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 ...
Us, too, and cloudy. The humidity gives native Tennesseans gorgeous complexions. Having spent thirty years in the desert, I look like an animated raisin.
The Lawn Guy is here, stinking up my place with the gasoline fumes from his leaf blower.
Earlier, it smelled like someone had done their “business” under the A/C unit, but I can’t go out to see and then remove it until he leaves.
It’s a beautiful day here for a change with a high of maybe 90°.
I spent 30 years in the desert too, SG, and I want to go back to the heat, no matter what I look like! But I’ll be moving to AR soon, so I’ll get a refresher course on the years we lived in MO. Maybe I’ll be close enough to you to take a trip! Thoughts?
Not complaining; I could have it a lot worse. I'm not in pain except for a couple of months this year when I broke my leg in two places.
I understand more about that than you might think. I’ve been basically shut in for the last 30 years, myself, and have learned to schedule my days so that I don’t get overtired. It’s taken years to get to where I almost act normal. As for hostess and housekeeper, well, I do what I can do and if I can’t do it, I just sit and look at it.
I would love to meet you, and you can take that as a positive, no matter how you see your situation. But I certainly won’t push the issue. I’ll just let you know when I get moved. ;o]
In the meantime, hang in there. We’re not so different!
Actually, I see a ton of similarities between us. My only regret is that we weren’t able to meet the last time you were in TN. Maybe someday....
When I get to AR this time, I won’t be moving out of that state. However, my son and his wife go to Memphis about once a month, so I’ll let you know when I’ve made the move, and you can decide then if you want to meet up. We don’t have to do anything, and I promise I won’t inspect your place! We could even meet on the front porch if that would make you more comfy1 Anyway, I’ll let you know when I get there. And if you don’t want a visitor, I completely understand!
Sounds like a plan!
I have not mutated any deer, recently.
Honest.
Yes, this is a home week. And it seems nobody I know got the worst of it. I have no idea where it went when it made landfall.
I believe you.
It probably got reely askeert a you Noo Yawkahs and decided to die from lack of interest.
I’m glad!!
Because I was up early, and because I’m also fighting a kidney problem, I’m going to call this a day and go get parallel to the deck so I don’t fall down on something hard and hurt my cute little self.
See all y’all tomorrow!
Have a good night, folks!
A squee, a squee — my kingdom for a squeeee!
My girls just got a new one. The older cats have not conclusively registered their opinions.
Life is askew out here — it’s CA, whaddya ‘spect? But the weather is being sane this week — won’t top the mid-80’s today, and the smoke has died down.
Sweet dreams.
In that case it didn’t check in with Sandy. Sandy would have told it what complete pansies we are.
And here I was setting up turbine ram air misters to put coffee into the storm.
I’m always being asked about more pets, but we’re standing firm on these - two cats, two lizards - being the last.
That would have been fun. Perk everyone right up!
I hope you have a good night. I fell asleep with a cat, and then the youth insisted on a trip to the library.
Some other time, maybe.
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