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The new Treasures Cadogan Gallery opened at the Museum this week with an iconic specimen from the micropalaeontology collections displayed prominently in the first case you come to when entering from the left-hand-door. Just over 10 years ago, this beautiful glass model of a radiolarian made in Dresden in 1889 by father and son, was housed in a cardboard box and hidden behind the scenes at the Museum.

Radiolarians are single celled organisms (Protozoa) that secrete tiny skeletons of opaline silica or glass so it is appropriate that the Blaschkas should re-create them in glass. They range in size from 0.03mm to 2mm and mainly have a marine solitary floating lifestyle (planktonic), although some are colonial. The model on display is enlarged approximately 1, 000 times.

For some time it has been a goal to get the Museum collection of Blaschka models on permanent display so walking into the new gallery this week and seeing the Blaschka specimens finally on show was very exciting. It has been a great team effort enhancing the profile of the collection by research, publications, conference presentations, conservation, exhibition loans, CT-scanning, filming and exhibition design. Here are a series of pictures illustrating the journey of a small part of the Museum Blaschka collection from cardboard box to permanent display.

We hardly dared open the cardboard boxes housing the collection of 18 radiolarians to show them to visitors for fear of breaking the glass models inside. The boxes had "S" written on the side in red to signify that they are salvage specimens to be removed from the Museum first, in the event of a disaster.

To me these glass models are real treasures, not only because of the amazing skill and artistry in their fabrication but also because they so beautifully display aspects of microscopic collections that lie hidden behind the scenes at the Museum. The radiolarian represents the only specimen from the micropalaeontology collections currently on display in the Museum galleries. The octopus and jellyfish also on display show colours and structures that are not visible in spirit collection jars and beautifully show the anatomy of each species.

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