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Home , Harry Winston, Hope Diamond

Nancy goes to Washington Meet me at the Elephant

The Smithsonian Natural History Museum is located on the Mall in DC. This talk will focus on the gems and minerals in the Natural History Museum. The Steamboat elbaite tourmaline from Pala & Pakistani aquamarine

From the Pala Mine in California Kunzite and Calcite

These unique specimens are over a foot tall Smoky Quartz & Clear Quartz

These crystals are over two feet tall Quartz Examples & Sphere

Aquamarine

The Dom Pedro Aquamarine

• At 10,363 carats, the Pedra Azul from Minas Gerais, Brazil, carved by Bernd Munsteiner, is the largest single piece of cut gem aquamarine in the world to date. Spodumenes and Bi-Colored Tourmalines The Bismark necklace & the 422.99 Logan sapphire

The Inquisition necklace & the Hall sapphire & necklace

Cartier Indian Emerald Necklace made with Colombian emeralds & the Mackay emerald necklace Josephine’s diamond necklace from & the Hazen diamond necklace

Marie Louise Diadem

Topaz Sphere and Morganite

The Attaway Ametrine on the left

faceted and carved, the 85 carat “Eye of Horus” Attaway Ametrine from the Anahi mine in Bolivia

The Cullinan Necklace • The necklace dates back to 1905 and contains several rare type llb blue ; the largest weighs 2.60 carats. A visit to the Blue Room

• The “Blue” Room gets its name from the blue carpet that covers the floors, walls, and tables. New specimens and recent acquisitions are cataloged and prepped in the Blue Room.

• Let’s see what is new….

The famous Blue Room inside the Smithsonian’s vault. The Aurora Butterfly of Peace

• The one-of-a-kind collection of 240 natural fancy colored natural diamonds owned by Alan & Annette Bronstein. The exhibit here is shown in daylight and also as by fluorescence. Some stones phosphoresced after the black light was removed. Blue Room Minerals

a spray of elbaite crystals

Blue Room Minerals

• kunzite log The Blue Room

• A large crocoite. • This specimen is mined in Tasmania and had its own airplane seat on the flight to DC.

• crocoite is also known as lead chromate, PbCrO4 New Mexico Kelly mine smithsonite

smithsonite sells for about $3000 per pound zinc carbonate

ZnCO3 The Blue Room

• Montana – El Dorado Bar – Rock Creek Men at Work The Blue Room - rhodochrosite

• A million dollar specimen of rhodochrosite from the Sweet Home mine at Alma, Colorado

• manganese carbonate

• MnCO3

The Blue Room

• faceted quartz egg rendered by John Sinkankas Blue Room New Acquisition

• faceted Maine tourmaline rendered by Larry Wood The Blue Room

• five strands of graduated pearls about 24 “ long with a diamond encrusted clasp The Blue Room

• carved ivory camel with jeweled chests The Blue Room

• carved agate compote bowl The Blue Room

• pearshape diamond tablet The Blue Room • Photo of Evelyn Walsh McLean wearing the 45.5 carat in the original diamond pendant setting with the 94.80 carat Star of the East pearshape diamond hanging beneath the Hope diamond. Hope Diamond is the most famous blue diamond in the world • Every year 5 million people visit the Smithsonian just to see the Hope Diamond

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Tavernier Blue French Blue Hope In 2004, we collaborated with the Smithsonian to better understand the history of the Hope Diamond

Nancy holding the Hope Diamond Hope Chronology

Tavernier Blue (1668) Hope Chronology

Tavernier Blue (1669) French Blue cut from Tavernier Blue in 1673 Set in the Order of the Golden Fleece for the Sun King of , Louie XIV. Stolen in mid Louis XIV French Blue (1673) September 1792 and vanished

Louis XVI loses head and FB (1792)

Louis XV • Replica of the Order of the Golden Fleece made for King Louis IV of France, showing the French Blue diamond before it became the Hope diamond. The Bazu diamond is set at the top, and the red dragon is set in the center. The French Blue was stolen during the in September of 1792 and was never seen again. Hope Chronology

