The mineral gallery at the Natural History Museum |
When I first visited the old Geological Museum, not that long after its redesign in 1996, I was very disappointed to see that the old fashioned displays that I had been fascinated with, as a child, were no longer there; however, during my most recent visit to the Natural History Museum, I was very pleasantly surprised to discover the Mineral Gallery and the Vault.
Various minerals in traditional wood and glass display cabinets |
As El Museo Geominero in Madrid clearly demonstrates, minerals do not need fancy graphics or interactive displays to make them attractive and interesting – their natural beauty is quite enough - and the Mineral Gallery also possesses very many fantastic, simply presented specimens.
Blue John from Castleton |
With still much more planned for the rest of the day, I didn't spend as much time in this gallery as I would have liked to have done - taking only a few general photographs - and I could have been here for well over an hour...
Calcite |