There is no denying a universal fascination with gemstones, nor is “the love of bling” restricted to a particular gender, age, or economic bracket.

Earth Sciences’ PhD candidate Cristina Millan teaches one of Ohio State’s most popular courses for undergraduates, Earth Sciences 108: Gemstones. “The class has been growing, reaching a record enrollment this quarter of 124. Also, my class this spring is pretty much split 50-50 between men and women,” she said.

“There was a time,” said Julia Sheets, senior lecturer in Earth Sciences, who has been teaching the course since 2005, “when more women took the course, clearly that is changing.”

Of course, it was designed to appeal mainly to those students who might be viewed as a little “science-phobic,” serving as “a solid introduction to a ‘hard’ science for non-science majors,” Sheets said.

Millan and Sheets take turns teaching the course, which is offered every quarter. Recently, their teaching program got a huge boost--a gift of several pounds of beautifully cut and polished stones representing several important groups of gems, including beryl, topaz and tourmaline.

An anonymous donor had given the stones to the school because he wanted them “to be enjoyed and studied by its students and faculty.”

Actual delivery of the gift into those student and faculty hands had been delayed for several years, in part due to the problem of finding a safe haven for some of the more valuable gems in the collection.

Finally, this spring, those particular gems were given a home in the Orton Hall Library. Ensconced in a special heavy-duty security case designed just for them, they sparkle discreetly at one end of the library under the gaze of some very august 19th Century gentlemen in gilt frames.

But the bulk of the collection—also under lock and key in another location—is available at last to the students, who can hold them in their hands and up to the light, can weigh, measure, and learn from them—just as the donor intended.

Sheets and Millan could not be happier. “There is absolutely nothing like having these stones in the palm of your hand, and no way to begin to accurately assess their properties without having such access,” said Sheets.

“I still remember the experience of having one of the largest of these stones put in my hand by my former advisor and mentor, Dr. (Rodney) Tettenhorst.

“’Let’s see if you can identify this one,’ he told me. It was--I guess you could say--an eye-opening experience. It really was the beginning of a passionate interest in gems and what they can teach us.”

The study of gemstones may begin with a love of the “bling,” but good teachers don’t let it end there. These beauties are a springboard for learning about the history of Earth, how gemstones are formed and what they are made of.

To really get to know them demands mastering some good chemical, mathematical and analytical techniques for studying their physical properties. From there, conversations can ensue about economics, history, geography, religion, and art, along with discussions of international politics.

Earth Sciences Director Berry Lyons said of the gift, “It’s invaluable for our teaching mission to have such an important collection available to our students.”