https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog daily 0.75 2025-07-09 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/jewels-making-history monthly 0.5 2025-07-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/9f7cc7dd-d20b-4480-bac9-c4d14c96ac21/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Logan+Sapphire.jpg Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - The Logan Sapphire and More Gem Highlights The collection’s extraordinary jewels include many other well-known and historical gems. For example, the Logan Sapphire, one of the world’s largest faceted sapphires, calls the museum home. It weighs in at an astonishing 423.99 carats and displays a luxurious deep blue color and fabulous clarity. Fabulous fancy yellow diamonds gifted by museum-namesake Janet Annenberg Hooker, sparkle alongside the stunning DeYoung red, and pink diamonds. Storied vault treasures include a diadem and necklace gifted to empress Marie-Louise by Napoleon, which flaunts 263 luxurious carats of diamonds. They keep company with a pair of Marie Antoinette’s earrings, whose intricate 18th-century design details and lavish use of diamond reflect the monarch’s notorious opulence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/8b73c142-3eca-4a59-b40c-f41b62b724c2/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Mineral+Rainbow.jpeg Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - Make it stand out Rainbow Minerals - Smithsonian Museum Collection https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/7c45232c-4642-4bcf-8fbe-c7cafb6aef31/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Hope+Diamond.png Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - The Hope Diamond The Hope Diamond When 17th-century miners unearthed the 45.52-carat blue diamond in the Kollur Mine in what is today India, the world had never before seen a blue diamond. The diamond passed from owner to owner and across continents before the English banker Henry Philip Hope acquired it in the early 1800s. Thereafter known as the Hope diamond, the jewel became closely linked with tragic developments in the lives of those who possessed it. Its exquisite beauty, however, is beyond debate. The Hope Diamond’s rich and distinctive blue hue results from the presence of boron in its crystal structure. A stately antique cushion cut flaunts the gem’s clarity and vivid color. For all these reasons, the enigmatic Hope Diamond stands out as a centerpiece of the Smithsonian’s jewel collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/a7ada0cb-4efc-4a42-a37d-0a076c359920/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Butterflies.JPG Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/d630ff91-7e7c-411d-90cd-2c010dc4f4c9/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Adam+Gold.jpg Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - Make it stand out Adam Neeley (above) sharing a behind the scenes tour into the Blue Room and Vault at The Smithsonian: National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) Gems & Mineral Collection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/715af45f-0ce0-4b38-bd61-47dc82c659db/Smithsonian+Blog+-+South+Sea+Glow.jpg Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - South Sea Glow Inducted into the collection in 2013, Adam Neeley’s pendant South Sea Glow features a lustrous suite of pearls fading from a rich golden hue into pure white, dancing along a hand-hewn form of matching gradient gold. In order to realize this design vision, Adam innovated a signature gold-alloying technique: SpectraGold. In the 2010 International Pearl Contest, the Cultured Pearl Association of America (CPAA) awarded the South Sea Glow Pendant its highest honor, the “President’s Trophy”. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/5cb5d1fe-3df2-48f9-a3ae-73ad1224b99b/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Dom+Pedro.jpeg Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - The Dom Pedro Aquamarine This captivating 4.6-pound gem is one of the largest aquamarine gems in the world. Cut from an enormous 100-pound crystal found in a Brazilian pegmatite field, Dom Pedro is a beryl which owes its radiant blue-green color to iron impurities. World-renowned German lapidary Bernd Munsteiner cut this impressive obelisk in 1992 and 1993, taking inspiration for its artful fantasy-cut from the tubular peculiarities natural to the rough gem. Using a “negative-cutting” technique, Munsteiner carved intricate facets into the back faces of the gem, reflecting its vivid color and creating a glowing effect. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/f069df00-e93d-4da1-b7b8-c9e060d47fb8/Smithsonian+Blog+-+Lion+of+Merelani.jpg Continuing Education - JEWELS MAKING HISTORY: The Smithsonian NHNM Gems & Minerals - The Lion of Merelani First unveiled on April 20th, 2023, the Lion of Merelani is one of the most exciting colored gemstones to enter the collection in recent history. This opulent jewel was cut from a 283-carat brilliant green tsavorite find of exceptional quality discovered in Merelani in Northern Tanzania in 2017. In 2018, the talented lapidary Victor Tuzlukov fashioned the rough gem into the world’s largest square-cushion cut tsavorite. The jewel boasts 177 glimmering facets and a whopping 116.76 carats, making it 100 carats larger than the Smithsonian’s former largest tsavorite specimen. The privately owned gem and jewelry collection “Somewhere in the Rainbow” and legacy-miner Bruce Bridges gifted this enchanting gem to the Smithsonian collection. The Lion of Merelani memorializes Bruce Bridges’s father Campbell Bridges, the famous geologist who discovered tsavorite in Tanzania in 1967. https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/unearth-family-fun-a-gem-mining-adventure monthly 0.5 2025-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/b02216b8-ad2f-42d4-8a07-7bd753888c51/2.Rock+Collecting+%26+Red+Jeep.jpg Continuing Education - Unearthing Family Fun: A Gem Mining Adventure - Adam Neeley: Age 16, Colorado Mountains Adam Neeley: Age 16, Colorado Mountains https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1718305316517-1N0XM658IEMROJ5MBV8H/stacks_image_100.jpg Continuing Education - Unearthing Family Fun: A Gem Mining Adventure - stacks_image_100.