Gems in the Smithsonian Institution

Faceted, egg-shaped, 7000-carat rock crystal from Brazil. The gold stand is inset mostly with Montana sapphires. The gem was cut and the stand was designed and constructed by Capt. John Sinkankas of California. (7¼ inches high in all.)
by PAUL E. DESAUTELS
Associate Curator Division of Mineralogy
WASHINGTON, D. C. 1965
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION PUBLICATION No. 4608
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Card No. 65-60068
Prof. F. W. Clarke, former honorary curator of the Division of Mineralogy who assembled the Smithsonian Institution’s first gem collection in 1884.
Dr. Isaac Lea, Philadelphia gem collector whose collection was the nucleus around which the Smithsonian Institution’s gem collection has been built through the years.
Dr. Leander T. Chamberlain, son-in-law of Dr. Isaac Lea, who became honorary curator of the Smithsonian Institution’s gem collection in 1897. Income from his bequest is used to purchase gems for the Isaac Lea gem collection.
Man has been using certain mineral species for personal adornment since prehistoric times. However, of the almost 2000 different mineral species, relatively few, perhaps only 100, have been used traditionally as gems. To be used as a gem, a mineral species must have durability as well as beauty. Lack of durability eliminates most minerals as gems, although some relatively fragile gem materials such as opal are prized because of their exceptional beauty. Actually, some gem materials are not minerals at all. Pearl, amber, jet, and coral are formed by living organisms.
In the National Gem Collection, the Smithsonian Institution has assembled a large representation of all known gem materials. The display portion of the collection consists of more than 1000 items selected to illustrate the various kinds of gems and to show how their beauty is enhanced by cutting and polishing. All of these gems are gifts of public-spirited donors who, by giving the gems directly or by establishing endowments for their purchase, have contributed to the enjoyment of the many thousands of persons who visit the Smithsonian Institution each week.