The museum's rare 'padparadscha' sapphire. © NHM
London’s Natural History Museum is opening a brand new permanent gallery space revealing the stories behind some of the more unusual, unique and valuable pieces from its huge collection of rare gems, crystals and metals.
The Vault will open on November 28 2007 and is to include a 1,700-carat topaz found in the 19th century, an incredibly rare orange ‘padparadscha’ sapphire from Sri Lanka (pictured), and an extraordinary pink ‘morganite’ beryl from Madagascar.
It will also feature the Aurora collection, a group of 296 naturally coloured diamonds, ranging from emerald green and lemon yellow to blood red and lavender blue.
Some of the exhibits even have stellar origins, like the Nakhla, a Martian meteorite that people in Egypt saw falling to earth in 1911, one of less than 100 known specimens in the world.
The Vault will be free to enter and replaces the old Meteorites display in the museum’s Minerals gallery.
