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 ...
Shock. It does that. One day, it won’t.
In NYC if the world went mad they might turn their heads and look as they race from place to place. No time. Too much to do. I’ll check it out on Twitter later.
I’m glad the stitches are finally coming out. They must have been irritating. But I can’t help but wonder why the dissolving suture thread wasn’t used.
That sounds like Vegas. But then, for about 20 years, we had an influx of New Yorkers, so they brought it with them. RUDE bunch of people I had to deal with. GAH!
They did two sets of stitches: dissolving ones on the “inside” and thread ones at the surface.
I’m glad I don’t live in New York.
Ah. That makes sense, then. Thanks for ‘splainin’ to me.
You’re welcome. I suppose I’ll have a scar, but nobody sees my back, anyway.
Reminding me of that hysetrical scene from the movie “Hitch” where Kevin James is getting his back waxed. It starts with him asking Will Smith, “Is this absolutely necessary?” and Smith replies, “Have you SEEN your back?”
I used to have a nice back, but not any more! Time has caught up with it.
Now I have to get ready to go to my appointment. I’ll be back when I can be.
(I need something sharp to scrape the snail off the sidewalk.)
Good luck!
One reason people have clothes is so as not to see backs.
This is true!
But also so as not to see fronts.
Or middles.
I just watched a film on Neanderthals, and Anthony Serkis was in it as an “advisor.” He has just finished reading The Trilogy for release, and I would love to have it! (I forget how long he said it took!)
Anyway, they used the same system he wore as Gollum to show what a Neanderthal would be built like. Act like. Run, hunt, etc. Pretty interesting!
How interesting!
Back from getting my stitches out. The nurse set it healed perfectly.
Excellent job on the healing!! The fact that it didn’t seem to bother you much was actually good news, so I wasn’t expecting anything dire. ;o]
Thank you for gorgeous kitteh.
G’daft, y’all. Whatta week. Why do appliances commit suicide in groups? This week it was the microwave but it’s all good because the new one was only $55, and its operation is very intuitive.
Has anyone heard from Bob? Seems like ages.
I think it’s been about two years or more since I’ve seen Bob on here. He’s usually at Darwin Central, but I haven’t even been there to check in forever!
Microwaves are fairly inexpensive, these days, and so much more user friendly!
How are you feeling these days?
He’s been here, just not necessarily on the UT, and he’s not posting to me, for whatever that’s worth. I miss him. For whatever THAT’s worth! ;o]
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