10 MOST BEAUTIFUL NATURE SCIENCE GIFTS OF 2016

Does someone you love love nature and science? We’ve got 10 beautiful gifts, from incredible once-in-a-lifetime experiences to magnificent tributes. Check them out below.

1. PEARL DIVING IN BORA BORA

Pearls are gifts from oysters. If you love someone who has a passion for pearls, they probably have plenty of them in various jewelry pieces. Why not give them a truly unique pearl experience?

The Bora Pearl Company offers an extraordinary getaway off the coast of Bora Bora, where you can dive through the warm turquoise waters to find your own Tahitian pearls.

Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful places on our planet, with its dramatic volcanic coastline and spectacular coral reefs.

You will dive at the underwater treasure trove known as “The Farm,” where fragile black-lipped Tahitian oysters are farmed. Only 3 out of 100 pearls harvested are deemed perfect. You get to keep whatever you find.

Available at Truly Experiences.

2. STRATOSPHERIC BALLOON ODYSSEY

Astronauts report experiencing out-of-this-world beauty as they float high up in outer space. But now you can give this experience to a mere earthbound loved one.

Give a spectacular Bloon near-space adventure!

Bloon is a zero-emission vehicle -- a balloon filled with static helium gas that can lift the luck traveller up 22 miles high into the Earth’s atmosphere. In fact, any higher would be beyond the Earth’s stratosphere.

There are no combustible fuels involved, so Bloon’s ascent is gentle, has zero impact on the environment, and is entirely noiseless.

Flights can originate and land anywhere in the world. They begin at dawn, to max the most amazing color palette, and last about 4 hours.

Panoramic windows will provide you with a 360° view of the overall experience, with a field of view at the top of approximately 1,400km in diameter - so you can see Paris and Rome from the same window.

Available at Bloon.

3. A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM SLEEPOVER

If you have science-loving kids on your gift list, A Night at the Museum Sleepover at the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, is an adventure that is unsurpassed.

After-hours, kids can get a private tour, up close and personal, just like the characters in the eponymous film. They check out their ancestors in the Anne and Bernard Spitzer Hall of Human Origins.

Next, they travel through the Age of Dinosaurs, with a real T. rex skeleton anchoring the trip. Then, they explore the live-animal exhibitions, with bats, wolves, and birds of prey.

And then, they are treated to a 3D viewing of “Wonders of the Arctic,” before settling down beneath the 94-foot-long blue whale, next to African elephants, on the floor of this wondrous museum.

4. CLIFF CAMPING EXPERIENCE WITH KENT MOUNTAIN ADVENTURE CENTER

If someone you love loves extreme adventure, you would do well to give them a Cliff Camping Experience with Kent Mountain Adventure Center. It’s a Bucket List item, for sure.

Top-notch guides teach the basics of rock climbing and rappelling before leading the ascent, hundreds of feet up a sheer cliff face high up in the magnificent Rocky Mountains, in Colorado.

Camp is set up using a portaledge, which offers a full 180 degree panorama. Settle in for some awesome star-gazing and campfire dinner. Sleep aloft. Breakfast at dawn. Then rappel down the cliff with amazing memories to share forever.

If overnights are a bit too much, you can give a “Just Lunch or Dinner“ package instead, where dining happens on a portaledge 40-50 feet off the ground.

In either case, a professional photographer is available to document this adventure for you.

5. PORTER GARDEN TELESCOPE - TELESCOPES OF VERMONT

If your loved one loves telescopes, the Porter Garden Telescope is sure to delight. It is a replica of the Art Nouveau–style instrument that Russell Porter created in the 1920s. While it incorporates the beautiful design and detail of the original, it has been improved, by replacing the prism in the eyepiece with a mirror to produce sharper images.

This 35” tall scope a magnificent marriage of science and art. It looks beautiful in a garden setting, as a sculpture. Its delicate optics can be removed and stored in the accompanying wooden storage box during inclement weather.

Available at Telescopes of Vermont.

6. AMETHYST SPECIMEN

This remarkable Amethyst Specimen geode sports a polished blue agate edge. Mined in Brazil, this beauty measures 22cm. by 20cm. by 8 cm.

