CheekyChicago

Diamonds aren’t a girls’ only best friend. There is, of course, the Red Topaz, the Peridot and the (wonderfully expensive) Sapphire. Oh, and of course, chocolate.

Well, you will not be seeing the latter at the very recently re-launched Grainger Hall of Gems at the Field Museum. You will, however, get to check out the three former.

Lester Lampert, master of the bling (his family’s been icing up celebs since 1920) and Oak Street jeweler, was commissioned to transform 27 of the Museum’s most stunning – albeit old school – gems into contemporary, over-the-top jewelry pieces. Some standouts include a 97.45-carat Red Topaz, a 153.79-carat Peridot measuring nearly two and one-half inches (!) and a double-sided, 37.90-carat Star Sapphire. Can we say big-time bling?

The pieces were unveiled last Friday and are on permanent exhibit at ye old Field. Don’t plan on throwing down the AmEx on your dream gem though – this a museum, c’mon! If your appetite for the divine is not sated simply by viewing 27 tantalizing, taunting, teasing rocks, you can purchase museum-inspired pieces at Lampert’s 15 E. Oak Street store. And at much more reasonable prices – like, say, oh, $700, instead of $3 million – you’ll walk out with your own little piece of history.