Windhoek
During the Diamond Conference 2015, the National Earth Science Museum in the Ministry of Mines and Energy will display some impressive pieces of the Shining Lights Diamond Design Collection, of which most of the pieces are crafted by award-winning Namibian designers. The event will showcase from November 24 to 27.
The exhibition, titled ‘The Heritage Journey,’ will illustrate the process that every diamond goes through: starting at the mine as a rough stone, the cutting and polishing phase and finally the end product as a finished jewellery piece. The exhibition will also focus on the beneficiation chain affecting all layers of the community.
The live demonstration will be presented by professionals from diamond cutters and the manufacturers’ associations, who during the exhibition will show how diamonds are cut and transformed into jewellery.
The museum at the ministry, which will make up the total exhibition space, is divided into three main sections, namely, minerals, mines and palaeontology.
It exhibits a wealth of rock, mineral, meteorite and fossil specimens, and also features displays on mineral exploration, mining and the varied contributions of mining to modern-day living.
Some of the highlights in the museum include Namibian minerals and gems, iron meteorites of the Gibeon Meteorite Shower, applications of minerals and rocks in our daily lives, a series of displays depicting current and past mining activities, the oldest fossil ape ever found south of the equator, Otavipithecus namibiensis, world-famous 550-565 million year old Ediacaran fossils, which were the first multi-cellular animals, the marine reptile Mesosaurus, which lived 260 million years ago, specimens of mammal-like reptiles, like Kannemeyeria and Cynognathus, a huge fossil of Rauisuchus, an ancestor of modern crocodiles and a life-size replica of the prosauropod dinosaur, Massospondylus, which is a favourite with the children.
Both Namibian and international delegates will benefit from the museum, as it promotes knowledge of geosciences and serves as a repository of Namibia’s minerals, rocks, meteorites and fossils.
The new edition of “The Diamond Journey” book, released under the leadership of the Diamond Board of Namibia, will also be launched.