It is an exquisite nature sculpture, mounted on an elegant silver metal base.

Available at 1st Dibs.

7. LARGE MALACHITE SPECIMEN

This Large Malachite Specimen (4.5 in. x 16 in. by 15 in.) is polished to show off its natural beauty. Mined in Africa in the early 20th Century, it is a stellar example of this mineral’s uniquely patterned form.

8. RACE TO THE POLE PEN -- CURTIS OF AUSTRALIA

For natural history buffs, the Race to the Pole Pen, by Curtis of Australia, is a gift that commemorates the 100th anniversary of the historic exploration of the North Pole. It is the latest addition to the Curtis collectible, limited-edition Adventure Series.

Made of sterling-silver, this pen honors Robert Peary and Matthew Henson’s first successful expedition to the North Pole, in 1909, featuring finely detailed relief images of the SS Roosevelt, the specially commissioned vessel built to survive in the Arctic ice; the dog sleds; and the names of the four Inuits who also reached the top of the world.

The pen is available in roller-ball and fountain pen versions. There is also a  gold edition adorned with a diamond.

Available at Fahrney’s Pens.

9. RARE & PARTICULAR ANTIQUE ORRERY

This Rare and Particular Antique Orrery (circa 1856) was made by Delamarche. A unique combination of materials, including cardboard, copper, brass, & papier mache form this mechanical model of our solar system. With exquisite detail carved, etched and engraved, this gift is a stunning piece any astronomy-loving friend would love to receive.

Available at 1st Dibs.

10. “TERRIBLE CHAIR” SCULPTURE -- MICHELE OKA DONER

More a sculpture than a chair, the “Terrible Chair,” by artist Michele Oka Doner, is a beautiful gift for a nature lover. The gilded bronze thorny branches were cast from a prototype fashioned out of real tree branches.

The internationally acclaimed New York-based artist and designer is known for her work with natural forms--plant fronds, berries, shells, and life observed beneath the lens of the microscope, rendered in bronze, precious metals and stones, concrete handmade papers, ceramic, and glass.

Available at 1st Dibs.

Read more about Beautiful Gifts in The Most Beautiful Book Gifts 2016.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of Bora Pearl Company. Rare Tahitian Pearl.
2. Image: Courtesy of Bora Pearl Company. Rare Tahitian Pearls.
3. Image: by James St. John. “Pinctada margaritifera (black-lipped pearl oyster) (Tuamotu Islands, French Polynesia, Pacific Ocean.)”
4. Image: by Steven Schwartz. “Bora Bora Pearl Farm.”
5. Image: Courtesy of Zero 2 Infinity & Bloon. Bloon Flight.
6. Image: Courtesy of Zero 2 Infinity & Bloon. Bloon Flight.
7. Image: Courtesy of Zero 2 Infinity & Bloon. Bloon Flight.
8. Image: by M.Shanley. Courtesy of AMNH. “Milstein Hall of Ocean Life.”
9. Image: by R. Mickens. Courtesy of AMNH. “Wolf Diorama.”
10. Image: Courtesy of Kent Mountain Adventure Center. Cliff Camping.
11. Image: by Russ Schleipman. Courtesy of Novacon. “Schleipman’s Porter Garden Telescope.”
12. Image: Courtesy of Telescopes of Vermont. “The Porter Garden Telescope.”
13. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Amethyst Specimen.”
14. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Large Malachite Specimen.”
15. Image: Courtesy of Curtis of Australia. “Race to the Pole” Collectible Pen.
16. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Rare and Particular Antique Orrery,” by Maison Delamarche.
17. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Terrible Chair Sculpture,” by Michele Oka Doner.
18. Image: Courtesy of 1st Dibs. “Rare and Particular Antique Orrery,” by Maison Delamarche.
19. Image: Courtesy of Kent Mountain Adventure Center. Cliff Camping.
20. Image: by BN App - Download now!
21. Image: Courtesy of Zero 2 Infinity & Bloon.  Bloon Flight.