Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

My hubby and I took a day trip to Washington, DC for our anniversary, and I had an absolute blast. We visited a couple of the Smithsonian museums, one of which houses the Smithsonian's gem and mineral collections.

Oh. My. Word. May I just say that if you have the least bit of interest in either jewelry gems OR natural minerals, this exhibit is an absolute must-see if you have any way to visit Washington, DC.

I took a bunch of photos with my iPhone, and my phone spent most of the afternoon uploading them to Dropbox.

Here are some of the highlights.

The Hope Diamond. My own diamond, the one I wrote about in the Diamond study thread, perked right up in the presence of the most famous member of its family. I do believe it was excited to meet a celebrity.


The world's largest flawless quartz sphere. Oh, how I wished I could take this one home! I am such a sphere addict, lol, and this one is just mind-boggling. It's an incredibly potent stone. I asked my hubby to take a photo of me with the sphere, and it was his idea to shoot a picture THROUGH the sphere.


Just WOW. Imagine multiple rooms' worth of incredible specimens like this.


The Smokey Quartzes in the foreground are amazing, but my target in this image was the Y-shaped stone. That's a bunch of Herkimer Diamonds all grown together.


This Rose Quartz specimen is incredible. I have never in my life seen it in the form of visible crystals. I've only ever seen it in jewelry, tumbled, in raw chunks, etc. Moreover, WOW what a hue!


Here is the info about the Rose Quartz:


I took one look at these two samples and said, out loud, "Oh! Look at those great phantoms!", earning me some curious glances from people standing nearby. But just look at them -- what stone aficionado WOULDN'T react?


And here is the entire display on phantoms, including the information:


I'll look through the rest of my pictures and post the best ones to Photobucket. But I am going to be all excited for days after seeing all those stones in one place, both the cut gems AND the natural ones.

There were so many people present that I couldn't just open up to the energies of the stones, as I'd have liked to do. I could feel lots of energy, but going into "open" mode around hundreds of people was giving me all THEIR energies, too. There wasn't any negative energy from them, but there were just so many of them that their energies were just... LOUD.

However, the stones themselves had friendly dispositions and the ones I connected with seemed willing to share energies with people who were so inclined. So maybe I'll send my attention long-distance to that location after the museum is closed (and empty of noisy-energy-bearing people). Then maybe I can get a fix on JUST the stone energies.

There were SO MANY stones there, even the most major stone nerd of all time will see specimens that are completely new to them. Did I mention that this exhibit is a must-see?

I'm turning in now. I'm exhausted, but in a good way.

Those are jaw-dropping - they are so beautiful! I had no idea the Smithsonian had a section of stones like these. Thanks for sharing your adventure and pictures with us!

Just makes one want to sit down in the middle of the room and never leave. All those pretties.

Thanks for the compliments! Here are a few more items from yesterday...

There were a few items -- like a huge cathedral Quartz and this enormous Amethyst cluster -- that were labeled "Please Touch". You'll never have to ask ME twice to touch such an amazing specimen, lol.


There were incredible Fluorite specimens of every imaginable color. Including this immense one with a hue I've never seen before. This was another one that I took one look at and instantly thought, "I want this in my house!"


Here is a truly massive Rhodochrosite:


And here is something I never knew existed. GEMMY Rhodochrosite! I never knew it could be translucent:

they are gorgeous shelikes2read! thanks for sharing them and now I will have to put it on my list of places to visit in my life

I understand that Hematite referred to as "bloodstone" in some countries (whereas in the USA, our "bloodstone" stone is the green one with red spots, of which I saw a sample in among the display showing the many forms of Quartz). I know that Hematite has a red streak pattern, and I know iron is a main component of the stone, so I figured that's where it got its name.

But Hematite is also a form of iron oxide, and... it can RUST. Here is a natural sample of Hematite, and NOW I understand where it would get the name "bloodstone". Look at the color of it when it's covered with a layer of rust:


And then there was this example of Quartz, in a shape I would never have imagined Quartz could assume: a HONEYCOMB.


