Minerals
Step back in time to see the Museum as it was in 1881 with its original oak cabinets. Learn how minerals are formed and marvel at the origin of amber.
The Minerals gallery shows off raw, cut and polished gemstones. It gives an insight into where essentials such as toothpaste, matches and stainless steel come from, and presents a window on the Museum’s huge mineral research collection.
Sir Arthur Russell was a famous collector of British minerals who, on his death in 1964, left more than 12,500 items. His outstanding collection is preserved at the Museum.
This curved ‘snake stone’ is made of calcite formed inside an ammonite shell. Formations like these are known as snake stones because they were believed to be the petrified remains of snakes.
Burmese amber, or burmite, has a distinctive warm, red colour and is highly prized for jewellery. Our collection includes one of the largest-known specimens ever found.
In our collection you can see rare and beautiful gems, such as taaffeite, sparkling alongside the raw minerals they originate from. Taaffeite was first discovered already cut by Dublin gemmologist Edward Charles Taaffe in 1845. It had been wrongly identified as a hard, glassy mineral called spinel.
Toolbox
With our shark experts, Speedo developed a super-fast swimsuit – its special fabric mimics the microscopic features of sharks’ skin.