Harvard University has one of the world's most important collections of minerals. With over 100,000 mineral specimens, the collection is renowned for its high number of different species, the quality of samples, extensive holdings of New England material, and broad collection of crystalized gold. Continuously curated since its inception in 1784, the collection is a widely-recognized treasure. It ranks with the Smithsonian and the American Museum of Natural History as one of the three most celebrated collections in the country. The public displays are a major public attraction with over 230,000 visitors a year and the research collections have contributed to hundreds of scientific studies. The current curator, Raquel Alonso Perez, PhD, FGA, was appointed in 2014. One of her first significant endeavors was to renovate the public gallery and the collections storage spaces. Her main research interests include mineralogy and petrology with special focus on the geochemistry of ore and gem deposits