Museums
American Museum of Natural History – Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals: Featuring a dazzling, world-class collection of mineral specimens from around the globe. Among the highlights in the hall is a five-foot-tall beryl crystal from Maine’s Bumpus Quarry. Visitors can explore the hall’s immersive exhibits to discover Maine’s unique geological contributions alongside extraordinary treasures from every continent.
Harvard Museum of Natural History: This renovated gallery displays thousands of rare minerals and sparkling gemstones in both rough and cut examples, including a 1,600-pound amethyst geode from Brazil. Exhibits highlight new research and offer a broad overview of the dynamic processes and events that formed our planet and that have shaped its continuing evolution.
L. C. Bates Museum: The L.C. Bates Museum is an early 20th Century Museum full of unique cabinets of curiosities and Maine wildlife dioramas. Discover the Wonders of Nature. Explore exhibits of art, Maine Native American Baskets, Minerals, and Maine History and Archaeology. Experience Maine’s natural beauty first hand on our forest walking trails.
Maine Mineral & Gem Museum: The Maine Mineral and Gem Museum showcases our geological history, displays renowned mineral and rock collections, provides educational opportunities for the novice and expert alike, conducts historical and geological research and is a Maine travel destination for residents and visitors. MMGM will house the finest collection of Maine minerals and gems. It will include the famous Perham Collection, viewed by generations in a local mineral store that operated for ninety years. MMGM contains one of the world’s foremost collections of extraterrestrial rocks—meteorite from Mars, the Moon and the Steroid Belt that teach us about the origins of our Solar System.
Maine State Museum: The Maine State Museum is one of the nation’s oldest state-funded museums.
The Maine Granite Industry Historical Society and Museum: The Society’s mission is to collect and preserve the history of the quarrying industry in Maine and New England. Our vision for the museum is to make that history come alive for school children and the general public.
The Northern Maine Museum of Science: A museum located at Folsom Hall at The University of Maine at Presque Isle on south Main Street.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Our mission is to promote understanding of the natural world and our place in it. The museum’s collections tell the history of the planet and are a record of human interaction with the environment and one another.
The University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum: Showcases a premier collection of gems, minerals, and meteorites. Located in downtown Tucson, it blends science, art, and history to inspire visitors of all ages through dazzling displays and educational exhibits.
Specific Maine collections/specimens to find at these museums!
The Hamlin Collection at Harvard Online Exhibit
Mt Mica Tourmaline at the Harvard Photo #1
Mt Mica Tourmaline at the Harvard Photo #2
Mount Rubellite Tourmaline at the Harvard photo
Online Photo Galleries
John Betts Online Mineral Museum of New England Minerals: A virtual mineral museum with over 194,609 photographs illustrating 63,005 mineral specimens from worldwide localities. This New-England specific gallery is part of the overall photographic archive of minerals that John sold in this former online sales site. They are for reference only. They are a great representation of what can be found at many localities throughout New England.
Retail Establishments
Cross Jewelers: Delighting customers in Maine and New England for over 100 years. Our philosophy is to discover jewelry possessing real magic and joy. To find the very best world sources for gems of exceptional color and extraordinary brilliance. To design with passion and love. To take whatever time needed to make everything we create absolutely perfect.
Mainestone Jewelry: Our selection of specimens, minerals, and fossils from Maine and around the world will delight all ages. We welcome students from both grade schools and the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) who might want to add to their mineral collection or enlist our help with school projects. Ron loves to share his passion and knowledge of Maine’s unique geology with its abundance of minerals, gems, and fossils.
Creaser Jewelers: Our custom jewelry store in South Paris, Maine is a local favorite due to our outstanding service, quality and selection. We offer only the finest gemstone jewelry set in yellow gold, white gold, and sterling silver, along with one-of a-kind custom designed jewelry, rare mineral specimens, popular Maine gemstones, exotic gemstones, estate jewelry, and more.