DC: Museum of Natural History

The Hall of Human Origins: Computer simulations of the two most beautiful Neanderthals

The Smithsonian Institution National Musum of Natural History concluded the last leg of my Washington DC trip- time allocated to exploring a taxidermists' dreamworks, the oldest stardust found on earth, a full-scale T-rex skeleton trumped the hours spent in all other museums.

I reverted to my pig-tailed schoolgirl days when I dressed for Halloween as a rocket scientist.  I even caught myself at a point running from one exhibit to another.

The picture below is in honor of the VDG woman.  Cookies are an integral part of our life, and I intend to make use of their greatness when I design my own world some day.  Apparently, Someone else had the same idea!

The shark that should join the VDG girl late-night adventures

As almost a bythought before exiting, we decided to visit the Geology, Gems, and Minerals exhibit.

I HAD NO IDEA!

Absolutely magnificent, this exhibit started with the galactic origins of our universe; it included information about asteroids, tectonic plate movement, and the earth's thousand-degree core.

It merged into the result of said physics- gemstones developed under stringently intense pressure and temperatures.  The take-home lesson:

Rubies = Red

Sapphires = Blue

Emerald = Green

Diamond = White

Colors are due to atomic structure and the existence of impurities.  The above verities are only the general pairing of colors.

The Hope Diamond

A part of the exhibit since its inclusion in 1958, the 45.52 carat Hope Diamond is in a 'temporary' setting as seen here.  The white diamond encasement was the result of a call-for-entries competition, and it entitled Embracing Hope.  When aged 7 or 8, I saw a documentary about the curse associated with the Hope Diamond, and have been distantly fascinated by it ever since.

When mined it India, the Hope Diamond was an incredible 115-carat gem which eventually ended up as a 69-carat decoration in the royal French crowns of Louis XIV.  Louis' heirs were both guillotined, and in what has been described as the 'greatest jewel heist' in all time, the heirloom submerged away from public view and was thieved away from private protection.  A smaller version of the Hope reappeared in London, where it transferred a variety of unfortunate hands, until it ended up in its current Smithsonian location.