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National Museum of Natural History

Two men and a woman stand together holding a case with a large diamond inside in this black and white image

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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Check Out These Wondrous Objects on Display Before They Return to the Museum’s Collection

From whale earwax to a shimmering ammonite shell, the “Objects of Wonder” exhibition spotlights some of the museum’s most intriguing specimens

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The ‘Ultimate Honor’: Why a Colorful Mineral Honors the Smithsonian‘s Namesake

Smithsonite honors the scientific legacy of mineralogist James Smithson

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1.1 Billion Objects and Counting: Inside the Effort to Tally Natural History Specimens Around the Globe

This year, NMNH director Kirk Johnson helped spearhead an effort to add up the collections of the world’s largest museums

A blue bird with white and grey spots lies against a white background.

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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The Story Behind the Smithsonian’s Newest Gem: the Exquisite Lion of Merelani

The stunning tsavorite gemstone arrives at the museum with a well-documented history

Silver tweezers hold a small diamond against a white background.

Five Functions of Diamonds Beyond Rings

From saw blades to scientific instruments, this tough mineral works like a charm

Turquoise and diamond encrusted diadem on a black background that lightens to gray in the center.

How Turquoise Replaced Emeralds in This Royal Diadem

Once gifted by Napoleon, the heirloom is now bejeweled in December’s birthstone

Dom Pedro aquamarine was cut from a 100-pound crystal that was mined in the late 1980s. It weighs around 4.6 pounds, making it one of the largest aquamarine gemstones in the world. (Donald E. Hurlbert, Smithsonian)

How the World’s Largest Aquamarine Gem Came to Be

The Dom Pedro Aquamarine is one of the largest mineral crystals found inside Earth's rocks.

The Hope Diamond came to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in 1958. Since then, museum scientists have uncovered a lot about the diamond’s intriguing past. (Dane A. Penland, Smithsonian)

Get to Know the Hope Diamond’s Keeper

We caught up with Dr. Jeffrey Post to hear the story of this infamous blue diamond, see what makes the National Gem and Mineral Collection so special and learn about the countless things minerology can reveal about the past and future.

Artist and Jeweler Sidney Mobell donated his gold-plated Monopoly set to the National Museum of Natural History in 2002. (Smithsonian Institution)

Check Out the Monopoly Board You Wish You Had as a Kid

The Smithsonian's collection includes a 23-carat, gold-plated Monopoly set.

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