Mineralogy Collections

There are approximately 35,000 cataloged specimens in the Department of Mineralogy.  Every type of Earth material is represented from igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, minerals, ore suites, gemstones, meteorites, coals, opals, petrified woods, and even a synthetic materials and elements collection.

• Wellington Building stone collection
• Davidson Cabochon and polished rock-egg Collection
• Watson Dana’s Classified Species Collection
• Micromineral Collection
• Van Horn Mineral Collection
• Van Horn Petrology Collection
• Van Horn Ore Deposits Collection
• Jeptha Wade Gem Collection

The Jeptha Wade Gemstone Collection is one of the finest collections of gem materials in North America.  It includes specimens such as a jade necklace, Mississippi River pearls, opals and a particularly fine group of colored diamonds.  Most of the gem specimens are on display in the Museum’s Gem Hall, which opened in the spring of 1998.

The Van Horn Collection is half of the two teaching collections originating from the two Departments of Geology at Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University.  When the two Universities merged in 1967, the two collections were reorganized into two new collections: one collection for the new Department of Geology at Case Western Reserve University, and the other for the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. 

The Department of Mineralogy at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History also holds the Charles H. Jones Mineral Collection from Heidelberg College, donated in 1988.