Tavernier Blue (1668) For Sale in , 1812

French Blue (1673) George IV? (1821) Henry Philip Hope (1824) Louis XVI loses head and FB (1792) Thomas Walsh Strike in Camp Bird (1896)

Pierre Cartier (1909) Evalyn Walsh McLean (1912) ? (1947) Smithsonian (1958) The Blue Room

• I saw something that was thought to no longer exist. This piece had recently been cast directly from the original lead mold that was designed for cutting the tabular Tavernier Blue diamond into the French Blue diamond. The original lead mold was lost around 1790 and was found in 2007 resting in a drawer marked “Galena” in the French Natural History Museum in . The Blue Room

• The Hope Diamond and a new CZ replica • Now we leave the Smithsonian and go to Hillwood Estates, Gardens and Museum • Marjorie Merriweather Post bought Hillwood in 1955 and soon decided her home would be a museum that would inspire and educate the public. Marjorie Merriweather Post

• Diamond encrusted platinum Cartier brooch with emeralds and many large 17th Century carved emerald drops.

•Marjorie Post and her daughter Nedenia Hutton, later known as Dina Merrill, Hollywood actress

What is the connection between Marjorie Post and the Smithsonian? Her 30.82 carat Blue Heart Diamond The Marjorie Post Diamond Tiara was on display in the Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque for six months The Sea Cloud

A sailing cruise ship built in Kiel, Germany for Marjorie Post, who owned it from 1931 to 1953. It had a crew of 72. Mrs. Post lent the ship to the US Navy for use as a weather observation station in WWII. The ship was awarded the American Campaign and the WWII Victory medal. It is currently docked in the Mediterranean Sea. It had brought back roomfuls of royal treasures from Russia in 1938. Catherine the Great • Born 1729. Died 1796; reigned as Empress of Russia for 34 years. Tsar Nicholas II (Romanov) & Tsarina (Empress) Alexandra Fedorovna Dinner for 30 and Parlor Room

Rock Crystal Chandeliers

Rock Crystal Chandeliers The Fabrege Royal Pink Egg made for Catherine the Great Faberge Eggs were cheaper by the many dozen 80 years ago Russian Royal Jewelry

Russian Royal Trinkets Amphora of Carved Quartz

Cross of Gold and Gems Malachite Top Table Our next table will look like this…

Chest Adorned with Lapis Aquamarine Heart and Amethyst Box Four Sides of the Golden Chalice The Gold Chalice made for Catherine the Great in 1791 Royal Russian Wedding of Nicholas and Alexandra Marjorie Post wearing her sapphire and diamond necklace An amazing and surprising find! As the highest- ranking order of all, the Golden Fleece was the most coveted honor in Europe.

Philippe the Good, Duke of Burgundy, founded the Order of the Golden Fleece in 1429 on the occasion of his marriage to Isabella of Portugal.

This particular order last belonged to Prince Lobkowitz, Duke of Raudnitz.

Versions of The Order of the Golden Fleece

Origin of the Order

• The Order of the Golden Fleece was established on 10 January 1430, by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, in celebration of the prosperous and wealthy domains united in his person that ran from Flanders to . It is restricted to a limited number of knights, initially 24 but increased to 30 in 1433, and 50 in 1516, plus the sovereign.

• "for the reverence of God and the maintenance of our Christian Faith, and to honor and exalt the noble order of knighthood, and also ...to do honor to old knights; ...so that those who are at present still capable and strong of body and do each day the deeds pertaining to chivalry shall have cause to continue from good to better; and .. so that those knights and gentlemen who shall see worn the order ... should honor those who wear it, and be encouraged to employ themselves in noble deeds..." The Order continues today

• In 2015, one day before the Princess of Asturias's birthday, she was granted the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Leonor, Princess of Asturias

Spain • Questions?