I am proud to finally say that a small part of the Zenvya collection is now also in the store! And not just any shop…. Zenvya is now also for sale at the Naturalis museum shop in Leiden! A special product, in a special place.
In this blog I will tell you more about Naturalis and why it is such a special place. Enjoy reading!
Love, Penny
Founder Zenvya
What is Naturalis Biodiversity Center?
Naturalis Biodiversity Center is the national research institute of the Netherlands in the field of biodiversity. Naturalis also functions as a museum. Naturalis scientists are committed to describing, understanding and preserving biodiversity on a daily basis. Biodiversity or biological diversity is a degree of variety of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, geographic area or the entire planet.
The scientific collection is kept in one place. It is the basis for researching and understanding global biodiversity. You can find part of it in the Naturalis museum.
With a unique composition of knowledge, talents and skills, Naturalis gives meaning to its functions as a national museum, academic research institute and heritage institution.
More than a hundred researchers work at Naturalis in seven different research groups. Naturalis likes to offer young scientific talent the space to develop ideas further in a stimulating, open environment. With eighty PhDs and postdocs, Naturalis contributes to the renewal of top Dutch research in the green life sciences.
Collection
The institute manages most of the Dutch natural history collections. The total collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Center is one of the top five in the world in terms of size and in 2015 consisted of no less than 42 million objects.
The museum informs people about the biodiversity on earth. An important part of this is the development of modern educational pathways for primary and secondary education. In 2014, the museum attracted 303 thousand visitors, including 50 thousand students. The institute manages many nature information websites, such as the Dutch Species Register and the Dutch Caribbean Species Register, and produces mobile apps, such as the Naturalis Museumapp and Dierenzoeker.
A skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex was purchased in 2016 and it has been named Trix. From September 2016 to June 2017, the skeleton was on display in a temporary exhibition space in the Pesthuis, after which the skeleton toured institutions in Austria, Spain and France.
In the new Naturalis, Trix stands in a prominent place in the "dino time" room, together with a number of other dinosaur skeletons. Since the reopening in August 2019, there are seven museum rooms:
- To live
- Dino time
- Early man
- The temptation
- The ice age
- Death
- The earth.
In addition, there is a LiveScience lab where researchers demonstrate what they are doing and maps.
The center of expertise for gemstones
Using the extensive collection of Naturalis, research by the Netherlands Gemstone Laboratory contributes to scientific knowledge about geology and gemstones.
Research results from the gemstone laboratory are recorded in accordance with internationally recognized standards and guidelines of International Mineralogical Association (IMA) and World Jewelery Confederation (CIBJO). This guarantees a constant and high quality of their specialist work.
The Netherlands Gemstone Laboratory offers the following services for a wide range of customers, such as jewelers, gold and silversmiths, but also enthusiasts of precious stones and pearls:
- Gemstones: identification (including synthetic stones and imitations) and possible treatment and provenance research.
- Diamonds: Graduation and research into the origin of color (for fantasy colored diamonds), quality research based on weight, color, clarity and quality of the cut.
- Pearls: identification (including cultured pearls and imitations) and possible treatment, determination of nacre layer thickness and other quality characteristics for cultured pearls.
Naturalis also offers interesting education and courses, with professional and high-quality facilities regarding gemstones and minerals.
Visit Naturalis
We recommend that everyone has visited the Naturalis Museum at least once in their lives. Especially as a gemstone lover, you can coast and choose. They have over 500 thousand rocks and minerals!
