Rubies, amethyst and topaz! Ever wonder how gems are created and selected? Explore gemology with Raquel Alonso-Perez, Curator, Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard in this guided tour of the rare mineral and gemstones gallery at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. See highlights of the Earth & Planetary Sciences gallery, which displays some 3,000 minerals, rocks, gems and meteorites drawn from some 400,000 specimens, representing 200 years of mineralogical research since the acquisition of Harvard’s first meteorite in 1807.  See birthstones for every month; learn about the chemistry of coloration in gemstones.  Don’t miss the "Flor de Lise", a magnificent rubellite crystal from Brazil’s Jonas Mine, donated to Harvard in 2001.

Free with museum admission ($12 adult; $10 senior/student; $8 youth)