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1718305316526-6RHDQC1D7WPICB04I2IT/stacks_image_106.jpg Continuing Education - Unearthing Family Fun: A Gem Mining Adventure - stacks_image_106.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1718305317351-1XL4R8O9GYUID1B4ZM8A/stacks_image_448.jpg Continuing Education - 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In fact, it’s the only site in Europe where one can tour a real mine. Caverns feature agate, amethyst, smoky quartz, calcite, and mystic pools, illuminated to stunning effect.. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/e32c3c08-f9fc-4e82-ac8d-2eee05a76320/Pan_Weiherschleife2.jpg Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/4db36ae7-0427-4c8d-9b17-264bffd953a7/Atelier+Munsteiner.JPG Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/cedd70cb-de22-4a0f-a3ab-3c05513abc1d/Idar-Oberstein.jpg Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road - Felsenkirche (Crag Church) Perched ever so delicately on the edge, defying gravity and the passage of time, stands a tiny chapel that captivates the imaginations of all who lay eyes upon it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/d72848c2-74bf-446a-be20-3b64cc54f6b5/Museum+Agate+Bowl.jpg Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/55092660-4270-41bb-8b8a-180e8d7f868b/Idar-Oberstein.jpg Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road Nestled within old-growth forests along the picturesque river Nahe and the rocky faces of the Hunsrueck Mountains lies Idar-Oberstein and the Gemstone Road. For more than 500 years, this quaint corner of southwestern Germany has revolved around gemstones. Small though it is, this town has built an international reputation for gemstone cutting, carving, and polishing. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/e5f6413c-54fe-4f82-a8c0-dad3249e8132/Museum+Adam.jpg Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/11206250-24f1-48a0-8817-57c7f06c01aa/Museum+Gemstone+Cutting.jpg Continuing Education - Idar-Oberstein and the gemstone road - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/category/Gems+%26+Minerals monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/category/Lapidary+History monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/category/Alloys+%26+Metalsmithing monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/category/Jewelry+Design+%26+Appreciation monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/tag/Mining monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/tag/Gemstones monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/tag/Idar-Oberstien monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/tag/Lapidary monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/tag/Historical monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/blog/tag/Munsteiner monthly 0.5 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/home daily 1.0 2025-07-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/cc1601f2-c170-4bcf-876d-43e4a15737aa/IMG_3612.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/ab937eb3-89b1-4c4b-a66f-2f06f35180d3/Lam+Image.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1702346398286-04JB1JAF8QMDKTWPVGH7/image-asset.jpeg https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/donate daily 0.75 2025-07-06 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/support-for-communities daily 0.75 2025-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1ff203d3-0d16-43d4-9846-179c3c798d8c/Oceanview+mine+best+.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/4b5c5dc3-fd4d-4fd2-9ab5-2daab06c7098/IMG_4462.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/0662260d-c1f1-488c-b9cb-67174406f26f/Smithsonian+Blog+-+South+Sea+Glow.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/484b9fc4-e231-4c06-b9ac-b025b096bbda/Copy+of+Nautilus-PRL-Spectra-EA-Head-on-adtjusted-INSTA.jpg https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/our-team daily 0.75 2025-07-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/8f70af23-0419-4626-a77d-371424d0c31e/Adam+portrait+300+dpi+head+shot.jpg Our Team https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/our-vision daily 0.75 2025-07-06 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/terms-of-service daily 0.75 2025-07-06 https://www.gorgeouslittlethings.org/education-programs daily 0.75 2025-07-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1716497818497-DMK74AHT8AMFTZLG5706/image-asset.jpeg K-12 Programs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1716504163738-SNF6IBWGGJGCTXJES85I/image-asset.jpeg K-12 Programs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6577b592859b5f261452f020/1716504236749-Q6FD4Y0H7URZF2R5A8XL/image-asset.jpeg K-12 Programs