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)
==================================================================
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’ll try to think about that! ;o]
Everyone is napping besides me. I’m trying to get things done on the laptop. I want very much for this day to be over with.
I had a lie down for a little while, but now I’m back. Tom and Sally are singing. This is not a positive development.
Oh dear. Wanna trade?
I tried to get my utilities turned on but after seven tries, I gave up.
I tried to set up the ISP and got it almost done and decided to wait. The page will probably time out before I get back to it, but I’m not feeling on top of my game, so I don’t want to do anything right now.
The ISP company isn’t asking for a deposit, but the power company is. I would have hit the button for that, but they gave me two addresses to choose from and wouldn’t let me select either one.
What fun! :o]
Why does everything have to be so difficult?
It’s coming together, a little at a time.
All things considered, it’s been a productive day.
Now I’ll make one more attempt at the utility company!
Hey! We wuz sleepin in here!
Well, we wuz tryna sleep, anyway!
Good morning.
Did you sleep well? I slept OK for about four hours then woke up, then another hour, then woke up for two hours and finally gave it up as a bad job. I kept thinking about yesterday. I won’t let it happen again.
I’ve had my shower and am almost ready for the day. I’m waiting for my hair to dry a little more, and then I’ll comb it and put on the rest of my makeup and be ready for the day. I hope!
It would seem that I’m not drinking enough water, and I know the cause for that. I need to change it.
Good morning! I slept okay, thanks. I got up about 5:30, opened the door for cats, took a pill for my headache, and went back to bed.
Funny dreams, but not as clear as “Viggo Mortensen was wearing a cream-colored, cable-knit sweater.” I’ll have to contemplate what my subconscious was chewing on, see if there’s anything useful.
Frank’s hosts should drop him off any minute. I need to put together song pages based on our practice yesterday, so they can be handed out to all.
I suspect, when I finally get situated, I’ll sleep through the night, at least one night a week.
I dreamed, but I can’t tell you about what. I think I recall a song, but I don’t know which one. It didn’t want to leave.
Viggo Mortensen in a cream-colored cable-knit sweater isn’t a bad thing!
Hopefully, Frank had an enjoyable time at the host’s place.
Was disappointed the last time I went in... was looking for an Equate brand of a antihistamine type lotion that worked great for insect bites of all types... bottle had run out...
Spent at least 20 minutes walking back and forth through the HBA department aisles... so much seemed chaotic and out of order... like random placement of products... never found the product I was looking for...
“Fierce Warrior!”
Definitely!
I’m hip deep in song pages and trying to ignore them.
Back from church. Lunch is over, and I wish it were Monday.
I got displaced again. How much fun am I having? I can’t even begin to tell.
Tomorrow is Monday. It sounds as though you’re running out of places.
I had a lie-down. The right side of my head is stuffy from allergies.
Yep. There’s only one place to go and that’s the VW room and I suspect that will happen fast.
I’m sorry your allergies are bothering you. I hope you feel better soon!
Thank you. I had a garlic clove. That’s good for clearing up the head.
Jake has what seems to be an infected bite near his tail. I’ll call the vet first thing in the morning. Meanwhile, I surprised him with a few spritzes of Bactine.
LOL! Would that fall into the “Scalded Cat” category?
The Other folks have gone to take a nap at nearly suppertime, so I’ve been ignored since the piano fortissimo, which happened almost four hours ago. I’m getting cold chills now, and have had a hard time catching my breath the last two days.
I have GOT to hang in there until Saturday, so I can get myself moved in! I don’t know how to do that. The symptoms of a relapse are piling up fast.
Jake tried licking off the Bactine, but he didn’t like it.
I’ll be praying for you! All you can do is keep going until your apartment is ready, but I have an idea about how hard it is for you.
Thanks! I’m going to get ready for bed, but I’ll see you in the morning. Take care of you and sleep well!
Thank you, I hope you have a good night, and we will stumble through tomorrow when it comes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.