Guggenheim Hall of Minerals and Morgan Memorial Hall of Gems
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With over 100,000 mineral specimens and 3,700 gems,
jewelry and objects d'art, the collections of the AMNH rank among the
best in the world. Approximately 5,000 of the specimens are on display
in the Guggenheim Hall of Minerals and the Morgan Memorial Hall of
Gems. These halls, renovated in 1976, are designed to simulate the
interior of a cave.
The
4.5 ton pillar of azurite/malachite ore seen in the photograph was
extracted from the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, Arizona around the turn
of the century and donated to the museum by the Phelps Dodge
Corporation. The block contains roughly a ton of copper and was called
the "Singing Stone" in the days before the Hall had adequate climate
control--changes in humidity caused portions to vibrate and "sing".
Former
volunteer Bill Zeek admires the largest known topaz crystal, the
fabulous 271 kg (596 lb.) crystal from Fazenda do Funil, Minas Gerais,
Brazil.
