Jeweled Masterpieces Float Before Your Eyes at the Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault

Étiquettes

Amethyst Necklace, Emerald Tiara, Garnet Necklace, Garnet Ring, Houston Museum of Natural Science, Morganite Necklace, orange mandarin garnet, red garnet, Sapphire Brooch, sapphire ring, Tahitian Pearl Necklace, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault, Yellow Sapphire

Amethyst Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum necklace contains 273.46 carats of amethyst and 13.21 carats of diamonds.

Emerald Tiara. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum tiara contains a 42.4-carat center emerald, 7.56 carats of emeralds on the sides and 7.89 carats of pavé diamonds.

Garnet Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This 22-karat yellow gold necklace has a 99-carat, deep red garnet center stone, 3.015 carats of pavé diamonds and 50.65 carats of garnets. The garnets vary in shade from deep red to bright orange, drawing the eye upwards from the large center stone.

Garnet Ring. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This ring of 18-karat, yellow gold has a 39.35 carat deep orange mandarin garnet surrounded by 10.05 carats of pavé cognac diamonds.

Morganite Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum necklace has a 68.80-carat morganite center stone, 1.91 carats of pavé diamonds, 2.88 carats of pear shaped diamonds and 11.01 carats of pink, pear-shaped sapphires.

Sapphire Brooch. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum brooch has a 168-carat, yellow sapphire center stone, a 0.65-carat, yellow sapphire side stone, 3.46 carats of green diamonds and 2.92 carats of pave diamonds.

Sapphire Ring. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum ring has a 62-carat center sapphire surrounded by 4.39 carats of pavé diamonds.

Tahitian Pearl Necklace. Houston Museum of Natural Science, The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault.

This platinum necklace contains a 15.5-millimeter Tahitian pearl, eight side pearls of 10.5 millimeters each and 6.76 carats of diamonds. Tahitian Pearls, also called “black pearls,” come from the black-lipped oyster and are highly valued for their rarity.

The Lester and Sue Smith Gem Vault completes the story begun by the now world-renowned Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals.

Ultimate Combination of Natural Perfection & Artistic Execution

In selecting many of the objects for inclusion in the Gem Vault, the Museum’s curators used their extensive connections in the mineralogical world to acquire mineral “cutting rough” of precious gemstones freshly extracted from mines around the world. The Museum could thus have these very best natural stones cut to its exact specifications into faceted gems of exact specifications, then crafted into original works under the skilled hands of jewelry designers, including Ernesto Moreira.

Made possible through the generous support of The Smith Foundation.