D.C.’s Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has acquired and put on display a rare 49-carat red topaz, also known as Whitney Flame Topaz.
The gemstone was earlier privately owned for decades. Philanthropist Coralyn Wright Whitney handed it over to the museum and also donated a $5 million endowment, the Smithsonian announced in a press release.
“We are indebted to Coralyn Wright Whitney for her generosity and her commitment to the future of the National Gem Collection,” Kirk Johnson, the Sant Director of the National Museum of Natural History, said. “Her gift will serve as an inspiration to generations of Americans and encourage others to share her passion for science and the mission of this great museum.”
“The thing about the Smithsonian’s collection is that once it’s here, anyone in the world can come and see it free of charge anytime. It forever moves the stone…into the public domain.” – Jeffrey Post, National Gem and Mineral Collection Curator @NMNH https://t.co/lSoWnEXxfB
— Smithsonian's NMNH (@NMNH) September 20, 2018
The gemstone is very rare and valuable, with a vivid hue, unlike other topaz stones, which are golden-orange colored, the museum noted.
The topaz was originally excavated from the mines in Ouro Preto, Brazil. Such gem quality is found only in 1 to 2 percent of all gemstones, making this topaz special.
“The color and beauty of this gemstone is astounding. You have to see it to believe it. The Whitney Flame is truly one of Earth’s treasures,” said Jeffrey Post, chair of the Department of Mineral Sciences and curator of the museum’s gem collection.
The gemstone has been indefinitely put on display in the museum’s Harry Winston Gallery.