For me, there is nothing better than visiting a natural history museum and spending hours in the gem and mineral halls. One of the most famous institutions is the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection in Washington, D.C.—an exhibition where my friends routinely leave me behind because I’m taking too long. This month, we are chatting with a 25-year veteran of the D.C.’s institution’s gems and minerals department, Christine Webb, who also geeks out on all things rock.

DdeK: You were a geology/geosciences major in college—have you always had a love of gems?

CW: I've had a love of rocks from a very young age. I would pick up rocks from wherever we vacationed or traveled. And of course, I've always loved gems and jewelry. After my geology degree, I worked as a research scientist for environmental consulting firms in Washington, D.C. One of my colleagues at the time told me about GIA and pushed me to quit my job and move to New York. After getting my gemology degree, I moved back to the D.C. area and worked at a high-end estate jewelry store, which further developed my love of antique jewelry. Then Tiffany & Co. opened a branch in Virginia. I worked as the sales manager of that store for four years and loved every minute of it! I had two children back-to-back – working retail and raising kids was very difficult. So, I left Tiffany, and when my youngest was three years old, I met the Curator of the National Gem Collection at the Smithsonian, and the rest is history. I started as a volunteer, and it turned into a wonderful consulting position. I’ve been with the Smithsonian for 25 years now, and it has been the most amazing opportunity.

DdeK: What’s it like to work at one of the most famous gem collection museums in the world? The Hope Diamond is obviously the most famous in your vault—have you held it in your hands?

CW: It is such a privilege to work at the National Museum of Natural History. I learn something new every day that I’m there. It is one of the world’s finest gem collections – really our nation’s crown jewels! I’ve had incredible experiences from cleaning and reweighing every gem in the collection, to checking the jewelry for repair needs, to being the host for the QVC program, to assisting with temporary exhibits, and to helping the Curator write two books about the National Gem Collection. The Hope Diamond is THE iconic piece in the collection and the most visited item in all of the 21 Smithsonian museums. It is incredibly beautiful! I’m happy to clean it any time I can. And I can say that it looks better on the neck than in the case. The Hope doesn’t come off exhibit often, but we did have it unmounted and on display for a few months during the 50^th anniversary celebration of its arrival at the museum from Harry Winston in 1958. Visitors really enjoyed seeing the Hope out of its mounting as a loose gemstone (below center). During that time, we had an online contest where Harry Winston designed three contemporary necklaces for the Hope Diamond, and the public voted for its favorite. The winning necklace, Embracing Hope, was on exhibit for a short time after – and that was exciting to see how it would have been mounted by Winston 50 years later (below right). The Hope has such amazing provenance, it truly belongs in the original Cartier mounting from 1911 (below left), and that’s where it dazzles visitors every day!

CW: I've had the opportunity to work with the Collections Manager and Curator for the past 25 years. And I’ve been assisting and representing the museum at tradeshows, where we find many of our acquisitions. Maintaining a world-class collection is, of course, critical, but you also have to constantly be aware of new sources and localities, new gems and minerals, and how to fill voids in the collection or upgrade what we currently have. Going to Tucson every year gives us the chance to acquire specimens, network with dealers, and see what’s new on the market. Tradeshows are extremely important for both gem and mineral acquisitions, and it is big fun to be a part of the search and discovery!

DdeK: I’m sure your work has significantly refined your eye for exceptional stones and minerals making you either a tough customer or someone jewelers love –maybe both! How has your personal collection evolved since your tenure?

