Washington, D.C - Extraordinary American diamondson display in a new Smithsonian exhibitmined in the United States have recently opened at the National Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian Institution.
The exhibition "Great American Diamonds" opened on Friday, June 10, and features four of the most notable stones that have been discovered in the United States.
This includes the "Freedom Diamond," which at the time of its discovery in the United States was the largest faceted diamond ever found there.
The Present Historical Artifacts On Exhibit
According to mineralogist Jeffrey Post, the museum's curator-in-charge of gems and minerals:
“„Most people are surprised to learn that diamonds have been mined in the United States, and as the national museum, we are delighted to introduce these great American diamonds to our visitors.
The cushion-cut stone was fashioned from a diamond that weighed 28 carats and was discovered at the Kelsey Lake Mine in Colorado in 1997.
It has since been mounted in a ring.
The exhibit at the Smithsonian also features the flawless emerald-cut "Uncle Sam Diamond," which weighs 12.4 carats and has a pinkish brown color.
The stone was discovered at the Crater of Diamonds mine in Arkansas in 1924.
It had been fashioned from a crystal that weighed 40.23 carats, making it the largest rough diamond ever discovered in the United States.
It was thought that the diamond had been destroyed, but it was discovered not too long ago in a private collection.
Since the last time, it was shown, more than half a century ago, "Great American Diamonds" will be the occasion for its return.
The Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas, which is now a state park and one of the only diamond-bearing sites accessible to the public around the world, and the Kelsey Lake Mine in Colorado are the only two diamond mines that have ever been operational in the United States.
Both of these mines are located in Colorado.
These two locations combined to produce tens of thousands of carats' worth of diamonds in their rough form; however, neither was able to achieve commercial success, and both ceased operations after fewer than ten years of operation.
The National Museum Of Natural History
The National Museum of Natural History is bringing people from all over the world closer together with the story of our world.
It is one of the natural history museums that receive the greatest number of visitors each year.
The museum first opened its doors in 1910, and since then, it has made it its mission to maintain and preserve the most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts in the world.
The museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with the exception of December 25.