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Special Guest Post by Cynthia in the Marketing & Communications Division
Do you know what your birthstone is? I was born in January, so mine is garnet. I’ve always loved the warmth of the red color. But my favorite color is green, and I have to admit that I have, at times, been jealous of those folks whose birthstones are emeralds. When I recently visited the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) exhibit, GIA Celebrates Birthstones, located post-security in Terminal 2 at San Diego International Airport, I found out that I don’t have to be jealous anymore.
It turns out that garnet comes in multiple variations. Although red is the most commonly known color, there is a green variation as well.
GIA is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones and pearls. This exhibit showcases raw and finely crafted gems and jewelry from the GIA collection. You’ll be guided through a variety of interesting facts and folklore related to each month’s birthstone, as well as an introduction to the tools used to grade stones in this fascinating field.
Stop by soon and see if you recognize what your birthstone looks like before undergoing polishing. The exhibit runs through February 2012.
And if you’re interested in finding out more about GIA and its collections but are not traveling through the airport, the GIA world headquarters is located in Carlsbad, California (about 45 minutes north of downtown). They give public tours of their museum and exhibits with advance reservations. You can learn more by visiting: www.gia.edu.
Filed under: Arts at the Airport, Guest Post, Slideshows
I love this exhibit! I too love green (the Irish in me), but I wasn’t born in the emerald month of May: I’m a June bug (like both my brothers). Most people know sapphires as being blue, but my college ring featured an orange sapphire (for the burnt orange color of my alma mater, the University of Texas).