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Pearl exhibition at the Natural History Museum in Paris

We were invited to the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, part of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, for the launch of a new champagne (of all things) and made the most of it by taking some photos and going to see the new exhibition about pearls…



The Museum’s origins date back as far as 1635, but its current – magnificent – incarnation was created in 1994 when the entire building was renovated and all the exhibits reorganised. The main structure is by Eiffel, and the whole thing is extremely impressive. You should go!

The current temporary exhibition (in the basement) is all about pearls. These mysterious creations were originally very rare, before man discovered how to ‘farm’ them artificially. The exhibition explains how pearls form, the underwater environments they come from around the world, the differences between the various type of pearl, and their uses – essentially for ornamentation of clothes or jewellery.

You can have a look at our (great!) new Flickr gallery of photos here.

Here’s all the essential information about the Museum and the pearl exhibition.

Where: The Muséum Nation d’Histoire Naturelle (main building also known as the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution), Jardin des Plantes, 36 rue Geoffroy Saint Hilaire, Paris 5th arrondissement.
How do we get there: Metro Gare d’Austerlitz (line 5 & 10) or Censier Daubenton (line 7) or Jussieu (line 10). RER line C, station Gare d’Austerlitz. Bus n°s 24, 57, 61, 63, 67, 89 et 91
When: Open ever day except Tuesdays, 10am – 6pm (and closed 1st May). Last ticket issued at 5.15pm
Entrance fee: adults 8 euros, concessions 6 euros, free for children under 4 years old. Expensive, complicated weekend pass available on Saturdays only (sometimes the French amaze me…)
Official site here.

Pearls, a natural story
When: 25th October 2007 – 10th March 2008
Entrance fee/opening times: same as the Museum (main ticket includes entrance to the temporary exhibition)
Official site here (in French).