WASHINGTON — The Smithsonian Institution said Thursday that it has licensed its renowned gem and jewelry collection to create a line of bracelets, brooches and other baubles with the TV shopping network QVC.
The jewelry line expected to launch this fall will be based on the National Gem and Mineral Collection at the National Museum of Natural History, which includes the famous Hope Diamond and Marie An toin ette earrings among 375,000 specimens. Curators will help oversee creation of the jewelry line. Curators also will record interviews for QVC to help introduce the collections and offer a glimpse behind the scenes at the museum in Washington, said Smithsonian spokeswoman Linda St. Thomas.
The QVC line will be primarily costume jewelry and semiprecious stones, St. Thomas said.
The jewelry line follows licensing deals for Smithsonian-branded furniture, lighting, books and hobby kits based on museum collections. Showtime Networks also launched the Smithsonian Channel on television in 2006 as part of a licensing agreement. The Smithsonian is a nonprofit that receives about 70 percent of its operating budget from the federal government.
The Hope Diamond
The 45.52-carat diamond was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 by jeweler Harry Winston. It is currently being exhibited as a stand-alone gem with no setting.
