Earth's Treasury
Marvel at the sheer variety, beauty and colour of the minerals, gems and rocks on display. The gallery features a glittering and colourful display of a multitude of stones, both familiar and unusual.
This glittering gallery displays fine specimens of the thousands of gemstones, rocks and minerals on which we depend. A rare glimpse of some truly precious treasures.
Gold and silver are among the most treasured of Earth’s metals and have long been used as a means of exchange as well as symbols of power and wealth. See examples of the forms in which gold can be found.
Marvel at minerals that glow in the dark as you explore our display of fluorescent minerals.
This polished, kidney-shaped mass is hematite. It’s one of our most important minerals because it is a key natural source of iron.
Platinum nuggets are very valuable – and much more expensive than gold – because they are so rare. As well as being used for jewellery, platinum can be used in catalytic converters to remove harmful gases from exhaust fumes in cars.
Toolbox
The first collected specimen of Theobroma cacao, the plant from which chocolate is made, is kept in the Museum.