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MSDC Field Trip to the Smithsonian's Geology, Gems, & Mineral Hall

by Andrea Lubawy, MSDC Board Member

On April 29, 17 MSDC members met for a field trip to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. MSDC members Kathy Hrechka and Craig Moore led two groups through the exhibits sharing information they have gained as volunteers at the museum's Geology, Gems, & Mineral (GGM) Hall.

We marveled at royal sapphire necklaces, spectacular aquamarine and topaz displays, and the new Winston fancy colored diamond collection that was the subject of a recent MSDC meeting presentation. 

The American Golden Topaz is the largest cut yellow topaz in the world, and one of the largest faceted gems of any type in the world. Originating from Minas Gerais, Brazil, it was cut from a 26 pound stream-rounded cobble owned by Drs. Marie L. and Edgar F. Borgatta and donated to the Smithsonian jointly by the Borgatta owners and by Rockhound Hobbyists of America. Photo by Kathy Hrechka.
MSDC member and GGM volunteer Kathy Hrechka in front of the American Golden Topaz.

Anna Dennis, a participant, said that she enjoyed meeting with mineral enthusiasts and the wonderful tour by our personal guides. She was most impressed by the exhibit that showed the percent of water in different rock types. She was amazed at the serpentinites – 12.5% water by weight with hydroxyls in the crystals. 

MSDC members Anna Dennis (left) and Sara Ritchie. Photo from Anna Dennis.

We learned about some special specimens, including a natrolite that was collected and donated by a friend of MSDC President Dan Teich, a meteorite known to have originated on Mars, and a piece of asteroid Bennu.

The OSIRIS-REx Bennu sample display case on view in the meteorite gallery in the GGM Hall at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. Photo credit: Smithsonian/James Di Loreto and Phillip R. Lee.
Crocoite from Australia caught the attention of John Sanborn. Photo by John Sanborn.
GGM volunteer and MSDC board member Craig Moore, and MSDC president, Dan Teich.

Another participant, Sara Ritchie, said that she most appreciated the opportunity to get together with like-minded individuals to share the enjoyment of our national treasures. She especially liked the square cushion-cut tsavorite, an exceptionally rare garnet that was found in northern Tanzania near the border of Kenya.

The Lion of Merelani tsavorite. This gemstone went on display at the Smithsonian in 2023. Weighing in at 117 carats, it is the world’s largest square-cushion cut tsavorite gem. Photo by Jeff Scovil, courtesy of Bridges Tsavorite.

Peggy Fouts noted that she was especially fond of the Whitney Flame Topaz, pictured below, and said that the item she would have most liked to take home was the Hall Sapphire and Diamond Necklace, also pictured below.

The "Whitney Flame" topaz, named in honor if its donor, Coralyn Whitney, went on display at the Smithsonian in 2018. As its name suggests, this topaz, which was found in the mining area of Ouro Preto, Brazil, is shot through with rich, fiery red. The color is the result of atoms of the metal chromium making their way into the mineral's crystalline structure consisting of aluminum, silicon, oxygen, and fluorine, the components that make a topaz a topaz. Photo by Donny Bajohr.
The Hall Sapphire Necklace, designed by Harry Winston, Inc., features 36 cushion-cut sapphires from Sri Lanka, totaling 195 carats, set in platinum. Their soft sky blue color is accented by 435 pear-shaped and round brilliant-cut diamonds, totaling 83.75 carats. Photo by Chip Clark, Smithsonian staff.
The Earthquakes Live exhibit is one of Kathy Hrechka’s favorites. It features a map that is continually updated to show earthquakes around the world as they happened today, yesterday, this week, and past five years. Photo by Kathy Hrechka.
From the "Cellphone: Unseen Connections" exhibit. Pictured left to right are Becca Siegal, John Sanborn, Sara Richie, and Peggy Fouts. Photo by Kathy Hrechka.

We also learned that 90 minutes wasn't nearly long enough to see and learn about all the things we wanted to! We finished the trip with a group lunch at the museum's Ocean Café where we could get to know each other better, including several brand new members and our featured guest, Dan's mother Edna, who was visiting from out of state. We all agreed this trip was worth repeating again later in the year!