Past Exhibitions
Curated by Bowers Museum President Peter Keller, Ph.D., this exhibition features some of the world's finest known gems.
On display are more than 300 rare gems, including the largest faceted gemstone, weighing 220 pounds or 500,000 carats; a necklace featuring the two largest known examples of the sapphire-like California state gemstone, benitoite; a 400-carat golden sapphire that is one of the world's largest; and the world's largest tanzanite (242 carats) set in a tiara with 1,000 diamonds. Gems! The Art and Nature of Precious Stones answers the basic questions of gemology, presents delicate and rare gems, and portrays gemstones as art.
