How My Rubies Lead Me to an Unexpected Treasure

There are many reasons to visit a Natural History Museum. I was fortunate to grow up in Chicago, a city with one of the world’s greatest ones. And I’m the daughter of a chemist who’s name is on the patent for the most widely used copper mining process in the world. So a museum with rocks in it is pretty much my Mecca. Plus there are dinosaurs...grrrrarrrrr! Bonus.

When I was about three, my dad gave me my first rock collection to get me going. There were sapphires and emeralds, amethyst and lapis. There was gold ore, copper ore, iron ore, and I’m sure a lot of other ores. Pyrites and quartzes. And so so so many more.

And there were rubies.

If you follow me at all, you know that I’m a collector and obsessive addict of the king of gems. I have many of these magestic, fiery miracles. Some set in jewelry. Some faceted and loose. And some raw and untreated by human technology. All told, I have a ridiculous amount of these stones. I call it my grownup rock collection. You really cannot take the science out of the girl.

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So where am I going with this, you ask? Well I’m in the process of trying to declutter. Who knew it’d be such a complete headtrip to get rid of some stuff? But it is. Every time I begin, I come face to face with these inner monsters who have a lot to say:

“Not that thing...you might need that someday!”

“Not that thing either. Remember when [insert name here] gave you [that thing] [that one time] [over by that place]? It’s got sentimental value, man!”

“As soon as you throw that thing out, they're going to stop making it!”

And my personal favorite...

“Dude, you could get some money for that thing!”

Now I’m your typical starving artist...up to a point. But I’m a starving artist with an unnecessarily huge collection of gemstones. And while the voices in my head are probably wrong about most of my junk, they have a valid point when it comes to my rubies. So I’ve decided to sell a few. I can declutter. And if I find the right buyers, I can fund the next space shuttle.

But therein lies a really tricky conundrum about this corundum: finding the right buyer. The thing about precious stones - or really anything, for that matter - is that no matter what they are theoretically worth, they’re only practically worth what someone is willing to pay you for them. And I’ve been on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride of gemstone peddling.

Then recently someone suggested that I take my rubies to the curator of gems and minerals at a Natural History Museum. What a fantastic idea! A person who knows stones. Knows their value. Knows where and how I might be able to network with the right buyers. And who will be honest and straightforward because he or she has zero skin in the game.

I called the closest NHM, grabbed a friend, and headed out for an exciting adventure!

Unfortunately, I forgot to grab the little sample bag of rubies I’d prepared for the occasion. Yes. That actually happened. To me! I wish I could say it was unusual. But I’m an artist, remember? We can be a little harebrained from time to time. So the bottom line is that I’ll be going back in the next week or so.

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Meanwhile, on my first ever visit to the Los Angeles Natural History Museum, I discovered a sublime example of two of my many other passions: Circular things and anything Art Deco. Holy Long-story-for-a-few-photos, Ruby Girl!

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At the heart of the museum is a rotunda which features an intricate stained glass skylight and a statue of The Three Muses. While considered Beaux Art, it’s also an exceptional example of Art Deco architecture, having been built in 1913 and restored and remodeled in the 1920s.

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Even without my gemological mission, I’d certainly return to this gorgeous building. But either way, I’ll keep you all posted. And you can rest assured that you’ve not yet heard the last of the saga of my quest to find new homes for a few crimson beauties!