Why Scientists Find Snowflakes Cool
Mineralogists study snowflakes to learn more about how water in its solid phase behaves
Decade-Long Search for Rocky Mountain Treasure Yields Trove Worth $2 Million
Nine clues embedded in a 24-line poem led to art dealer Forrest Fenn’s hidden chest of gold, gems and rare artifacts
Scientists and Miners Team Up to Preserve Opalized Fossils
An ambitious collaboration between paleontologists and a local mining community seeks to conserve the rare fossilized remains
This 100-Million-Year-Old Squid Relative Was Entrapped in Amber
The ancient ammonite was preserved alongside the remains of at least 40 other marine and terrestrial creatures
This Petite, 99-Million-Year-Old Millipede Was Entrapped in Amber
The diminutive arthropod represents not only a previously unknown species, but an entirely separate Callipodida suborder
Gemologist Finds Insect Entombed in Opal Rather Than Amber
The unusual specimen appears to contain an open-mouthed insect complete with ‘fibrous structures extending from the appendages’
The Whitney Flame Topaz Smolders in Vibrant Red
A new gemstone at the Natural History Museum is already igniting wonder in viewers
The Odyssey of the World’s Largest Freshwater Pearl
The gem, which was was recently bought at auction, was likely found in China in the 1700s and was once owned by Russia’s Catherine the Great
World’s Fifth-Largest Diamond Found in Lesotho
The 910-carat gem is a D-color, type-IIa stone, meaning it is completely colorless and has no visible impurities
Now There Are Near-Perfect Copies of the Hope Diamond
Scientists created cubic zirconia replicas of the historic gem’s previous forms—the original brought from India and the famous “French Blue”
The True Story of the Koh-i-Noor Diamond—and Why the British Won’t Give It Back
A star of London’s Crown Jewels, the Indian gem has a bloody history of colonial conquest
Meet the Artists Displaying at This Year’s Santa Fe Indian Market, the Largest Juried Native Art Show in the World
The annual show brings together some of the country’s best traditional and contemporary artists
This $71.2 Million Diamond Just Set a New World Record
The flawless stone has a new owner—and a new name
This German Town Is Embedded with Millions of Tiny Diamonds
Scientists estimate that Nördlingen and the surrounding area contain approximately 72,000 tons of the gemstone
Why Tomb Raiders Treated This Priceless Gem Like Trash
Why would grave robbers break into the King of Xuzhou’s tomb and leave its most priceless jade treasure behind?
Finders, Keepers: Five of the Best Places to Go Gem Hunting in the U.S.
From diamonds to emeralds, the United States is full of buried bling
The U.K. Bans Queen Victoria’s Coronet From Leaving British Soil
The government has placed the artifact under an export ban in hopes a collector will keep it in-country
At 75 Pounds, This Could Be the World’s Largest Pearl
The Filipino fisherman found the massive gem over a decade ago and kept it as a good luck charm
Half of the Inhabitants of This Australian Opal Capital Live Underground
Unearth Coober Pedy, the Outback’s hidden city
Weird New Type of Carbon Is Harder (and Brighter) Than Diamond
Dubbed Q-carbon, the material is magnetic, emits a soft glow and can be used to grow diamonds faster and cheaper than ever before
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