ยA crystalline form of carbon.ย Thatยs all a diamond is, really. But in its latest show, ยThe Nature of Diamonds,ย the Houston Museum of Natural Science will offer visitors both substance and style. Learn about the worldยs hardest material and the processes that form it (most diamonds are more than 3 billion years old), then check out how diamonds are used in technology, how theyยre mined and, mostly importantly, how theyยre made into million-dollar jewelry. After all that science, youยll get to the bling, including a layered gold mesh necklace covered in rough diamonds and pearls, an 1855 corsage ornament studded with more than 2,000 diamonds (owned by Napoleonยs niece), an arrangement of naturally colored diamonds and a number of nugget-sized single stones. Just crystalline carbon, eh? Sure it is. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Through September 7. One Hermann Circle Drive. For information, call 713-639-4629 or visit www.hmns.org. $10 to $22.
May 8-Sept. 7, 2009
This article appears in May 7-13, 2009.