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 ...
Glad to see that you are doing better!
It is great to get a vehicle with all of the records (and extra keys!)!!
I just finished making the bed because I washed the sheets this morning. There are seldom naps in this house, though I would probably benefit greatly from them.
:o[ on all of the seizures. I do hope she grows out of them.
I’ve been replacing my old addresses with my new address and it’s been a lot of fun! Although I had to take a break and contact the phone company.
My phone isn’t keeping a charge, and I thought maybe they could just refresh it and I could get on with my day. Nope.
They could send me a replacement while they check mine, but I have to send mine first. It’s still under warranty. That means no phone.
They could send me a replacement if I send them $100 deposit, to be refunded when they get mine. No payday for a week, yet.
Don’t forget, the warranty ends Wednesday, so act now!
They could refresh mine while I’m sitting here, but I need to let them know. Ninety minutes into the thing I said, thanks for the time you’ve spent trying to help me, but I’ll just struggle through until I get moved and get a new one. I think she must have been running both sides of the conversation through a translator program because it took forever for my message to her to be responded to.
I thought I had things to do today, but that 90+ minute chat was more than I could handle. I’ll just get a new phone AND a new number when I get to Dogpatch.
I will make an effort to get my nap in this afternoon. I skipped it for the past few days, and notice it soon after dinner... Zzzzzzzz
Ugh, dealing with phone issues can really try one’s patience.
I don’t know about the videos T-c watched on Ancient Egypt, but the ones I watched were archeologically and historically based. In some places it’s a little difficult to watch because of my claustrophobia, but I can close my eyes through the scary parts! ;o]
Yes, but in some cases, it has to be done, and this was one of them. The phone was purchased a year ago, so there is something wonky with it. I just don’t have the time to waste on waiting for the translator program to fill in the gaps.
Archaeology lectures ;-).
I’m going to nap now. Maybe Jake will turn up.
Sounds like a good idea to wait until after you move...
Is the battery removeable? If so, try removing and re-inserting it.
I find most archaeology lectures to be perfect napping material!
Nope. That used to be my go to, but now you need a key to re-set the darn things.
They just don’t want us to make the phone last longer. They want us to replace it with the newest model. Which I resist doing every time I’m faced with it.
I get enough archeology just going through my desk.
I think I would like to take some archeology classes. Some things just get better with age! ;o]
Enjoy your nap, and I hope Jake shows up and helps you to sleep!
My mom used to tell me she got her archeology washing behind my ears.
*tagline*
They keep finding new things or re-evaluating old finds. Plenty of new old stuff to learn!
Back from nap with Jake.
I can’t seem to get enough of the stuff, but I find reading about it very difficult. Watching the DVDs though — whole other deal!!
And now, I’m going to fold up my tent and disappear over the horizon. I hope I haven’t overdone it today. I got four boxes packed in addition to everything else. And! The bed is made! Yay!
Tomorrow I start making phone calls/emails to cancel things, and maybe I’ll get some stuff done in the bedroom after I get back from Walmart. ;o]
You are rolling right along!
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