BETHEL — The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum will display the famous Josephine Peary necklace, graciously on loan from the Maine State Museum, in the Hall of Gems exhibit among Maine’s finest gemstone treasures.
Famed Arctic explorer Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary (1856-1920) commissioned a statement piece that was entirely Maine, from concept to creation. His love of his home state was so deeply rooted that when his spouse Josephine Peary (1862-1955), “expressed a wish to own a Maine tourmaline, [he] determined that whatever form the piece of Maine jewelry should take, it should be entirely Maine, in conception, execution, and material …” A 100% Maine-made story, in the form of a stunning tourmaline necklace.
The necklace features a suite of ten tourmaline gemstones that were mined around 1907 at Mount Apatite in Auburn, Maine, which is known for its rich, intense shade of dark blue-green. The gold, also from Maine, was panned from the Swift River in the western region of the state. The stones were faceted by Brunswick druggist, miner, and gemologist, John Seaver Towne, and the Portland jewelry firm of Carter Brothers Company designed and assembled the necklace. Peary insisted that, “every item in regard to the necklace should be absolutely and unquestionably ‘Maine.’” “… designed in Maine, made in Maine by Maine workers for a Maine man out of Maine materials.”
“The Peary necklace is truly historic,” states the MMGM Curator, Dr. Carl Francis. “The blue-green tourmaline is a rare, underappreciated occurrence, and its Maine origins are so well documented.” In celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Maine State Mineral, there couldn’t be a more perfect expression of tourmaline’s exquisite beauty.
The MMGM is a 15,000 square foot science museum that explores the geologic history of Maine and beyond through highly interactive and immersive exhibits. The museum holds the largest collection of Maine gems and minerals of any institution in the country, displays the 5 largest pieces of the Moon on Earth, and has the foremost collection of lunar and Martian meteorites on the planet.
Museum and Museum Store location and hours: 99 Main St. Bethel, ME 04217, 207-824-3036, info@mainemineralmuseum.org. Open Monday, 10-5, Tuesday, Closed, Wednesday, 10-5, Thursday, 10-5, Friday, 10-7, Saturday, 10-7, and Sunday, 11-5.
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