George Shirley Switzer started the Smithsonian Institution's famed National Gem and Mineral Collection by acquiring what jewel weighs 45.52 carats?
George Switzer (mineralogist) George Shirley Switzer (June 11, 1915 – March 23, 2008) was an American mineralogist who is credited with starting the Smithsonian Institution's famed National Gem and Mineral Collection by acquiring the Hope Diamond for the museum in 1958. Switzer made the arrangements when renowned New York City jeweler Harry Winston decided to donate the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian.
Eureka Diamond The Eureka Diamond was the first diamond discovered in South Africa. It weighed 21.25 carat , and was found near Hopetown on the Orange River by a 15 year old boy named Erasmus Stephanus Jacobs in 1867. The diamond, cut to a 10.73 carat cushion-shaped brilliant, is currently on display at the Mine Museum in Kimberley. The discovery of diamonds in South Africa led to the Kimberley Diamond Rush, and marked the beginning of the Mineral Revolution.