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 ...
The brain fog is gone today, but the bod still feels slow and heavy. Maybe that’s a clue!
DP has gone off for a race, although in this weather, already upper 80s and humid, it will be more like a jog. Frank is up. I’m going to sort laundry, and later, I have a phone call with Steve, my nature-spiritual director.
*tagline*
I got started on the bed, but now I have to go back. After I wash off my face. Looks like things will be done in stages today.
I got nine hours’ sleep last night, but feel beat up this morning.
About 30 minutes ago, I walked over to mail a letter and found the laundry room door wide open, the lights on and the swamp cooler going full tilt. And there are signs on the main door saying, “DON’T DO IT!,” so maybe he needs to send out a letter.
I need to get out of here.
Good luck with your call!
I hope you get the bed and face squared away. I’ll be back after a while.
The face is done, but I had to stop for a pill break, and now I’m going to polish my nails for tomorrow. The bed will wait for a bit. It’s not going anywhere.
So I’ll be here. ;o]
Rocky gave me the cutest little counted cross-stitch frog kit to play with. I don’t think she noticed the package had been cut, probably by the same person who cuts into my packages.
In this case, however, it cut the Aida cloth and some of the thread colors, so I need to find my Aida cloth stash and then try and order the colors. I don’t need much of any of them, but it’s disappointing any way you look at it.
Oops. Unless I learn Russian overnight, I won’t be trying to order colors. The best I can do would be to try and find similar colors. And I’ll need luck with that!
Ooops. Maybe the pieces of thread will be long enough even though they’ve been cut. You just have to thread the needle more times!
I had a nice talk with Steve. He said he thought my moth painting was in a science book! Kathleen has gone to the water park with her friends up the street, and Tom is taking the student drivers for adventures.
DP came back from his race saying it was hot, but reasonably enjoyable.
I’m thinking this could be a good time for my nap with Jake.
Well, once I get some Aida cloth I’ll worry about the thread. I mean, it’s a frog, after all...how many shades of green are there? ;o]
I just sent you a pic, but since you’re probably taking a nap with Jake, I’ll wait for a response!
Steve is right about the moth, of course!
I’m glad DP didn’t suffer from any heat-related problems.
There are a zillion shades of green! However, if you look at what’s on the chart and label the shades from lightest to darkest, you should be able to find DMC threads at Walmart that are close enough. Then you just make a new key using the numbers on the threat you bought.
It’s been so long since I bought any embroidery thread, I didn’t even know which brand Walmart sells, so thanks! I might just take the numbers and send them to my daughter and ask her to cut me off a yard of each. I can pay her for postage!
She does beautiful work, and has something for me, but needs a frame for it. I suspect it will never hang on my kitchen wall...
DMC is the main brand of embroidery thread. There are conversion charts online to give equivalent numbers for other brands. I told you about the Diamond Dotz craft Kathleen and I were doing earlier this year, didn’t I? You put little sparkly beads on an adhesive backing to make a picture.
They sell blank sheets now, and there’s a chart to convert DMC thread colors to the sparkly bits, so you can use cross-stitch patterns to make a Diamond Dotz picture.
I’ve seen those Diamond Dots kits, but they fit in with the needlepoint kits...I’ve been eyeing one on Amazon of a peacock to send to a sister, but I haven’t gotten it. Just drooling, but she would love it, I’m sure.
Janie has all the thread color conversion charts one could ever ask for.
Ooohhh...blank Diamond Dotz sheets and conversion charts for sparkly bits??? Be still my heart!
Diamond Dotz is very relaxing, in an obsessive-compulsive sort of way. I did a colorful butterfly, and Kathleen gave it to her friend’s mom.
With the blank sheets and conversion charts, one could easily make lots of little tchotchkes like Christmas ornaments.
Or coasters or trivets.
Or frog things. Lots of frog things! Frog coasters and frog trivets and yes, lots of things. I can do O/C relaxing. How hard can that be? ;o]
The only challenge is that they are tiny little bits.
Years ago, I found a magnifying glass that swivels on a hanger that fits around my neck. I was planning doing counted cross-stitch at the time, so it was a good idea. Only, I got sick, had to quit my job and now I use it occasionally for hand sewing. It’s packed, but I doubt if I would ever part with that thing!
So you’re all set! I’m okay so far with just my bifocals.
Off to church with some youth. I’ll see you tomorrow!
Yep, I’m on my way to La-La Land to work on Scriptures.
I hope you have a great night!
See ya tomorrow!
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