Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems facts for kids
The Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems is a super cool place inside the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It's like a treasure chest filled with amazing minerals and sparkling gems! With over 1,300 special pieces, many people think it's one of the best mineral exhibits in the whole United States.
Contents
History of the Hall
The museum's first collection of minerals started small. It had about 550 pieces. These were first loaned by Professor Gustave Guttenberg. After he passed away in 1896, the museum bought them. This became the very first part of their collection.
Over the years, the collection grew a lot. Many people gave gifts to the museum. For example, in 1904, Andrew Carnegie donated a huge collection. It came from William W. Jefferis and had about 12,000 specimens! In 1902, John L. Lewis also gave 2,600 beautiful gems. He was the president of a company called Lewis Foundry & Machine.
The museum also collected ores and metals. These showed off Pittsburgh's industries. They included tin, lead, copper, antimony, and bismuth. There were also local steel products, petroleum (oil), coal, coke, and graphite.
A very important person named Henry Hillman helped a lot. Starting in 1969, he gave many donations. These gifts helped the museum buy new and exciting specimens. They also helped build the special hall we see today. The current exhibit hall first opened in 1980. It was made even better and bigger in 2006 and 2007.
Exploring the Collections
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Hillman Hall has more than 1,300 amazing specimens on display. This is just a small part of the museum's total collection. The museum actually has over 30,000 mineral specimens! The Hall is set up in different sections. Each section helps you learn something new about minerals and gems.
How Rocks and Minerals Form
This section is called Lithology and Processes. It shows how rocks and minerals are made. You can learn about the natural processes that create them. You also see how they change over time.
The World of Crystals
The Crystallography section is all about crystals. It explains what crystals are. You can also learn about crystallography. This is the science of how crystals are structured.
Mineral Properties Explained
In the Mineral Properties area, you discover how different minerals behave. You can see their physical properties. This includes things like how hard they are or what color they are.
Glowing Minerals Display
The Fluorescence and Phosphorescence section is super cool! It shows minerals that glow in the dark. Some minerals glow when a special light shines on them (fluorescence). Others keep glowing even after the light is turned off (phosphorescence).
Minerals from Around the World
The Locality Suites show minerals from specific places. You can see how many different kinds of minerals can come from one area. It also shows how these minerals have been important to people throughout history.
Pennsylvania's Own Treasures
The Pennsylvania Minerals and Gems section highlights local finds. It features some of the most beautiful minerals and gems found right here in Pennsylvania.
Organized Mineral Groups
The Systematic Collection displays minerals in a special order. They are grouped by their chemical makeup. This follows a system called Dana's System of Mineralogy. It helps scientists understand them better.
Masterpiece Gallery of Gems
The Masterpiece Gallery is a collection of truly stunning minerals. These are some of the most beautiful and important mineral specimens from all over the world. They are chosen for their amazing looks.
The Wertz Gem Collection
The Wertz Gallery is where the museum keeps its amazing gem collection. It has 17 permanent exhibits. You can see nearly 530 sparkling pieces here. There's even a special exhibit about birthstones!
