San Diego Magazine / June 2010 / A Gem of an Exhibit

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A Gem of an Exhibit

"We Want to catch the eye, and in every gallery there's something to touch" says Misiorowski

JUST OVER A CENTURY AGO, great quantities of blue topaz, pink-tinged tourmaline and burnt orange garnets were discovered in the foothills of northern San Diego County, earning our region a reputation as a major gem-mining center.

The San Diego Natural History Museum pays tribute to those glory days with “All That Glitters: The Splendor and Science of Gems and Minerals,” which opened mid-May and continues through April 2012. Four galleries showcase not only the gems and minerals of California but the exquisite jewelry that has been crafted from many of those precious stones.

One of the largest contributors to the exhibit is Bill Larson, president of Pala International. He has bought or leased a dozen mines in San Diego County since the 1960s and today owns a Fallbrook retail store that attracts gem dealers from around the world. The bulk of the gemstones displayed in the Science:California Gems gallery belong to Larson, along with a specimen of rare benitoite, a translucent blue gem that once belonged to Josephine Scripps of the Scripps family. “Josie and Bill were friends, and he acquired it from her estate when she passed away,” says exhibit curator Elise Misiorowski, a jewelry historian and former diamond grader at the Gemological Institute of America. “Very few people have seen it, because California is the only place in the world benitoite has ever been found in gem form. It’s the California state gem.”

“All That Glitters” aims to dazzle visitors with Fabergé carvings and creations from various periods, showcased in designs by Tiff any & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier. And there’s history amid the sparkle.

“One of the fascinating things about jewelry is that it shows the technology, economic standards and the cultural aspects of the time it was made,” Misiorowski says. “There’s a case of jewelry showing the contrast between the ancient and contemporary. Although technology has changed, the way we adorn ourselves hasn’t. The natural world has been imitated since the dawn of time, and we’ll have ancient carvings, pre-Columbian pieces and gemstones carved with images of birds, insects, reptiles and other animals.”

Natural and ultraviolet light illuminates the patterns of the Aurora Butterfl y of Peace, made from a collection of 240 natural fancycolored diamonds, formerly displayed at the Smithsonian Institute. Another standout is the 80-pound Balboa Park Carousel Egg, a miniature replica of the carousel, with 56 handcarved animals including zebras, giraff es and dragons. The bejeweled objet d’art, studded with 20 carats of diamonds, took nearly 20 years to complete.

“We want to catch the eye, and in every gallery there’s something to touch,” says Misiorowski. Guests can slide their hands across the cool, hard surface of a tall ironstone sculpture, veined with opal. A chunk of labradorite reminds Misiorowski of the Northern Lights because the colors change when it’s rolled in the hand. Interactive exhibits include touchable models of the six crystal systems, and a constructed hillside containing a simulated pegamite (gem pocket) allows visitors to see how gems form in San Diego County.

One of the collections Misiorowski admires most is a dozen shimmering butterfly brooches, designed by Bernadine Johnston and set with rare gems that were cut by Buzz Gray. But the curator admits she’s an easy sell: “I can fi nd something to love about any gemstone,” she says. “Jewelry is irresistible to me, and I have many favorites. I’m a January birthday, and I love garnets. Most people think they are only red, but they come in lots of other colors that range from a deep purple to forest green. I love tanzanites, spinels, rubies, emeralds and sapphires. But who doesn’t?”

The San Diego Natural History Museum is open daily, 10-5, at 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park, 619-232-3821, sdnhm.org.