James Clarke Inc Exhibitions Shows

The Splendor of Diamonds
Smithsonian, National Museum of National History

"The seven magnificant diamonds in this special exhibit are among the rarest and most valuable in the world. They are unique because of their size and color." Exhibit catalogue (pdf).

The exhibit, which ran from June though September 2003 at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, included the Steinmetz Pink, a 59.60 -carat diamond, considered by some to be one of the rarest, finest, most precious stones the world has ever seen. It was unveiled in May 2003 in Monaco and had never before been on display. Also on view for the first time was the 203-carat De Beers Millennium Star, one of the largest diamonds in the world.

The exhibit also included the 45.52-ct blue Hope Diamond and the 30.62-ct Smithsonian blue-shape diamond.

For this show, the Smithsonian also included the 27.64-ct Steinmetz blue heart-shaped diamond, which meant that the museum was temporarily in possession of three extremely large, extremely rare, and extremely valuable fancy deep-blue diamonds.

To be photographed for the exhibition, the Hope and the Blue Heart had to be removed from their mountings. And afterward, they had to be reset by the time the museum reopened the next morning. Jeffrey Post, curator for the gem and mineral hall, called his local jeweler for the job. "It was a real pleasure to do this," says Stephen Clarke, goldsmith for Liljenquist & Beckstead Jewelers in McLean, VA.

Stephen also set the Steinmetz Pink in its temporary pendant for the "Splendor of Diamonds" exhibit.

Actress, Jenna Elfman was chosen by the GIA to model the 59.60-ct Steinmetz Pink Diamond for the opening of the exhibition.

Martain Fuller, appraiserMartin Fuller & Associates 703-442-6690, and on the Web at
www.martinfullerassociates.com.

Read More:
The Smithsonian's National Gem Collection: Rocks of Ages, Alison Oneacre, photographs by Richard Pierce, Jewelry Magazine, Holiday 2003. Download PDF

Crowns & Collectors, Tracy Kendrick, Washington Magazine, July 2003. Download PDF

What makes a diamond rare?

Created millions of years ago more than 100 miles below the

earth's surface, a diamond emerges at the surface after surviving immense pressures and temperatures.

Diamond miners often sift through 1 ton of ore to extract less than 1/2 carat of rough diamond.

Cut and polished, diamonds are categorized by clarity, color, cut and carat weight. The higher the grade in each category, the more valuable the stone.

What gives a diamond its color?

A stone's color is detected by our eyes when light that is not absorbed by the stone is reflected off the surfaces.

In its purest state, a diamond is composed of carbon atoms and is colorless. When atoms of other chemicals replace the diamond's carbon atoms, the result creates tints of color.

Yellow and most blue colors are the result of nitrogen and boron.

Red, orange and pink diamonds have imperfections that scientists call "color centers.

Green, blue green and a small number of blue diamonds get their colors from millions of years of radiation exposure deep within the earth's crust.

Most blue diamonds ae colored by boron, although there are a few colored by hydrogen. The three blue diamonds pictured above, (Hope, Steinmetz and Smithsonian) all phosporesce too. The Hope and Steinmetz diamonds phosphoresce an ember-orange color for some minutes where the Smithsonian phoresces a weaker whitish color for a shorter period of time.

From the exhibition brochure provided by The Gemological Institute of America and the U.S. National Gem Collection (pdf), and Gem Notes, JCK, December 2003 (pdf).