Celebrate the Holiday Season with the Museum’s Stunning Collection of Blue Specimens
Learn how this rare hue shows up in the natural world with some of the Smithsonian’s bluest specimens
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How the 'King of Diamonds' Gave the National Museum of Natural History Its Crown Jewel
From the legendary Hope Diamond to a rainbow of colorful gemstones, a multigenerational bond between the Winston family and the Smithsonian transformed the museum’s world-renowned gem collection
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How Do Diamonds Get Their Fancy Colors?
From brilliant blues to fiery reds, discover how nature crafts diamonds in every color, and why some shades are rarer than the rest
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Meet the Scientist Venturing to Remote Canada in Search of the Earth’s Oldest Rocks
Smithsonian researcher Wriju Chowdhury is part of an expedition searching for 4-billion-year-old crystals that could uncover the secrets behind Earth’s early history
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