Hope Diamond Will Be Temporarily Off Display During Renovation

The Hope Diamond will be off public view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History for a limited time during the first half of 2016. The Harry Winston Gallery, which houses the Hope Diamond, will undergo renovation as part of the ongoing construction of the adjacent National Fossil Hall. During this phase of the project, it will be necessary to close the gallery and remove the diamond from public display.

The Hope Diamond will be off view from Jan. 4 through March 15, 2016. It will be back on exhibit every day from March 16 through April 17, 2016. It will be available only on Fridays and weekends from April 18 through June 30, 2016. The diamond will return to permanent display July 1, 2016.

The Harry Winston Gallery opened in 1997 as part of the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals and is adjacent to the National Gem and Mineral Collection. The gallery has been open every day since the hall originally opened.

The National Museum of Natural History is the most visited natural history museum in the world. Opened in 1910, the museum is dedicated to maintaining and preserving the world’s most extensive collection of natural history specimens and human artifacts. The museum is located on the National Mall at 10th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. and is open every day except Dec. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Learn more at www.mnh.si.edu or on the museum’s social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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