Diamond target Gems previously thought of as a target for raiders have been put on permanent display at London's Natural History Museum (Robin McKie & Vanessa Thorpe, The Observer, 11 November 2007). The new, exhibition, called 'The Vault', features some of the world's most famous emeralds, diamonds, rubies, and other gems, as well as some of the rarest meteorites to fall on the planet, including one from Mars. After the 'Diamond' exhibit was forced to close over two years ago, the museum insists the new exhibition has been designed to ensure maximum security. The earlier exhibit had focused only on diamonds and included the De Beers Millennium Star, the Blue Empress and the Ocean Dream, some of the world's biggest, flawless diamonds. It was closed abruptly on 22 November 2005, when police warned that a violent raid was about to take place. The new exhibition differs from its predecessor as it has a far wider range of rare gems, and includes several priceless jewels with romantic histories. Among the meteorites on display is the Nakhla rock that fell out of the sky and hit Egypt in 1911. Scientists have recently discovered that its chemistry is identical to that of Mars and that it must be a piece of debris thrown into space when the planet was struck by an even larger meteorite. At the time of its impact on Egypt, it was claimed that the meteorite had killed a dog--the only known fatality through extra-terrestrial causes.
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