A Gem of a Find

It's no secret that gemstones from mines in the Ramona area are on display in Washington, D.C. This year, my family and I were able to see them for ourselves.

Aquamarine, kunzite, and topaz from Ramona's old Little Three and Hercules mines, Pala's Stewart Mine, Tourmaline Queen Mine, and Mesa Grande's Himalaya Mine are on display in the mineral and gem area of the National Museum of Natural History. There's a lovely, fiery orange Spessartine Garnet and schorl (black tourmaline) cluster from Hercules Mine. Another case has Elbaite (tourmaline) and Topaz from the Little Three mine in Ramona.

One of my personal favorites is the blue capped Rubellite (red tourmaline) with its dramatic color contrast. Tourmaline has one of the largest color variations of the gem kingdom with nearly every color of the spectrum represented.

To learn more details about these gems, take a look at the photos with this article, which show the museum labels.

The museum has so many amazing displays of gems and minerals that it is overwhelming. The Hope Diamond, for example, is a beautiful deep blue hue.

There are two entrances to the museum. There is the Earth, Moon and Meteorite end and the Gems and Minerals end. We entered the Earth, Moon and Meteor end. There are many geology displays and a huge collection of many different meteors. I saw the Tucson Meteor, Libyan Impact Glass, Pallasite meteors (with their olivine gemstones embedded within) and many others. The geology displays are first rate and very interesting. 

In another article here at Ramona Patch, ," you'll find my tips on the best time to travel to Washington to see the museums.

If you are unable to travel to Washington and would like to see some local gems, you can go to the San Diego Natural History Museum in Balboa Park or the Natural History Museum at the Exposition Center in Los Angeles. For one of the best private collections in the area, there is Pala International's retail store The Collector in Fallbrook. Ask to see the gem display in the back room.

The Collector is a significant contributor to the San Diego Natural History Museum. The museum currently has the exhibition All That Glitters—The Splendor and Science of Gems and Minerals, which is running until April 2012. 

Here are some links I recommend:

For Information on Ramona Mines, Pegmatite Outcrops and More

collectorfinejewelry.com/

bernardine.com/gemstones/tourmaline.htm

palagems.com/mining.htm

digforgems.com/

gemandmineral.com/little3mine.html

gemandmineral.com/peg.html

roadtripamerica.com/places/little3.htm

palagems.com/california_gem_mining.htm

Local Gems

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourmaline

hen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garnet

mindat.org/loc-3561.html

mindat.org/loc-11800.html

Smithsonian

gosmithsonian.com/

mnh.si.edu/visit/

si.edu/

smithsonianmag.com/

sdnhm.org/index.php5

Los Angeles Natural History Museum

nhm.org/site/