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 ...
Willdo.
Interestingly, when my F-I-L is teaching the pre-licensing class he goes over the course objectives. These objectives are set by the state. But he makes a big deal of pointing out that one of the objectives is NOT reducing traffic deaths.
He goes to so much trouble to emphasize how dangerous a car can be it’s a wonder anyone leaves the room still intending to get a license.
However, he also repeats often, “Young people don’t know fear.”
Some young people seem to know fear, and then they get behind the wheel of a car and forget it.
I’m hoping that’s far enough away from me that I don’t interfere in their attempts to learn maneuvering.
I couldn’t figure out why my day has been so really strange and messed up, and then I realized it’s because of the prescription allergy pill I took this morning. I think if I had taken the generic one I would have been OK. But this thing was Godzilla. Unngh!
Not doing anything that requires fast reflexes the rest of the day.
There is a small package awaiting transport out of here and heading towards your place. She was occupied with someone worse off then me or I would have asked when it would arrive. I’m thinking Saturday at the latest.
(Even my thinking/writing connection is compromised...)
Your F-i-L is right — young people don’t know fear.
I also believe that it’s something one has to learn.
It will arrive when it does. Transport is mysterious!
Pat has driven Kathleen to Chick-fil-A to buy some lunch with a card she was given. He needed a reminder of what happened to the last young man who thought his computer game was a higher priority than being a family transportation asset.
Oh, my. I see he learned the error of his ways.
Yes, transport is mysterious, and never is it guaranteed, even when we’re told it is.
Sometimes, I wish there were more than one family transportation asset assigned to this residence...
They might be family transportation liabilities, if I ran the numbers.
The rain has stopped for now. Jake says it’s nearly naptime.
I went in and tried to sleep off the Stupids that were messing with me, but I don’t know if it worked, because if I slept, it was only about 10 minutes. It seems all I did was lie there and fidget about why I was so intent on the larger dose when I had both at hand.
Oh, well... on to the next project. Which is nothing, actually. ;o]
I was dreaming about hanging up clothes in the closet with my mother.
Strange dream...
How is Shannon today?
I need to find something for lunch. And oh, boy, do I wish this day was over with! I’ll never take another of those allergy pills again!
Shannon is moving around today, ignoring us when she’s not hating. Pretty normal.
That’s a relief! Probably for you, as well.
Is it still raining?
Interesting description.
It is raining again. It stops, and then it starts again.
The boys are going to have multicolored cake.
We’ve had rain on and off all day, too. Mrs. ArGee is out with the pup since nothing is falling at the moment.
Jake went out and sat in a puddle. Now he’s back in, washing his tush.
Once again, there is scattered rain to the west and south of us, and by tomorrow, we may see a “17% chance” of rain, but we need something closer to 100% for the next several weeks in order for it to make any difference.
Is that multicolored cake in honor of the boys getting their learner’s permits?
I’d love to stay up and celebrate, but my body is still giving me fits so I’m heading down the hall. This is not a good feeling!
See ya tomorrow!
I hope you have a good night. Yes, the multicolored cake is to celebrate the permits.
It didn’t stay dry long.
If it was long enough for the dog to go, that’s something.
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