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 ...
Awww... squeeful floofs!
Good morning. Did you have a good night?
I went to bed with a slightly sore throat and woke up with a sorer throat. It’s not going to stop me. I’ve got things to do and no one to do them but me, so unless I develop a fever, I’ll make some progress this morning.
I’m SO glad I got the license plate frame off, cleaned out the cargo hold and put the seat back up! The young new owner is excited to take it to the car wash down the street and clean it up. I’m so happy he’s going to get it and not someone else.
Now, I’m going to go take a shower and see how much better I feel. I’ll also check what’s left in the pantry to see if I have some throat spray. If not, I’ll nip up to Lin’s and get some.
Good morning. Purebred Norwegian Forest Cats. They are better than we are.
Sorry about your sore throat! I had a fairly good night. I ignored a cat-dispute around 4:00 a.m. and slept another hour.
It is still raining on and off, hot and humid.
Sorry about the cold. Glad its not worse.
Good morning, all. Happy Humph Day!
There’s something over this way, or is it over that way? I guess there’s something worth looking at over every way.
They are such beautiful cats! I love their long thick coats, but I don’t know that they would be much fun to care for. Unless I was an old lady with nothing to do but dote on cats...
Good on ya, for a good night! According to Fitbit, I got 9 hours and 9 minutes. The actual stats aren’t up yet, so I don’t know how much deep or REM sleep I got, but I don’t feel too badly at the moment. Just the throat.
When I get back from Lin’s I’ll go work in the bedroom and get the closet cleaned out, mostly. Then, when the sun is over the yardarm, I’ll tackle what’s left in the pantry. then the desk!
With each closed, taped and labeled container, the excitement increases.
Happy Hmpf Day to you, ArGee!
Chilly here, but at least the wind is light.
Back from Walmart. The rain has stopped, for now. Next thing is the dentist with Frank and Kathleen.
When I’m really old like my mom, living in The Home, I can be a cat-sitter and dote on other people’s cats, at intervals, rather than having my own.
My trip to Lin’s wore me out, but then, I think it was probably the sore throat thing. So I’m resting a bit, then I’ll get up and work in the bedroom, and see how I feel after that. I will do as much as I can do today, and then again, tomorrow.
But I will get it done!
Several months ago, I bought some Pellegrino sparkling water and stuck a few bottles in the fridge. I grabbed one when I got back from Lin’s, and the drink sure feels good on my throat!
I want to do that, but as long as I have the DiL I have, cats are out of the question. It would appear, though, that I’m not the kind of person who can live forever with no pets. Dogs are normally too high-maintenance, and that leaves me with one other option: Birds.
I’m taking the flight cage for sure, but the type of bird will have to wait until I see what’s available. Not sure if I want parakeets again, but I am thinking of something larger, like a Conure. I have plenty of time to research, for sure.
It is really nice when you can sell a vehicle to a new owner that will really appreciate it!
Beautiful first day of Fall here in Central Texas, woke up to 60 dry degrees outside!
You couldn’t go over to someone else’s apartment to nurture their cat? I’ll bet your daughter-in-law’s allergies wouldn’t be set off if she didn’t know!
Hanging out in the van while Frank’s at the dentist. Then I’ll hang out in the van while Kathleen is at the dentist.
I’m sure she just doesn’t like cats, so I would have no problem with someone else’s cat, but I don’t make friends easily, for reasons I’ve mentioned before. Birds are great company.
I just got another box packed, but before I could put it with others, I had to do some shifting and hefting in the kitchen. The next project in there will be moving the microwave to the counter and getting the cart set on its wobbly way outside for Brian.
I feel worn out, but I need to do a few more things, and one of those is to sort out the large crates and rearrange them so that I have a stackable neatness. I’ll get to it in a bit.
I need to call the pain clinic.
I’m sure there’s a Monty Python skit out there somewhere where the Pain Clinic gives you pain. Maybe it’s filled with rambunctious children or something.
Yes, well, there are times when I go to the Pain Clinic, and have gotten large doses of pain. Like listening to other patients yell at the clinic techs because the patient doesn’t realize s/he is hard of hearing.
And then there is the occasional younger (late 40’s) woman who insists on wearing too much jewelry, spray-on clothes and heavy perfume.
Those are the days I really know I’m at the pain clinic.
At least some people are having a productive day.
Frank and Kathleen have clean teeth.
One more box packed, and another started, with one of the large crates re-organized. Well, actually two of them, with one more to go.
The pain clinic called so the doctor is alert for my visit. The last one here. Now I need to find a new one in AR, and the first week is going to be busy with phone calls in addition to unpacking. Unngh.
Whose idea was this to move, by the way? ;o]
Good for Frank and Kathleen! Clean teeth are nice to have!
Things are not looking good here. The throat is not getting better, but I can’t stop.
Yes, he seems a nice young man. I met him at the library while he was there to do a job, and he asked me about the Tracker. I told him I was moving out of state and that I wasn’t going to take it with me. Since he expressed intense interest in it, I took his phone number.
It’s been here, on my desk, ever since and I’ve been getting ready to call him to let him know it was almost time for me to leave and was he still interested?
He was in the library and the rest is history. He’s so excited, and he knows the mechanic who has done all the work on it since I’ve been here.
So yes, he will appreciate it! :o])
You could stop. Have you tried a lozenge?
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