Nature’s Treasure
The Nakhla meteorite was seen to fall from the sky and land in Egypt. Comparison of trapped gases to the data received from Mars missions proved that the rock had originated on the red planet.
The Aurora Collection consists of 296 diamonds, each of a different hue; many of them glow or change colour under UV light.
The Devonshire Emerald is one of the largest and most famous uncut emeralds and originates from the emerald mines of Colombia. It was given to the sixth Duke of Devonshire by Emperor Pedro I of Brazil.
The Heron-Allen amethyst is apparently cursed. The Latrobe nugget is one of the finest and largest nuggets of cubic gold crystals and was found during the Australian gold rush. The Star of South Africa sparked the South African Diamond rush.
I have always been fascinated by Alexandrite which changes colour in different lights, from green in daylight to red in candle (or artificial) light. Can you imagine the response when those bewitched stones were first uncovered?
I had never heard of a padparadscha with its delicate orange-pink colour.
What struck me most was not so much the loaned collections as the number of treasures which were already owned by, or in the care of the Natural History Museum.
A fascinating, absorbing, enchanting visit. See my snapshots in the Gallery or check out these links:
