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 ...
Yes, it will have to do for now because I haven’t seen anything else that was affordable and in stock. I’ll just have to “rassel” with it! ;o]
The logic on those service engine lights is really something. They figure in the amount of time it’s been since your last visit to a service center and the average profit of the service centers in your area. If the first is high enough and the second is low enough, the light comes on.
In future releases it will take into account the health of the college funds of the service center owners.
Heh, I can almost believe that.
Tom’s got his new tires and gone home. I finished assembling lyrics but need some information from Asuncion before I send them off.
If the Avalon is done by 5, Tom can drive.
LOL! Good one!
I figure there isn’t that much that can go wrong with a vehicle with a manual transmission so I listen for any sounds I haven’t heard before (on this vehicle) and if it sounds similar to something I’ve heard in the past on another vehicle, I’ll tell Casey or my son about it, and not necessarily in that order!
I’m beginning to dread the days when I have to go places because it wears me out on so many levels. I hope next week is one with very few errands so I can spend some time trying to heal my fatigue a bit. Maybe I’ll even take Sunday off, just for the fact that I can stay home.
So now I’m out of here for the night.
I hope you both of good evenings and that you sleep well.
See you tomorrow!
Sad state of the new normal and there may be few to no politician that gives a happy. Good luck if you call ....
Kitteh looks ready to take on crooked politicians and power mongers!
Good morning. I hope you slept well.
I didn’t want to get up when I did but I was forced to. So now, I need to get dressed and then go sort pills.
Not too bad, thanks for asking. Jake was out.
So no Jake-slobbers on your pillow, then? Excellent!
I was awakened by a phone call at 2000, but it was one I was glad to get, so I won’t complain too loudly!
I had to remind myself that 2000 is 8:00 p.m.
Pat and Frank had a good time at D&D. Frank asked if he could go next week, but we’ll be on the campout.
Sorry. My mind functions better on military time, but I’ll try to remember to use AM and PM in the future.
Now, after checking the emails and stuff, I really DO need to sort pills then fix the tea!
Not to worry: it’s a good brain exercise for me.
Done with the pills, now for the tea and an uplifting talk.
Be back in about 40 minutes!
Good morning. Happy Friday Eve.
Be careful, Friday Eve. Kitteh is coming for you.
Pat and I are going to pick up the Avalon from the mechanic.
There are days when you mention Pat and I have a flashback to those hugh green eyes that greeted me the first morning I was there, so long ago!
Happy Friday Eve to you as well!
I hope things are looking up for you in that alien world you’ve been thrust into with this new job.
Pat was off work the last three days, so he’s kind of on everyone’s mind. He’s working today, though.
James drove me to the library and back with no Check Engine issues or “We’re gonna DIIIEEEE!” events.
Tom returned with Vlad and reminded me about his rent, sigh. I can only assume that the universe is setting things up so that Tom owes me bigtime.
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