Los Angeles Natural History Museum
December 14, 2025 – April 18, 2027
Free with general admission or for Members.
A Dazzling New Exhibition Coming to the NHM
A Not-to-Be-Missed Exhibition at the NHM
If you’re heading through Los Angeles anytime soon, put the Natural History Museum on your must-see list. Their newest exhibition, Unearthed: Raw Beauty, brings together some of the rarest and most extraordinary mineral specimens you’ll ever encounter — many of them making their public debut.
Billed as an exhibition that takes you “underground,” it offers a deeper look at how minerals and crystals form, why they behave the way they do, and where they appear in everyday life — from remote caves to your kitchen countertop. For those of us who marvel at nature’s work, several of these specimens will have you leaning in for a better look.
In short: Unearthed: Raw Beauty is that rare exhibition that’s as visually spectacular as it is scientifically engaging. If you’re anywhere near Los Angeles — downtown in the Jewelry District — near Pershing Square — or even just passing through on the 10 or the 110 — trust us: go!
Natural History Museum Los Angeles County lower left
“The 10” and “The 110” freeways – This is how Angelenos talk about their interstate highways…
New Exhibition Hall
The Unearthed exhibition is located in the first-floor temporary exhibitions gallery, adjacent to the Gem and Mineral Hall. This large gallery is not part of the new wing, NHM Commons, but was reopened and expanded as part of the new NHM building project. You can now access the gem hall, with its outstanding minerals display and Hixon Gem Vault, from the Grand Foyer or from NHM Commons.
If you arrive through the NHM Commons, you will be greeted by Gnatalie, a more than 75-foot-long, long-necked, plant-eating, green-boned sauropod, the centerpiece of the museum’s new wing. (She’s green because of the mineral celadonite – how appropriate! – which filled the bones during fossilization. Quite rare, actually.)
On the map, the exhibition can be seen between the Gem and Mineral Hall and the African Mammal Hall.
NHM Promo
As announced on the museum’s website, Unearthed: Raw Beauty is presented in collaboration with the Gallery of Natural Art, led by CEO Dr. Stuart J. Mills.
The exhibition includes remarkable pieces on loan from eminent mineral dealer Dr. Robert Lavinsky, along with selections from other prominent collectors and highlights from NHM’s own world-class holdings.
So, if you want to see minerals at their most awe-inspiring, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County should be high on your list!
Here are just some of the pieces you will encounter at Unearthed: Raw Beauty.
Wenshan, Yunnan, China
Robert Lavinsky Collection
Dr. Mills sets the stage beautifully:
“Unearthed: Raw Beauty invites you to step into a world of astonishing beauty as we unveil a never-before-seen collection of Earth’s most captivating minerals.”
For the first time, these remarkable specimens have been gathered in one place. Some have spent their entire existence concealed in the Earth’s crust, tucked away for millions of years before finally being coaxed into the light. Others, as Mill notes, “have never been displayed to the public before — and now they are in Los Angeles to reveal their secrets to you.”
from the Himalaya Mine, San Diego County, California,
and a faceted lozenge cut pink tourmaline, from the Queen Mine,
San Diego County, California.
And what stories they are.
Every mineral, every crystal, every shimmering spray of color carries a history that predates humanity by eons. From towering tourmalines to vividly colored gem crystals… from ancient geological formations to true scientific oddities… Unearthed walks you through how these wonders were formed, what they reveal about Earth’s dynamic processes, and why they matter — not only to our understanding of the past, but to the technologies shaping our future.
by Paula Crevoshay
Modified trillion cut green tourmaline from the Dunton Mine, Newry, Maine.
Set in 18 karat yellow gold, with tsavorite garnets, diamonds, and sapphires.
Calcite with Amethyst
from the Andre Jachetti Mine, Artigas, Uruguay.
Formerly in the Rock Currier Collection – now in the Conan Barker Collection.
As Dr. Mills reminds us, “The minerals you see today are not just beautiful — they are the building blocks of the Earth’s story, and each one holds clues to understanding the forces that shaped our world.” Many of these materials are the same minerals scientists are studying today as part of the green-energy transition, tying deep geological time directly to modern innovation.
drawn by Dr. Wendell Wilson, courtesy of the Mineralogical Record,
with (right) “the Tiara” located in the pocket – circled.
If this looks familiar, we have already written about two other crystals found in that same Bamburro pocket in Minas Gerais. First, there is the Rocket, the three and a half foot, 273-pound elbaite tourmaline seen as three pieces at the bottom of the pocket, and the Tarugo Queen, the 84 cm. tall rubellite, with the “Tiara” atop the Queen. Three piece from the same pocket, on display in three different natural history museums – that’s awesome!
Whether you experience the exhibition in person during its Los Angeles run or through the pages of the accompanying book (see link below), approach it like a modern-day explorer. These specimens aren’t just objects on display; they are tangible records of Earth in motion.
To order your exhibition book and accompanying coloring book, tap here!
And finally, Mills offers the perfect invitation:
“We hope to ignite your curiosity, inspire your imagination, and encourage you to explore the world of science and discovery.”
Tap here for more information about the Natural History Museum Los Angeles County
