Aurora Collection Dawns in London

By Gary Roskin, G.G, FGA

JCK – Jewelers Circular Keystone

3/1/08

The London Museum of Natural History’s new permanent gallery, The Vault, which opened in late November, brings together crystals, gems, rare metals, and meteorites. Alongside the museum’s permanent collection are loans from private collectors, including the Aurora Collection of fancy colored diamonds, on loan from diamond collectors Alan Bronstein and Harry Rodman.

The Aurora Collection is a world-class assortment of 296 naturally colored diamonds, weighing a total of 267.45 cts. For many years, it was on display at New York’s American Museum of Natural History.

“Gems like these were not meant to be imprisoned in a dark underground safe for the momentary pleasure of a few eyes,” says Bronstein. “The true value of a collection is sharing it with as many people who are interested, to experience nature’s diversity of expression. It’s thrilling to think that the collection will be seen by the 3.6 million visitors that come to the C each year.”“Each colored diamond tells its own story, giving us insight not only into its formation, but also to the deep earth processes that took place when the gem was formed,” writes Alan Hart, curator of minerals at the Natural History Museum. “For example, yellow diamonds are due to the presence of nitrogen in the structure, and green diamonds owe their color to natural radiation damage. It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to display this unique collection of exceptionally rare gems at the museum.”   Read Full Article >>

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