Mineral Collection (page 16)

Gemstone series: sapphire
Sapphire, the blue variety of the mineral corundum (aluminium oxide). Sapphire can be found in a number of different colours. Specimen at the Natural History Museum, London

Birthstone Series: Peridot
Peridot, a gemstone from the Natural History Museum, London. Peridot is the birthstone for the month of August (along with Sardonyx). Photographed by Frank Greenaway

Birthstone Series: Ruby

Birthstone Series: Blue Topaz

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

Willemite
A specimen of willemite (zinc silicate) photographed under UV light

Quartz variety amethyst

Asbestos
Geometric asbestos crystals. Asbestos is a dangerous, fibrous amphibole mineral

Chrysis rudii, ruby-tailed wasp
An illustration of a ruby-tailed wasp (Chrysis rudii)

Thomas Allan (1777-1833)
Portrait of Thomas Allan, an important figure in the history of mineralogy. This is the only known portrait of him. His collection of around 9

Earth Lab
Children in the Earth Lab, Gallery 66. Earth Galleries at The Natural History Museum, London

Mineral Gallery, 1923
The Mineral Gallery, on the first floor of the east wing, is the only area to retain the same layout since first opening in 1881

Geological Gallery, 1882
A photograph of the Geological Gallery from the Museums Archives

Cassiterite, sparable tin
Dark-brown slender lustrous prisms of cassiterite (tin oxide) on brownish siderite and dark-green chlorite. Specimen from the Dolcoath mine, Camborne, Cornwall

Axopodorhabdus albianus, coccolith
Scanning electron microscope image of a Cretaceous coccolith from Folkestone Chalk (x 10, 000 on a standard 9 cm wide print)

Plate 43 from Mineralogie
Azur de Cuivre Cristallise du Bannal de Temeswar. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.5 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Gryphaea arcuata Lamarck, fossil oysters
About 190 million years old, found in the Lias clays and limestones of the Jurassic period. Commonly called Devils Toenails

Plate 41 from Mineralogie
Morceau de Mine de Cuivre vert Soieux vitreux rouge et Pyriteux. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.5 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 26 from Mineralogie Volume 1 (1790)
Spath calcaire incruste de pirites Cuivreuses. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.1 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 8 from Mineralogie
Mine de Fer Statique en Cretes de Coq sur un groupe de Cristaux de Roche. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.5 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Centipede in Baltic amber
Centipede, Chilopoda in Baltic amber. The centipede has been half polished away and is filled with pyrite crystals

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

Plate 44 from Mineralogie
Azur de Cuivre en tres beaux Cristaux qui ofre ptusieurs varietes de l octaedre. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.5 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 4a from Histoire naturelle? (1789)
Plate 4a Mineralogie, [unfinished] from Histoire naturelle: ou, Exposition des morceaux, les mieux choisis pour servir? (1789) by by Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 27 from Mineralogie Volume 1 (1790)
Moreau singulier de Calamine quis est incrustee sur du Spath piramidal, le qu els est decompose et a laisse la place vuide... From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.1 (1790) by F.L

Title page from Mineralogie Volume 2 (1790)
Mineralogie Tome III Contenant les gemes, chorles, Feldspath, Asbeste, Plombagine, Bithume &c. Title page from Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.3 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 9a from Histoire naturelle? (1789)
Plate 9a, Mineralogie, from Histoire naturelle: ou, Exposition des morceaux, les mieux choisis pour servir? (1789) by by Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 24 from Mineralogie
Mine de Fer grise de Saxe Coloree gorge de Pigeon. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.5 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 11 from Mineralogie
Grouppe de Cristaux de Mine de Plomb blanche d Huegoet pres Poullaoen en Basse Bretagne. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.6 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

Plate 44 from Mineralogie Volume 1 (1790)

Semicassis labiata labiata, agate cassid

Plate 25 from Mineralogie
Mine de Fer Coloree et Cristallisee en Octaedres prismatique tres curieux. From Recuille complet de Mineralogie? vol.5 (1790) by F.L. Swebach Desfontaines

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

Charcoal
Specimen of commercial charcoal produced from wood. Charcoal is created by burning organic substances such as wood in the absence of oxygen

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

Gold specimens
A variety of gold specimens held at the Natural History Museum, London. Gold is an elemental metal. It occurs mainly as nuggets in rocks and alluvial deposits

The cliff edge engine houses of Wheal Trewavas
Situated on the Tregonning granite at Trewavas Head, south Cornwall. Image used in Minerals of Cornwall and Devon by P.G. Embrey and R.F. Symes, 1987, page 40. See also 4072

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

Pycnodus zeaformis Longbottom, fish tooth plate
Corn-on-the-cob fish tooth plate from a paratype specimen dating from the Lower or Middle Eocene phosphates; Tamagu?lelt, Gao region, Mali

Mineral replacement
This piece of wood has been replaced with metallic copper. Specimen is from the Mavovouni mines, Cyprus 2, 300 BP. Specimen on display at the Natural History Museum, London

Diamond fields, Cape of Good Hope
A photograph taken during the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger (1872-1876), funded by the British Government for scientific purposes

Baryte
Specimen of the mineral Baryte from Wheal Mary Ann Menheriot, Cornwal, England

Axinite

Mimetite
A tall, orange prismatic crystal of mimetite. Mimetite comprises of (lead chloroarsenate)

Sweetite
A Specimen from the collections held at the Natural History Museum, London from Milltown, Ashover, Derbyshire

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