Posted on 06/11/2021 11:51:04 AM PDT by Red Badger
At 563 carats, the Star of India is the world’s largest gem-quality blue star sapphire, and is approximately 2 billion years old. (Image credit: D. Finnin/Copyright AMNH)
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What does the legendary Star of India — a 563-carat star sapphire the size of a golf ball — have in common with a 35-million-year-old petrified redwood slab; a massive cluster of sword-like crystals that looks like it came from "Game of Thrones;" and a 5-ton (4.5-metric ton) stone pillar that can "sing?"
You can see all of them, along with 5,000 other amazing stones, in the newly renovated Mignone Hall of Gems and Minerals at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, which is reopening after a four-year closure on Saturday (June 12). There, one-of-a-kind precious gems appear alongside odd-looking rocks — some of which date to billions of years ago — that have been uniquely warped and twisted by extreme temperatures and pressures.
Individually and together, these objects tell a story of the diverse geologic processes that shape minerals on Earth's surface and deep inside our planet, beginning when the world was young and continuing to this day, museum representatives told Live Science.
Related: 13 mysterious and cursed gemstones
The Star of India, which formed about a billion years ago, was discovered in Sri Lanka in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known gems in the world, in part because it was famously and brazenly stolen from AMNH in 1964, along with several more of the museum's prized stones, by a pair of thieves named Jack "Murf the Surf" Murphy and Allan Kuhn, Smithsonian reported in 2014, on the heist's 50th anniversary. (The one-of-a-kind sapphire was recovered and went back on display in 1965).
(Excerpt) Read more at livescience.com ...
It is actually kinda nice to be at the maximum speed limit (for back in the 70s, that is). But that’s in my rearview mirror. I have a few more years before I’m at the speed limit here in New York. And I expect to live at least until I’m the limit in Ohio or Texas.
Have a good night!
I’m sorry, I cannot drive that way. A friend of a friend of a friend Sammy once had a ballad about the syndrome.
I’d still prefer Autobahn... I have a lot I would like to do.
Yeah, I was gonna snag it but I thought I’d wait and give the Birthday Girl a chance.
But good on ya! W00t!
Good morning. I suppose I was busy.
What a beautiful floof.
Good morning.
I hope your birthday was awesome and that you got some surprising things!
I got flowers from my sister-in-law and lively songs from my choir ladies, everybody polka!
We played Wingspan and had cake and ice cream.
Today we will probably go to the library.
How wonderful that you were serenaded!
And the Birthday Flamingo pay you a visit?
;o]
Absolutely, and he looks stuning! Obviously a very well-fed flamingo with lots of carotenoids in his diet.
Isn’t that thing gorgeous? Wherever he fed, it was good food!
Now I’m headed for the shower I should have started 30 minutes ago.
Enjoy! James and his hair are in the shower here.
Good morning. Happy Friday!
Perhaps the birthday girl had better things to do? One could hope.
The birthday girl, along with Vlad (the growing teenbro) was making supper at the relevant time. They wiped out the leftover casserole for breakfast, but there’s still Vegetable Dish for my lunch.
Yes, she obviously did, but I didn’t know that at the time. So good on ya, once again! You can have them all to make up for all the ones I took when no one was looking! :o])
I started to have a slight problem with being light-headed a couple of days ago, and yesterday, it had gotten so bad that whenever I got up to do anything, I would have to hang on to something to keep from falling over.
This morning I almost couldn’t get into the tub, even with the aid of the safety bars. I ran the hot water over my neck for a lot longer than usual. Getting dressed was a whole new experience.
I’m sure it’s the arthritis, (whiplash from the accident) but I don’t know how to address it, not being able to get to St George to see my doctor. And no, there are no doctors here.
Maybe some hot compresses...
Gosh, I don’t know, but be very careful!
Can you try lying on your bed and gently turning your head from side to side?
From experience, moist heat is best. I think I need an increase in the Gabapentin, but I would have to see the doctor and get x-rays of my neck. Maybe I can email him, have him order the x-rays and take it from there.
I need to be able to finish the packing!
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