CW: Haha—I think both! I believe that jewelers and gem dealers enjoy working with clients who know what they're looking at and understand the importance and rarity of stones – but being selective does make you a tough customer. You are so right about how one develops a refined eye, and then your expectations and desires become quite high. It does pose a problem for collecting personally, as I have champagne taste on a beer budget! I tend to purchase gems and jewelry that I will wear often and become an everyday staple. And, of course, my favorite pieces of jewelry are those sentimental ones given to me by my mother, and also by my husband for the births of our children and special birthdays. I do have several pieces in my collection that feature my favorite gems – spinel, tanzanite, opal, and diamond. I also love antique jewelry and fantasize about owning a Cartier art deco piece one day – earrings or a bracelet! And I also wouldn’t mind acquiring a Daria de Koning original…

DdeK: You represent the Smithsonian at Trade Shows... You obviously have a captive audience with gem-obsessed people like me, but how do you drum up interest in gems and rocks from the general public? Or is that not the mission of your department?

CW: James Smithson founded the Smithsonian Institution as an “establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge among men”—so the mission of the museum has always been to educate, enlighten, and excite the public about our collections. We try to do that at the museum and at the trade shows, too.  At the museum, the Gem Hall exhibits the most iconic and important pieces in the collection, and the Mineral Hall displays mineral specimens, faceted gems, and jewelry pieces. That way visitors can see what a mineral looks like coming out of the earth, what it looks like after a cutter has fashioned it into a gemstone, and finally how that gemstone comes to life in jewelry. Every year at the AGTA show in Tucson, we bring an exhibit to share with the public as an extension and outreach of the museum – people love it, as so many have not had the chance to visit the museum in D.C. And, of course, behind the scenes at the museum, the Mineral Sciences department has vital research programs. The gem and mineral collection has always worked to inspire and educate the public, as well as serve the science community. Remarkably, the collection is built exclusively through generous donations and endowments. 

DdeK: A lot of my work uses rare and unusual gems –what advice would you have for people who are perhaps unfamiliar with stones like I use and might hesitate to purchase because it’s not one of the “Big 4” (diamond/sapphire/ruby/emerald)? 

CW: I love that you use rare and unusual gems in your designs. Mother Nature is the best artist, and you have an amazing eye for seeing nature in the gems that you select. The use of opaque gems, like cabochons of landscape agates, chrysocolla, malachite, and opal, combined with faceted colored gemstones, like spinel, moonstone, iolite, and tourmaline, make for a beautiful piece of jewelry. I love the way you mix the colors, patterns and shapes! It’s fun to have a bold piece of jewelry that is one of a kind – that’s what makes your pieces so special. We all love the Big 4, but there is so much more in the gem world to enjoy and appreciate. And many of the gems that you use are more unusual and affordable than the Big 4. I always advise people to purchase what they love. If you see a gem or a piece of jewelry that speaks to you – buy it! It’s so wonderful to be able to wear art – that’s the best part of owning jewelry.

CW: The only thing I can think of that was “crazy” that happened to me was when I first started working as a volunteer. The gem and mineral hall was being renovated, so everything was off exhibit. My job at the time was to reweigh, check the labels for accuracy, and examine the jewelry for damage. I thought I died and went to heaven! There are over 10,000 pieces in the collection, about 1,000 are on exhibit, and the rest are behind the scenes in drawers in the vault. I felt like a kid in a candy shop – the luckiest gal in the world. It truly was magical, and for me, a crazy experience!

ABOUT CHRISTINE:

Christine Webb earned a B.S. degree in geosciences from Penn State University. She also received a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in New York. Christine has more than 35 years of experience in the gem and jewelry industry, including positions ranging from sales manager to appraiser to consultant, for firms such as Tiffany & Co., the World Jewelry Center, Nova International, and Nordstrom. For 25 years, Christine has been a curatorial assistant and contractor with the Department of Mineral Sciences, National Museum of Natural History, at the Smithsonian Institution. She has worked on temporary exhibits, the Gem Hall renovation, acted as on-air spokesperson and consultant for the Smithsonian programs with QVC, and assisted the Curator with two books: The National Gem Collection and Unearthed, Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels. She continues to consult and provide curatorial support and gemological expertise for the National Gem Collection, coordinate trade shows, provide website support, and act as liaison for the philanthropic Smithsonian Gem and Mineral Collectors Group. Christine also assists private clients with finding gems and jewelry for their personal collections.