A WORLD OF STONES AND GEMS
It’s always a pleasure to wander down to the Jardin des plantes (Botanical gardens) at the bottom of my street, find a nice place mid sun-mid shade and read for a couple of hours.
I have visited the Mineralogy Gallery many time but never alone. This was the moment to do so and actually look more closely at the different stones. The last thing I will do is turn into a geologist. This collection though is the envy of many museums around the world because it’s huge and because of its diversity. It was during the reign of Louis XIII (17th century) when the king’s « drugist » began to collect minerals along with medicinal plants. However, although the collection became important, the building for Mineralogy and Geology was not opened until much later. Later again and in 1987, the giant crystal rooms are opened for this collection and the Treasure rooms as well. With the meteorites and different minerals which are found this is on going research to help us understand where the world came from.
I must admit it was when I saw this - which reminded me at once of a sculpture that an old family artist friend had made. It was then that I started taking photos.
I could see faces everywhere - so I certainly hope that you do too.
Strangely though the world of gems, (zircons, garnate, emeralds, sapphires, rubies and even diamonds)….. were the least interesting for me. Perhaps because I have never been attracted to this kind of jewelry so I didn’t take photos there at all. I did however look at the opals which came from Australia. It’s a very sensitive stone and the two I had made into little finger rings when I was in Australia were broken as I wore them all the time.
When I saw this though - a table in black marble filled with all those precious stones, I did rush home and look at the little Japanese cabinet that my Mother had purchased years ago on one of her trips…..did I have a fortune sitting in the hall? No, I didn’t.
It was the native metals that caught my eye. A native metal is any that is found in its metallic form, either pure or as an alloy, in nature. There were some beauties.
Or the incredibly colored stones. This is mainly due to the chemical elements found in their composition. An example is copper which gives the azurite that wonderful blue….
But so many other colours too.....
It was a fascinating moment and I didn’t see the time fly by until my stomach complained that it was hungry.
Yesterday it didn’t turn out like that. It was colder than I had
anticipated and because of the luminosity, I couldn’t read a thing on my
tablet. Then I saw this…… |
I have visited the Mineralogy Gallery many time but never alone. This was the moment to do so and actually look more closely at the different stones. The last thing I will do is turn into a geologist. This collection though is the envy of many museums around the world because it’s huge and because of its diversity. It was during the reign of Louis XIII (17th century) when the king’s « drugist » began to collect minerals along with medicinal plants. However, although the collection became important, the building for Mineralogy and Geology was not opened until much later. Later again and in 1987, the giant crystal rooms are opened for this collection and the Treasure rooms as well. With the meteorites and different minerals which are found this is on going research to help us understand where the world came from.
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| Quartz améthyste - 210 and 370 kilos |
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| Brazil |
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| Brazil |
I must admit it was when I saw this - which reminded me at once of a sculpture that an old family artist friend had made. It was then that I started taking photos.
I could see faces everywhere - so I certainly hope that you do too.
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| Copper and Cuprite - From Bolivia |
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| Sculpture at home |
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| Azutie and Malachite - USA |
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| Lazulite - Canada |
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| Calcite, called "Woman and Child" |
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| Hematite - Italy |
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| Mesolite on stilbite - India |
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| Malachite - Congo |
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| Rhodocrosite - Argentina |
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| Vanadanite - Morocco |
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| Albite cleavelandite - Brazil |
Strangely though the world of gems, (zircons, garnate, emeralds, sapphires, rubies and even diamonds)….. were the least interesting for me. Perhaps because I have never been attracted to this kind of jewelry so I didn’t take photos there at all. I did however look at the opals which came from Australia. It’s a very sensitive stone and the two I had made into little finger rings when I was in Australia were broken as I wore them all the time.
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| Opal Coober Pedy - Australia |
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| Opal Coober Pedy - Australia |
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| Marble table from Florence - 1668 |
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| These are not special stones |
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It was the native metals that caught my eye. A native metal is any that is found in its metallic form, either pure or as an alloy, in nature. There were some beauties.
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| Stibnite - France |
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| Native silver - Norway |
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| Native gold )-California |
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| Native silver and calcite - 15C |
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| Native gold and quartz - California |
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| Azurite - China |
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| Azurite |
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| Azurite and Malachite - Arizona |
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| Azurite - Arizona |
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| Azurite - Arizona |
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| Benitoïte - USA |
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| Azutie and smithsonite - Maroc |
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| Azurite and malachite - Namibia |
But so many other colours too.....
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| Aegyrine with Zircon and orthoclase - Malawi |
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| Fluorite - France |
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| Cinabre - Italy |
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| Hematite - Maroc |
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| Malachite - Congo |
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| Halite - on tree roots - USA |
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| Quartz amethyste - Uraquay |
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| Crocoite - TASMANIA |
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| Stibnite - China |
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| Quartz agate - USA |
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| Gold - 270gm from ADELAIDE |
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| Olivenite and malachite - Brazil |
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| Quartz agate called the "Little Ghost" - Brazil |
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| Septaria nodules called the Scraggly Monster |
It was a fascinating moment and I didn’t see the time fly by until my stomach complained that it was hungry.
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