Here is the official explanation for this astounding formation:


And here is the best part of all. The Smithsonian's official stance is that all these stone belong to all the American people. I would go even farther and say that because they are in a museum that (justifiably) attracts worldwide attention, they belong to ALL of us. They're your stones, and they're my stones too. Isn't it wonderful to know that we all have such an incredible crystal collection to draw from?

I went to that museum several times, in the one year I lived in DC. I LOVED that room - in fact, I saw little else in the museum! lol! I took a bazillion pics of all the stones, as well...one of my fave pieces was actually a large, obelisk-like pillar of stone, about 4 feet high, with tons and tons of garnets poking out of it...the best part was you could touch that display

I am so glad you got to go, Shelikes, and that you got so many amazing photos while there. Thanks so much for sharing!

Heh, my mother is from DC. The Smithsonian was my playground when I was a kid.

I'm glad you got to see the Natural History museum! It's always been one of my favourites. The gem hall is *always* busy, though, so if you want to go, expect crowds. They've got some gorgeous stones there. I'm not sure if they still have it, but they used to have this giant optical quartz crystal ball in a case. It was beautiful.

They say the Hope Diamond is cursed, too. I'm not sure on that.

If you have a chance to go back, also check out the Insect Zoo. They've got some interesting critters in there.

If anyone has a chance to check out any of the museums in DC, DO SO. They are worth every minute--and I can't say every penny, because most if not all are free to get in.

Beautiful stones shelikes! I look forward to sharing with these stones too. Whatta sphere! I went there back in the early eighties, but don't remember much. Wow! Thanks.

Crystalline rose quartz can often be found growing on nice quartz crystals. I have an elestial citrine with small rose quartz crystals on it. Every crystal I've seen wearing rose quartz crystals has had lovely energy.

Darkmage said:

Heh, my mother is from DC. The Smithsonian was my playground when I was a kid.

I'm glad you got to see the Natural History museum! It's always been one of my favourites. The gem hall is *always* busy, though, so if you want to go, expect crowds. They've got some gorgeous stones there. I'm not sure if they still have it, but they used to have this giant optical quartz crystal ball in a case. It was beautiful.

They say the Hope Diamond is cursed, too. I'm not sure on that.

If you have a chance to go back, also check out the Insect Zoo. They've got some interesting critters in there.

If anyone has a chance to check out any of the museums in DC, DO SO. They are worth every minute--and I can't say every penny, because most if not all are free to get in.

Click to expand...

You're lucky to have had lots of access to all those museums! My friends and I have been doing a lot of "staycation" visiting of our own local attractions and museums, in Philadelphia, so I can appreciate the benefits of living near any place where there are a whole lot of interesting things to see.

The quartz sphere was just stunning. It's one of the most potent stones I've ever encountered. Its energies draw one's attention powerfully into the interior of the sphere -- something to be aware of, so be sure to ground yourself before focusing on it.

There is an IMMENSE meteorite on display in the same room as the Hope Diamond, and that is another stone that can energetically knock a person on their rump. Be sure to be grounded, and even then, be prepared to see a HUGE burst of energy upon focusing on the stone.

The Hope Diamond's energies were pleasant, and there were no vestiges of anything negative or curse-like on it. It DID bring my own diamond ring into full wakefulness, the moment I set eyes on it, as well as on its numerous white-diamond companions that surround it and comprise the necklace chain. I swear, those accent diamonds are almost hidden in plain sight, because everyone is focused so strongly on their immense blue cousin. So if you visit the gems, be sure to look at ALL the gems on the various jewelry pieces, not just the big focal stones. The little guys have beneficial energy, too.

On my to-do list is to tune in to the gem and mineral display rooms during a meditation done after the museum is CLOSED. I have not yet designed a mental "filter" that would allow for tuning in to the stones but tuning OUT the energetic background noise of hundreds of visitors in the exhibit, so tuning in to the stones in full "open mode' wasn't an option. But the stones are patient, and willing to work with anyone who asks. So if you are intrigued by the prospect of working with stones long-distance, by all means, train your attention on DC and connect with the gem and mineral exhibit.

But do it at a time frame OTHER than 10 AM - 5:30 PM, Eastern time. Otherwise, you'll get a flood of visitors' energies to go along with the energies of the stones.