LA Museum Going Green with Diamonds This Winter

Los Angeles--The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County is going green in a big way.

On Saturday, the museum will open a new exhibition called “Green Diamonds: Natural Radiance,” adding eight cases of the green gems to its Gem and Mineral Hall.

The loose and set diamonds come as part of the Gamma Collection, which is on loan from Optimum Diamonds LLC and was assembled over a period of about 15 years. Gamma is comprised of more than 60 of the rarest and most prestigious natural colored diamonds in the world, according to the museum.

The collection showcases a variety of shapes, cuts and shades of the color spectrum.

The highlight of the exhibition is “The Mantis,” the largest vivid yellowish-green diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America at 4.17 carats, as well as “The Shangri-La,” a large vivid green diamond weighing 3.88 carats. Both are mounted in rings.

There also is “The Light of Erasmus,” an extremely rare 1.63-carat vivid greenish-blue diamond.

In addition to seeing the diamonds, the exhibition also will give museum visitors the opportunity to learn about the formation of diamonds and scientific origins of the green color, including the gamma radiation that inspired the name of the collection.

The exhibition also will explore the unsolved mysteries behind “Chameleon” diamonds, which temporarily change color when exposed to light or heat. “Natural Radiance” will feature three of these stones, including a 3.08-carat dark gray greenish-yellow diamond.

The company will also exhibit two very rare diamonds Optimum Diamonds won at the 2017 Argyle Pink Diamonds Tender: the Argyle Everglow and the Argyle Liberté.

The collection will be on view at the museum from Dec. 9 through April 1, 2018.

Coinciding with the launch of the exhibition, the Los Angeles GIA Alumni Association and WJA Los Angelses are hosting the second annual “Night Among Gems” event at the museum on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Attendees will get to see the stones as well as mingle with Associate Curator of Mineral Sciences Aaron Celestian.

Tickets can be purchased online.