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 ...
I always thought that it was Toosday.... silly me...
Sticky mess in the car, though, especially with kids.
Unngh.
I had to say goodbye to my favorite Walmartian and I was OK until her eyes started to water up.
But. The perfect cooler I found on Saturday when I was price-shopping wasn’t there when I went to get it this morning. The ones they had were either too large or too small. So I went with Too Large.
Then I went to electronics find a new phone because this one won’t do what I want it to — keep a charge. I’m there at 0630 and no one is around. There was a page, but no one came.
One of the professional shoppers came by and asked if I needed help and when I said yes, she locked the wheels on her cart and went to find someone. I’m finally out of the place about the same time I’m starting to put groceries away at home.
I’m on my feet for 45 minutes, which is about the very last strand of my endurance, and the fun wasn’t over with. I had put the back seat up again, so the buyer could see what that it looked like a real vehicle, and about all that would fit in the “cargo” space then was water. Which was OK.
I would just put the cooler in the back seat, since I had groceries in the front. Surprise. The cooler wouldn’t go over the top of the back seat, so I pulled the driver’s seat forward and flipped it down and the cooler wouldn’t fit through the space.
So I had to lift up the seat back and lay it down so I’d have massive cargo space once more.
Way too much excitement for today!!
Still worth it!!
*whew*
One medium box done and two containers partially filled (will be filled as the week goes by) and I’m feeling stressed.
I’ll get back to the job at hand in just a minute. Meanwhile, I need a break.
Very busy! I had a Driving Adventure with Vlad to Walmart for a few things and Petsmart for crickets.
Double *whew*
Two more boxes (or is it three) done, and I’m done, too! I even worked up a sweat this time! BUT! The storage closet is done, the pantry is almost done (two shelves left) and I have to fall back and re-group. Oh. And the bathroom is almost done as well! Not bad for a couple of hours of work.
I found my little video camera and thought how cool it would be to use it on the trip, but I can’t find the instruction booklet. I usually keep all of that kind of stuff together, but for some reason the thing has gone walkabout. I ran across it not too long ago, and should have set it aside.
Ohwell. I found a YouTube clip on how to operate it, so I’m good. The little tripod is in the bag with it, so that’s good, too! I just can’t figure out how to get the SIM card out of it. Someone with more savvy than I can figure it out when the time comes.
Golly. I was so focused on what I had been doing that I very rudely ignored your comment! My apologies!
Has Vlad’s driving improved? I guess the most important thing is, are you becoming a little less apprehensive when the Teenbros are driving? And one last question - is Tom able to still help with some of it?
I started shortening the old “Happy Monday Part Two” greeting some time back.
We went through a few variation, Son of Monday, Monday Rises, etc. Then I got lazy.
Back in the day there were “cars” and there were “trucks”.
These options are just way too complicated.
Sounds exciting, and we all sometimes miss a comment. It’s part of the blur of life.
Vlad is doing okay. He didn’t scare me very much this time!
OK, I’m going to pack one more small box and then call it a done job for this day. Tomorrow, I have the appointment at the pain clinic at 0830, so that will give me plenty of time to come home and pack up the odds and ends that are driving me to distraction.
I have to pack a crate with stuff that is a must for the cab of the truck, so I’m hoping there’s room for that and for the cooler. And I hope the guy isn’t too surly when we show up to get the truck!
I do worry about the Teenbros and their driving adventures because you’ve gone through it with so many of them. It’s been like “overkill” this time, with two of them.
I don’t like missing comments, because it’s like going to the store with my list in my hand, reading the list for an item, being in the right area with similar items and not being able to find the specific item. I’m standing in front of it, reading the list but not able to match up what I’ve written with what’s printed on the label. It’s embarrassing. I do it too often.
I got a letter from you today!! Yay!
Tomorrow will be another packing day, and Thursday, I’ll finish up on some phone calls, and get the new phone into service, then see what’s left to do for Friday and Saturday.
It will be a relief to have it all done! Ohyes. Thursday, I say goodbye to the Tracker, and Friday I go to the library for the last time. Two more bittersweet moments.
I know you will miss the Tracker and the library, but there will a library in the new place, and you’ll get a new vehicle.
Tom the Son has turned up. I think he’s taken a lawn chair from the garage and gone to sit on the lawn with cats.
The only thing scarier than Driving Adventures with the teenbros is the thought of them with driver’s licenses! I’ll be sure to warn the public.
Yes, a new-to-me vehicle, but probably one that has no sentimental value, as the Tracker always will have. But it’s gotten me where I wanted to go and back again, even for all the repairs that have had to be done, but it was a fun vehicle.
Yes, there will be a library where I move to, but I may not use it as much as I did this one, for the simple fact that family will be close by. I keep talking about FS and his wife, but James and Abbie live close by and so does Sam, so I’m sure I’ll have a lot more visitors than I’ve had here.
It will be a good move, in every aspect. I’ll be sad to leave here, but it just means I’m saying goodbye to another chapter of my life and starting a new one. I’m looking forward to it!
Hi, Tom, the cat whisperer!
It’s always scary when kids do things on their own during the growing up process. My kids have kids and my daughter has grandkids, but they’re all still kids. ;o] I’m the Mom With Time In Grade!
But the important thing is that you survived it!
Far better than going crazy!
Thanks!
That’s because I’m a survivor. Always have been, always will be!
It’s not in my nature to give up. ;o]
I’m working on my life’s story, but I need to get where I’m going before I can finish it!
Life certainly is a journey!
Truth!
Another day down, and lots of things got accomplished, and I’m beginning to feel the release of the pressure of the last 12 hours, so I’m going to call it a day, no matter what it looks like.
All of you, have a pleasant evening and a good night, and I’ll talk with all y’all tomorrow!
*tagline*
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