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A treasure trove of emeralds, rubies and sapphires buried for decades on a glacier off France’s Mont Blanc has finally been shared between the climber who discovered them and local authorities, eight years after they were found. The mountaineer stumbled across the precious stones in 2013. They had remained hidden in a metal box that was onboard an Indian plane that crashed in the desolate landscape some 50 years earlier. In September 2012, India took possession of a bag of diplomatic mail from a Boeing 707 flying from Mumbai which crashed on the south-west face of Mont Blanc on 24...

On Wednesday Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) stated that he wished the Biden administration denounced the tyranny of Cuba with “half the passion” that they have for denouncing Republican elected officials. Rubio stated, “This administration’s response has been lame. It’s been lame on this whole issue. Now, I wish they had as much passion, I wish they had half the passion that they have for going after Republican state legislatures and Republican governors and Republican members of Congress, I wish they had half the passion that they have against the Republicans that they do against the tyranny in Cuba, .”

Now we know one reason why Obama bowed to the Saudi monarch. The Saudi Kingdom gave the Obama team suitcases of jewels during their infamous Apology Tour.

Taliban fighters aren't just making gains on the battlefield: They're also bleeding away a revenue source that is crucial for Afghanistan to pay for its military without US help. The Afghan government will earn about $30 million in 2015 from its mineral sector for the third straight year, far short of a previous projection of $1.5 billion, according to Mines and Petroleum Minister Daud Shah Saba. That's also a quarter of what smugglers -mostly linked to the Taliban and local warlords -earn annually selling rubies and emeralds, he said.

London: A giant jade boulder that could be worth billions of pounds has been discovered in Burma. The 50-tonne block was found half buried in soil and rock in the gem-rich north of the country. Villagers discovered the 5.5 metre-wide boulder in the mountainous state of Kachin, where rebels have been fighting the government for more than 50 years. It is now under armed guard as officials negotiate with rebels about what to do with it. Burma, also known as Myanmar, is one of the world’s biggest producers of precious stones. Jade expert Jason Holt, of Holts Jewellers in Hatton...

Help please! I belong to a forum devoted to gems and gemology. Members there, 99% ultra-liberal, are going into a tizzy because Bush signed a bill that outlaws certain gem imports from Burma. It's silly feel-good legislation that accomplishes nothing toward toppling the junta but makes it appear our Congress-critters are "doing something." It's named the Tom Lantos Block Burmese JADE Act of 2008. Forum members there are trying to rewrite history by saying Bush and Cheney are responsible instead of the Democrats who wrote it and pushed it through Congress. They're really incensed because the bill blocks certain gem...

To celebrate the publication of her book Taylor asked her favorite jewelers to donate a precious piece for an auction to benefit the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. That event, to be held at Christie's on September 26, will take place during a book party sponsored by In Style. All proceeds from the auction will benefit ETAF. Liz at the 1971 Academy Awards wearing the Cartier diamond, later renamed the Taylor-Burton diamond. Originally a ring (inset) the Burtons had it made into a necklace when Taylor thought it too big for a ring. These earrings were originally made of paste and...