The former president and CEO of the jewelry insurer Jewelers Mutual has presented 500 carats of rough diamonds to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, the Green Bay Press Gazette reports.

Ron Harder presented the 871 diamonds to museum curator Jeffrey Post on Thursday.

Post said that the collection – which the insurer acquired a decade ago – was well-cataloged, including information on each diamond's location of origin. While some of the rough stones will be put on display, others will be used for research.

According to Post, an increased understanding of how diamonds are formed can help the diamond industry improve the techniques used to identify synthetic or treated diamonds.