Harvard Museum of Natural History Presents a New Exhibit Spotlight Tracing Gold from Ancient Geology to Contemporary Art
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 24, 2026 — On November 12, 2026, the Mineralogical and Geological Museum at Harvard University (MGMH) opens Au: Origins Unearthed, an Exhibit Spotlight on view at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH), that follows gold from the geological forces that formed it, through the scientific research that decodes its origins, to the studios of six visionary jewelers working today. The result is a conversation across disciplines, between earth science and contemporary design, between forensic chemistry and extraordinary craft.
Gold is everywhere, and yet its origins remain largely invisible. Lovers of gold jewelry have no way of knowing where the metal came from, through whose hands it passed, or what journey it took from the earth to the jeweler’s bench. With Au: Origins Unearthed, that journey is visible for the first time in a museum setting.
Though only glimpses of the research itself appear in the galleries, at its scientific core the exhibition draws on Harvard’s TraceFor Gold project, an international forensic research program that uses laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and artificial intelligence to build a geochemical fingerprint database of gold, with the ultimate goal of tracing gold — including seized illegal material — back to its origin.
This research, led by MGMH curator and researcher Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez in collaboration with the Brazilian Federal Police, WWF Brazil, and the University of Brasília, represents a new frontier in the fight against illegal mining and environmental destruction in the Amazon. And the problem extends far beyond the Amazon: illegal gold mining and the mercury used to extract the gold are a global crisis. A collaboration with Elsie M. Sunderland, Fred Kavli Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, now extends this work to mercury. Sunderland, a member of the project team, is conducting the mercury analysis: for the first time, researchers are able to measure the isotopic composition of mercury in gold, opening the door to tracing the toxic metal alongside the gold it was used to extract.
Au: Origins Unearthed, however, is not only a scientific exhibition. Alongside the specimens and data, it presents important jewels by designers selected by Alonso-Perez and co-curator Melanie Grant for their exceptional skill and their commitment to asking the deepest questions about the material they work with: Pippa Small, Marla Aaron, Mike Joseph, Omi Woods, Ute Decker, Daniel Brush, and also PeaceGold. Each, in their own way, brings a new consciousness to gold, honoring its geology, its biography, its weight.
“Gold carries within it a record of the Earth’s own history. Our research at Harvard is learning to read that record, using geochemical fingerprinting and AI to trace gold back to its source. For me, this is ultimately about what we as researchers can do to help miners extract gold under the right human and environmental conditions. When gold can be traced to its source, miners can be proud of that clean origin. Au: Origins Unearthed brings that science into dialogue with visionary jewelers working today.”
— Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez, Curator and Researcher, MGMH Harvard University
“The designers in this exhibition have spent their careers asking the most fundamental questions about what jewelry is and what it means. Bringing their work into conversation with Harvard’s earth science research felt not just natural but necessary, because we need to have these conversations with consumers in order to shape the next generation of ethical practice. The story of gold is still unfolding.”
— Melanie Grant, Curator and Author
The six participating designers combine continents, traditions, and philosophies. Together, their works will be displayed alongside gold specimens from the MGMH collection, scientific data visualisations from the TraceFor Gold project, and contextual material tracing the history of gold from its formation in stellar explosions billions of years ago to its role in the global economy today.
Opening Program
The opening program (November 12, 2026, 6:00–7:30 PM, in person and online) begins with a lecture by Elsie M. Sunderland, Fred Kavli Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, on mercury contamination from illegal gold mining in Amazonian rivers. A panel discussion follows with Ashley Alexis McFarlane (Founder, Omi Woods), Eric Adam Moreira (Head of Forensic Geology Service, Brazilian Federal Police), Pippa Small (Jewelry Designer and Founder, Pippa Small Jewellery), and Greg Valerio (Jeweller and Activist, Founder of PeaceGold), moderated by journalist Melanie Grant and Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez. A reception follows in the Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery from 7:30 to 9:00 PM. Advance registration required.
Exhibition Details
Exhibition: Au: Origins Unearthed
Opening Program: November 12, 2026 · 6:00–7:30 PM · Reception 7:30–9 PM in the Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery
Venue: Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Curators: Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez & Melanie Grant
Website: mgmh.fas.harvard.edu
About the Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard University
The Mineralogical & Geological Museum at Harvard University (MGMH) is one of the oldest and most distinguished natural history collections in the United States, with holdings of more than 100,000 mineral, gem, meteorite, and rock specimens. The museum is committed to excellence in research, education, and public engagement, and serves as a uniquely rich resource for the Harvard community and the public at large.
About the Curators
Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez
Raquel Alonso-Perez, PhD, is Curatrix of the Mineralogical and Geological Museum, Harvard University (MGMH), where she is responsible for access to, teaching, research, public education, and continued development of the Earth Science Collection. She holds a B.S. in geology from the University of Granada, Spain, a Ph.D. in Earth and Material Sciences from ETH Zurich, and is a gemologist trained through GEM-A. Her research traces gem and gold deposits to their origin using non destructive analytical techniques. She co-leads TraceFor Gold, an international forensic program using artificial intelligence to trace illegally mined gold. Raquel sits on the boards of the Association for the Study of Jewelry and Related Arts, the Gemstone and Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub, and the Women's Jewelry Association, and is an Associate Editor for GIA and GEM-A.
Melanie Grant
Writer, curator, and author of Coveted: Art and Innovation in High Jewelry (Phaidon, 2020); co-author of Winged Beauty (ACC Art Books, 2021), 100 Years of Creativity (Phaidon, 2023), The Jewelry Book (Phaidon, 2025), Journey of a Jeweler (Rizzoli, 2025), and Brilliance: Jewelry, Art and Fashion (MFA Boston, 2025). With over two decades as a journalist across The Times, the Financial Times, the Guardian, and The Economist, Melanie Grant is one of the foremost authorities on jewelry as art and commodity. Her curations include international exhibitions for Sotheby’s and Kensington Palace.
About the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
HMSC connects collections and research at Harvard with global audiences, fostering community and deepening appreciation for science, the natural world, human cultures, and our shared experiences. HMSC works in concert with Harvard faculty, museum curators, students, and members of the extended Harvard community to provide interdisciplinary exhibitions, events and lectures, and educational programs for students, teachers, and the public. HMSC draws primarily upon the extensive collections of the member museums and the research of their faculty and curators.
History
The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture (HMSC) partnership was established on July 1, 2012, by former Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Michael D. Smith, to develop a strong, coordinated public face for the six research museums that are within the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard:
See hours and admission rates on each of the HMSC museum websites:
- Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments
- Harvard Museum of Natural History
- Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East
- Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
Press Contacts
Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez — Mineralogical & Geological Museum, Harvard University
Melanie Grant — Co-curator, Au: Origins Unearthed
High-resolution images of all exhibited works, curator portraits, and exhibition installation are available on request. Please contact the press contacts above.
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