American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

The Nature of Diamonds (Exhibition)
birth: 1997 November 1
death: 1998 August 30
Exhibition. Opened November 1, 1997 and closed August 30, 1998. Located in Section 3, Floor 3 in Gallery 3 at the American Museum of Natural History. The Nature of Diamonds, curated by George E. Harlow of the Museum’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, covered the geological origins of diamonds, diamond exploration and mining, the role of diamonds in history, art, adornment, and literature as well as its uses in modern technology and research.
Summary
The Nature of Diamonds, curated by George E. Harlow of the Museum’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, covered the geological origins of diamonds, diamond exploration and mining, the role of diamonds in history, art, adornment, and literature as well as its uses in modern technology and research. The exhibition featured an opening section on the properties of the diamond, including structure, composition, shape, color, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and heat conduction, and featured a hands-on model of a diamond crystal structure that enabled visitors to understand the diamond’s strength. Other sections covered where diamonds come from, a historical panorama of the diamond’s role in adornment, the history of different kinds of mining, the progression from mine, to dealer, to use in industry or as a gem, and the preparation of diamonds in lapidary workshops. The exhibition featured short films, including an animated sequence of a volcano erupting, one about prospecting for diamonds in Canada starring Alan Alda, and a montage of Hollywood films about diamonds (1: 2).
The exhibition was designed and executed by the Museum’s Department of Exhibition under the direction of David Harvey, the director of exhibition. The exhibition developer was Joel Sweimler, and the exhibition director was Gerhard M. Schlanzky (5). Museum preparators who worked on the exhibition included Alec Madoff, Lesley Thelander, and Betty Derasmo (3).
A walk-in diamond vault included (1; 2; 4; 5):
*The diamond-studded crown of Peter the Great from the Kremlin State Museums in Moscow
*The gospel cover of Catherine the Great from the Kremlin State Museums in Moscow
*19th century regal diamond jeweler from Portugal
*Objects from the Grünes Gewölb (Green Vault) in Dresden
*The Tiffany Diamond
*The Arkansas Diamond
*The Incomparable Diamond, the third largest cut diamond in the world (on loan from Zales)
*Elizabeth Taylor’s emerald-cut Krupp Diamond
*The Aurora Collection, which featured color diamonds
*A re-created mine tunnel
Due to heavy traffic, some gems were moved out of the vault into the main gallery area (2).
A resource center at the end of the exhibition included access to specially-created pages on the Museum’s website and a small library of reference works on diamonds. Live demonstrations of diamond cutting were presented, and related programming included lectures, workshops, a film, getaway weekends, and brunches. A companion book was published by Cambridge University Press in association with the Museum. The exhibition was developed with support from its sponsor, the Diamond Information Center on behalf of De Beers. Due to its popularity, the exhibition’s closing was moved from April 26 to August 30 (1; 2; 4; 5).
This is a condensed summary of the exhibition. For additional information, see Sources and/or Related Resources.