Smithsonian Journeys Experts

Mineralogist Dr. Jeffrey Edward Post served two terms as chairman of the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History and was Curator-in-Charge of the U.S. National Gem and Mineral Collection for more than three decades. He was the lead curator for the Janet Annenberg Hooker Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals, home to the famous Hope Diamond. He has published more than 135 scientific articles in the fields of mineralogy, gemology, and geochemistry as well as several books about the Smithsonian National Gem Collection.

Jeff’s expertise in the geology of the Arabian Gulf region stems from field work he conducted on Dalma Island, historically a center of pearl diving. He was a keynote speaker at a recent gem congress in the United Arab Emirates, and has an inside perspective on the changing world diamond trade as well as the importance of pearls in the economic and cultural heritage of the Arabian Gulf.