The Smithsonian Institution has licensed its gem and jewelry collection to create a line of baubles with the TV shopping network QVC.

The jewelry line expected to launch this fall will be based on the National Gem and Mineral Collection at the National Museum of Natural History, which includes the famous Hope Diamond and Marie Antoinette earrings among 375,000 specimens.

Curators will help oversee creation of the jewelry line and will record interviews for QVC to help introduce the collections.

The Smithsonian is a nonprofit that receives about 70 percent of its operating budget from the federal government. It's also seeking new revenue to help pay for a $2.5 billion maintenance backlog.

Some of the QVC jewelry will be based on designs of pieces in the museum. The rest will be inspired by its collection.

- Brett Zongker, AP