This weekend, I took my nephew to see the new (well, relatively new) Dinosaur Wing at the Natural History Museum here in Los Angeles. We had timed tickets for the exhibition so we wandered into the Gems and Minerals Hall and all I can say is WOW! I immediately forgot all about the dinosaurs and became a wide-eyed kid in a candy shop. My nephew wasn’t as bowled over as I was so I didn’t get nearly enough time there but it did fan the flames of my deep and abiding love of minerals. I know, I know , I sound like a mega nerd but I challenge you to maintain that opinion once you feast your eyes on some of these: