by the Museum in 1924 from Burma Ruby Mines Ltd. It is one of the largest crystals in the Museum collection

Jade group
A selection of rough and worked specimens of jadeite and nephrite. Jade is a gemstone and ornamental stone

Star sapphire
Parallel bundles of fibres are formed in the stone as it crystallises. When the sapphire is cut in the correct orientation the silky needles reflect light to form a star effect

Natural ruby in marble
From the mines of Mogok in Burma (Myanmar). Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum with small impurities of chromium that turn it red

Cursed amethyst
When the Mineralogy Department received this amethyst in 1943 they found a note inside the box: this stone is trebly accursed and is stained with the blood

Plaster mould recording the original shape of the Koh-i-Noor
Made in 1851 before the diamond was re-cut to a brilliant oval. This cast records the Mogul-style cut of the Koh-i-Noor diamond

Plate 3a from Histoire naturelle? (1789)
Plate 3a, Histoire Naturel Des Mineraux et de Pierres Precieuses, from Histoire naturelle: ou, Exposition des morceaux, les mieux choisis pour servir? (1789) by by Swebach Desfontaines

Variety of Gemstones
Left to right, top: Onyx, cornelian, tigers eye, jet, turquoise, lapis lazuli, hematite, jade. Bottom: Ivory, amber, coral, cultured pearl, freshwater pearl, shell, cameo

Baltic amber jewellery
Matching necklace and earring set made of Baltic amber. Borrowed from Wendy Turner Coates. Image from Amber the Natural Time Capsule Fig. 22

Hannays diamond
No.1 of Hannays diamonds. Specimen held in the Mineralogy Department at The Natural History Museum, London

Burmese amber
A large specimen of Burmese amber measuring 50 cms left to right

Tray of Precious Gemstones held in the mineralogy department of the Natural History Museum

Turquoise variety Henwoodite
A specimen of the turquoise variety called Henwoodite, named after William Jory Henwood (1805-1875) from West Phoenix Mine, Linkinhorne, Cornwall

Tray of Precious Gemstones held in the mineralogy department of the Natural History Museum

Chrome diopside
Two variations of a diopside gemstone (calcium magnesium silicate). Left: Deep-green faceted cut stone; locality unknown. Right: Small translucent green detached crystal from Outokumpu, Finland

Corundum group
A collection of crystals including ruby and sapphire particolor, ruby rhomboid, and hexagonal cut sapphire

Ruby and Sapphire
Specimens of the mineral corundum (Aluminum Oxide), a ruby and saphire. These gemstones are varieties of the corundum mineral. A collection of crystals including the Edwardes ruby

Birthstone Series: Zircon
Zircon comes in a variety of colours, but most commonly brown or green. It is the birthstone for the month of December (along with Tanzinte and Turquoise). Photographed by Harry Taylor

Birthstone Series: Fire Opal
This specimen is called a fire opal because of its red-orange colour. Many of these specimens originate from Mexico. Opal is the birthstone for the month of October. Photographed by Harry Taylor

Birthstone Series: Lazurite

Birthstone Series: Citrine
Citrine is a form of quartz that appears in different a variety of yellows and oranges, it is the birthstone for the month of November along with Topaz. Specimen number 21470

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