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, I read that corgis were cattle dogs, but I think that was for the Highland breed — the small cattle, (compared to the Angus and the Hereford.)
Good morning. Happy Friday Eve!
Yep. Mini dogs for mini cows in small fields. Corgis are very intelligent, although you wouldn’t realize it watching the ones who couldn’t figure out which way to run.
Off to encourage the Youth to Arise. Sigh.
Happy Friday Eve!!
I hope your day goes well!
The youth have arisen, although I think some of them have fallen back down. I’m about to go find some muscle (such as it is on James and Vlad) to move some heavy stuff.
The pills have been sorted and breakfast is done.
I don’t have anyone to lift heavy stuff. Brian offers but he’s almost as creepy as Will. And vocal about it. So no thanks. I’ll do it myself. Some days, that’s a tall order. My muscles aren’t what they used to be.
Thank you. The day will certainly go. Well is good to hope for. I hope yours goes well as well.
The youth succeeded. If I don’t like the rearrangement, they can just move the stuff again!
I used to do that and called it “The Nesting Urge.” I have no idea what it’s called when males do it. ;o]
Expanding their territory.
Back from the Vlad Driving Adventure to the library. Not as scary as it could have been.
That's either an indication that his skills are improving, that you've had a sufficient amount of time to recover your chaperone equilibrium, or both. In either case, I'm glad to hear it!
There was a minor incident where I told him to stop, but he did not stop. Fortunately, it wasn’t an important stop. Tom had mentioned Vlad’s having a bit of an obedience problem. Overconfidence!
When it comes to learning how to drive, the learner MUST pay attention to whomever the chaperone is and do what they say. You, as an experienced driver, see hidden dangers, where a learner sees nothing more than their own egos. Which is why texting behind the wheel has killed so many teens.
</soap box
I wanted him to stop for a moment in front of the house while the mail delivery van moved on from near the corner, but he just slowed to a crawl. Dingbat.
To hear my wife tell it, it's called "Making things better that were fine to begin with."
Oh, see? That could have ended badly.
I just got off the phone with Charlie. He only calls when someone dies, and I always hate to see his name come up. This time is was someone I didn’t know that well, along with Crazy Frank. He was MIA for several weeks and finally, his public guardian began a search for him.
He was found out in the desert, dead. Charlie wasn’t sure where, but Frank used to “live” in the homeless camp out in the wetlands, so that’s probably where he was found. Poor ol’ guy.
In the meantime, folks were taking advantage of his absence and going into his apartment to take anything they wanted. I’m so glad I’m not there any more. But now I feel even worse for Charlie.
Yes. That. ;o]
From my F-I-L the professional driving instructor. "Don't just put your foot on the brake pedal. It doesn't work until you press it."
I ordered a new desk for my art and writing projects. Tom must have used his Amazon account here recently. Usually, I can put items in the basket, but then I have to text him to pay for them because there’s a password, but this time I didn’t.
When it comes (over the weekend), I’ll give the old typist desk from 1984 to one of the kids. Dang sturdy piece of furniture, that!
Sorry to hear about Crazy Frank. You had some interesting anecdotes about him. Poor Charlie.
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