Tanzanite Sparkle and glitter

Gem Museum is 150

Agates, rubies, sapphires and diamonds: the German Gemstone Museum in Idar-Oberstein (Rheinland-Pfalz) are all jewels in the world at home. More than 10,000 exhibits glisten and sparkle to meet visitors from the display cases. Tightly closed, of course - after a mini-stones can sometimes be worth as much as a house. "The museum has global importance," says the curator of the house, Manfred Wild. Now it is 150 years old. And the special occasion is again "the head of all stones and work" has been compiled in a special exhibition.

With a special exhibition celebrating the museum's birthday.

It is a tour of superlatives: "We have the thinnest agate bowls in the world," Wild said in the anniversary exhibition "Selected works from 150 years of precious stone," on 25 June is opened. Not far away are "the first tanzanite, has ever existed" (1967) and the "largest engraved tanzanite in the world." Then a rock crystal lotus flower egg on four elephants with a lapis Buddha, carved from one of the largest Indian Rupees. "If this object were processed over four kilos of gold," says the 65-year-old.

Long tradition of gem-

The exhibition shows 150 pieces strong one thing: The long tradition of close-precious stone city. Even today, some 450 companies with approximately 2,500 employees belong to the industry. "There is no other place where all the gems in the world - including all the new discoveries - will be processed and all techniques are available," says Wild, who with his work regularly supplies including the Sultan of Oman. Nevertheless, some things have changed.



"The processing of small, inexpensive stones shifted to Asia," says museum director Ute Goerg. Today, Idar-Oberstein, focusing primarily on the grinding and engraving of expensive stones. And the diamond industry living on technical applications for the industry: In the 35,000-resident city about diamond knife for eye surgery and natural diamond parts for lathes and milling machines are manufactured. Laser crystals are also for the medical bred here.

Of life and with precious stones

For nearly 500 years of Idar-Oberstein and lives with precious stones. It all started with my own agate finds the spot, which were processed in mills on Idarbach. 1834 brought emigrants from the Hunsrück first agates from Brazil to the region - the beginning of the processing of stones from around the world. "Many of Idar-Oberstein in the discovery of mines in South America and Africa that," said Goerg and shows first worked stones in their museum, housed in 13 years in a villa.

"Our little nest was very early a cosmopolitan city." Then as now, always a large percentage of the population has been with precious stones on the road - and the end of the 19th Century were the "wealthy" sister cities and Idar Oberstein, Germany's most prosperous communities. Today is persistently silent about sales in the gemstone industry. In 1859, the forerunner of the gem museum in the "old industrial hall" was opened.

Perhaps, said before the 224-pound wild globe of red jasper, Idar-Oberstein are still great times before. In the gem mines in Steinkaulenberg in Idar-Oberstein, yes you've dug only 50 meters deep. The lava in the region is but a kilometer deep. "It could be possible that slumber in 200 to 300 meters still true sensations," he says.