Dec

Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

Actress and humanitarian Angelina Jolie Pitt has donated an exceptional citrine necklace to the National Gem Collection to raise awareness of her jewelry line, the proceeds of which help to build schools and fund education for children around the world.

Angelina Jolie Pitt has donated an exceptional citrine necklace from her Style of Jolie collection to the National Gem Collection. (Photo by RP Studio)

Actress Angelina Jolie Pitt, as well known for her humanitarian efforts around the world as for her film roles, has donated an extraordinary citrine necklace to the Smithsonian’s National Gem Collection. The piece is from the Style of Jolie jewelry collection, a collaboration between Jolie Pitt and American jewelry designer, Robert Procop. The 18-karat yellow gold necklace features 64 graduated bezel-set cushion cut citrine gems highlighted by a 177.11-carat pear-shaped citrine drop. The Jolie Citrine Necklace is on display in the Janet Annenberg Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals at the Natural History Museum, where it will remain on view indefinitely.

The Style of Jolie collection was developed by Jolie Pitt to promote education and establish schools in conflict-affected countries. Proceeds from the sales of jewelry in the collection go to the Education Partnership for Children in Conflict, which builds schools around the world, the first few of which are in Afghanistan.

“We are thrilled to receive this important piece for the Smithsonian,” said Jeffrey Post, curator of the National Gem Collection. “It is the first piece of citrine jewelry in the collection. The fact that it was personally designed by Angelina Jolie Pitt and Robert Procop makes it all the more significant.”

Citrine is a unique variety of quartz. One of the most abundant minerals in the Earth’s crust, quartz is composed of the elements silicon and oxygen. In its pure state it is colorless and known as rock crystal quartz. However, small amounts of various impurity atoms can yield a wide range of colors. Citrine is the golden-yellow to orange variety of quartz, colored by traces of iron. The name comes from the French citron, meaning “lemon,” in reference to its color.

“Robert and I are honored to have this great institution feature one of our jeweled creations,” said Jolie Pitt. “As the Smithsonian has educated so many of us, this jewel is a symbol of our efforts to help educate underprivileged children in conflict areas of the world.”

Renowned for the display of rare pieces such as the Hope Diamond, the National Gem Collection is one of the most visited exhibitions at the Smithsonian. The mineral and gem collection consists of approximately 350,000 mineral specimens and 10,000 gems, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world. It is used for scientific research, education programs, and public exhibitions. Every year hundreds of specimens are loaned to scientists around the world for research in geology, materials science, health, chemistry, physics and other fields.

The Jolie Citrine necklace features 64 graduated bezel-set cushion cut citrine gems highlighted by a 177.11-carat pear-shaped citrine drop. (Photo by RP Studio)