June Speaker: The Winston Diamonds and Other Recent Highlights at the Smithsonian, by Dr. Gabriela Farfan

by Laura Dwyer, MSDC Member

These 15 diamonds are part of the Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection which went on public display in April at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The diamonds vary in color from a soft peach to a deep teal and range in size from 0.40 to 9.49 carats. Photo credit: Robert Weldon, arranged by Gabriela Farfan. Photo courtesy of Ronald Winston.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History is renowned for it’s National Gem and Mineral Collection that encompasses the American “crown jewels,” such as the Hope Diamond, world class mineral specimens, and hundreds of thousands of reference specimens for use in research. This presentation will be a tour of some of the most recent highlights that have been added to the National Collection, as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of the new exhibit in the Winston Gallery which features the Winston Red Diamond and others in the Winston Fancy Color Diamond Collection. This collection includes more than 40 colored diamonds that took Ronald Winston six decades to amass.

Dr. Gabriela Farfan is the Coralyn W. Whitney Curator of Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian’s NMNH. She received her bachelor’s degree in Geological and Environmental Sciences from Stanford University and her PhD in Geochemistry (Marine Chemistry) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) Joint Program.

**Dr. Gabriela Farfan showing some mineral specimens at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Photo credit: Photo credit: Jennifer Renteria, Smithsonian Institution.**

As a mineralogist, Gabriela studies the crystal structures and chemistry of minerals formed under varying conditions in order to answer questions in environmental mineralogy, biomineralization, and gem science. As a lifelong mineral and gem enthusiast and curator, she is honored to be a steward of the National Gem and Mineral Collection and loves to be a part of adding rare and important specimens to the collection. She is also very dedicated to mineral-related outreach for K-12 students and teachers.