The beloved Mignone Hall of Gems reopens following a years-long renovation. See fabulous new specimens in the display, including a pair of towering, sparkling amethyst geodes (12-feet and 9-feet tall!) that are among the world’s largest.

Visitors can also examine a slice of a 35-million-year-old metasequoia (a petrified dawn redwood from the Cascade Mountains), the 9-pound almandine Subway Garnet discovered under Manhattan’s 35th Street in 1885, and the Tarugo, a 3-foot-tall cranberry-colored elbaite tourmaline that is one of the largest intact mineral crystal clusters ever found.

New to the hall is a special exhibition space, hosting Beautiful Creatures, a display of more than 100 pieces of fine jewelry inspired by the animal kingdom and crafted by well-known jewelry designers and houses.

Timed-entry tickets must be reserved in advance, online. Mask wearing and social distancing are required in the museum.