Gemstone Collection (page 5)

Birthstone Series: Topaz
Topaz has a chemical composition of aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide and is the birthstone for the month of November (along with Citrine). Photographed by Frank Greenaway

Birthstone Series: Brilliant Cut Diamond
Diamond, a gemstone from the Natural History Museum collections, in London. Diamond is the birthstone for the month of April (along with quartz, rock crystal). Photographed by Frank Greenaway

Frank Greenaway, Science Photographer
Museum photographer Frank Greenaway lighting a gemstone so that the internal structure is captured in a photograph

Earths Treasury
Interior view of Earths Treasury gallery, the Earth Galleries, the Natural History Museum, London

Plate 99, from Mineralogie
Various gemstone varieties including diamond, ruby, sapphire, spinel and Topaz. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie vol.3 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 3 from Histoire naturelle? (1789)
Plate 3, Histoire Naturelle ou Mineralogie Complete from Histoire naturelle: ou, Exposition des morceaux, les mieux choisis pour servir (1789) by by Swebach Desfontaines

Chinese amber carving
An intricate crab carved out of Chinese amber. Amber is fossilised tree resin. Fig. 25 from Amber the Natural Time Capsule

Kor-i-noor replica
An exact copy of the original Kor-i-noor diamond created from cubic zirconia by John Nels Hatleberg (Cat 157). Photographed by Frank Greenaway

Birthstone Series: Aquamarine
Aquamarine is the blue variety of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate) and is the birthstone of the month of March. A gemstone from the Natural History Museum collections, in London

Birthstone Series: Garnet
Garnet has a chemical composition of iron aluminium silicate. It is the birthstone of the month of January. Gemstone from the Natural History Museum collections, in London

Tiger eye specimen

Opal in matrix specimen

Hematite tumblestone

Carnelian specimen

Diamond with garnet
Red garnet crystal in an octagonal, step-cut diamond. Diamond comprises of compacted carbon and is the hardest natural substance known on Earth

Peridot group
Fine cut peridot of 146 carats (centre) with crystals and rough mass (right) from Zebirget, and Hawaiian basalt containing olivine crystals (left)

Star rubies and sapphires
Star stones of ruby and sapphire, both are varieties of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Ruby always appears in red where as sapphire comes in a variety of colours

Ruby and Sapphire cut stones

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

Spodumene crystal and cut stone
Large spodumene (Lithium Aluminum Silicate) crystal and cut gemstone from Brazil

Chrysoberyl
Shown here is a crystal and a cut stone of chrysoberyl (beryllium aluminum oxide). Chrysoberl is a gemstone and is also known as cats eye

Ruby
A six-rayed star ruby. Ruby is the red variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide)

Topaz crystals and faceted topaz showing a diverse colour range. Topaz comprises of (aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide)

Citrine and amethyst are both varieties of quartz (silicon dioxide)

Garnets
Faceted garnets showing a range of colours. Garnet is the birthstone of January

Kunzite crystal and cut stone
Strongly dichroic pink kunzite crystal and faceted kunzite. Kunzite (lithium aluminum silicate) is the pink variety of spodumene and is pleochroic

Labradorite carving

Sapphire
A six-rayed star blue sapphire. Sapphires derives from the corundum mineral group which is the second hardest group known

Zircons
Faceted zircons showing various colours and high lustre, from Sri Lanka. Zircon comprises of (zirconium silicate) and is not the same as the artificial gem cubic zircona

Topaz
Blue irradiated topaz pebbles and faceted topaz. Topaz is comprised of (aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide)

Ceratonia siliqua, carob bean tree
Illustration of carob beans by B. Thanner. The beans were used as weights for gems and precious metals

Gemstones
A selection of faceted gemstones from the collections of The Natural History Museum, London

Imitation turquoise
A slab of imitiation turquoise. True specimens of turquoise are among the most valuable non-transparent minerals

Imitation emerald
A faceted teardrop synthetic emerald

Moodstone cut as cabochons. A cabachon is a highly polished convex-cut gem

Green demantoid garnet in ring from the collection of Sir Arthur Herbert Church. Dementoid is the green variety of andradite garnet

Brewster Angle Meter
Placing a gem inside a Brewster Angle Meter. This instrument was introduced in 1999. This instrument can be used to find the refractive index (RI) of gems, which can help with identification

Opal doublets
Opals are not truely crystalline and are therefore mineraloids. They comprise of (hydrated silica glass)

Pink rubellite tourmaline
Chinese pendant carving in pink rubellite tourmaline

Emerald on calcite
Well-formed hexagonal crystals of emerald on calcite. Emerald is a variety of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate). The green colour is attributed to small amounts of chromium

Topaz
Image of Queen Victoria carved in topaz. Topaz comprises of (aluminum silicate fluoride hydroxide)

Almandine garnets
Brooch set with almandine garnets. Almandine comprises of (iron aluminum silicate) and is the most common of the garnets

Sapphire crystal
Sapphire is a blue variety of corundum, which is the second hardest natural substance known on Earth. Specimen originates from Olberg, Rheinland, now at the Natural History Museum, London

Ruby is a variety of corundum, which is the second hardest natural substance known on Earth. Specimen is originally from Aust-Agder, Norway, and is now on display at the Natural History Museum, London

Beryl
A specimen of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate). There are several varieties of beryl, aquamarine (blue), emerald (green), goshenite, heliodor and morganite

Emerald, a variety of beryl
A cut teardrop stone and a prismatic crystal of the green variety of beryl (beryllium aluminum silicate) known as emerald. Specimen from the Natural History Museum, London

Almandite
A crystal and a cut stone of almandite, a deep red garnet comprised of (iron aluminum silicate). Specimen from the collections of the Natural History Museum, London

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

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