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 ...
It’s just temporary. It’ll be okay. Before you know it, relatively speaking, you’ll be in your new apartment and getting a new car, and it will all be fine.
He’s on his way so I’ll shut down for tonight.
Sleep well! See ya tomorrow!
You go, Mom! Laissez les bon temps roulez!
Unngh.
It’s 54° and by the time my favorite Kevin shows up it will be 48°. I don’t know what he’s got in the way of a jacket. Probably nothing, if I know him.
I re-set the alarm for 0430 but woke up a little after 0400, again, and even though it was 8:30 when I finally went to bed, I got up. I’m going to go take my shower and see what I can do in the way of packing my suitcase.
I just want this to be over with.
Thanks.
I wasn’t impressed with the food last night, but as usual, I was impressed with Kevin’s sense of humor.
I realized, sometime during our dinner conversation, that over my time here, I’ve begun talking with my hands. What an embarrassing revelation!
*tagline*
Good morning. I’m glad you dinner went well. Many people talk with their hands. Don’t feel bad about it!
Jake really wanted me to get up at 5:00, but I didn’t. Eventually, I kicked him out of the room!
I am so very close to grabbing the space heater and turning it on! LOL! The heated bathroom felt so good! I was warm.
As for talking with the hands, its probably because I just noticed it that it bothers me. Janie has always done it, but I don’t like doing it, so I’ll try to tone it down a bit. On some people, it “looks good.”
That must be Jake when you kicked him out! LOL!
Good morning. Did you sleep well?
Bunk it. I’m grabbing the heater. I can’t function in this cold!
Like James when I told him he had to get up this morning. Slug-brothers.
I had annoying dreams during the intervals between cat-disruptions.
I had annoying awakenings in between trying to get the important things taken care of. Like Deep and REM sleep things.
But I’m OK. If I can get through this morning, I’ve got this entire thing handled.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been this tired, and it means I need to be more careful of the stresses I put on my body and mind between now and the time I actually open the door to my apartment in Cabot.
And someone else can make my bed for me!
Sounds like a plan. You should be very, very careful!
I sat in the front yard for a while, but now I need to take a shower and get ready for church.
Home from church, and I’m taking my pills early, then will get off my duff and head for the work area and see what can be accomplished.
Looks like I’ll have lots of things to write about! Sharon didn’t even say goodbye, but maybe she’ll be here in the morning. Haha.
It would have been nice to sit in the yard for a while, but that doesn’t finish up the packing. Just having my “pill snack” and will get up and build a box. I have three very large Space Bags and I think those are going to be handier than I ever thought they would be!
Home from church, and I’m thinking of sitting out in the yard again. Shannon will probably join me. I could go to sleep, but it’s almost 3:00 p.m., and the teenbros have to be taken to church at 4:00.
Good morning. Happy Monday! It’s Columbus Day and a holiday for me, but I am doing some work for a friend so I’ll be in and out.
Good morning on this Indig day..Celebrate indignation all around all...kind of like the Steinfeld show Festivus, a listing of grievances
That’s my participatory rant and I’m sticking to it.
;>)
It’s too dark to really tell, but I think we got snow last night. I suppose it could be a VERY heavy frost.
So much for hopes of getting anything out of the garden this year.
Good Morning, and Happy Columbus Day to All!!
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