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 ...
Yay, me! I got a lot done, lots of things mostly put away, or put close to where they need to be, schlepped lots of book boxes onto the shelves of one bookcase and will take a break for a few minutes, then schlep some more to the other one.
Right now I’m focusing on clearing space, as that seems to be the most important. I have to move the desk, move the TV to the other side of the room and move the file cabinet next to the desk so I can put the printer on it and put the files back in the drawers.
That will free up two plastic file bins that can be donated to someone who needs them. It’s looking good, but I think I’ll have to try and find another storage solution for some kitchen items. I had planned on using a small bookcase (it was perfect for the job) but it didn’t survive the 1600 mile trip. Maybe Walmart has one for not a lot of money.
I found the Roku, the Fire Stick and some DVDs so I’ll be able to cancel Netflix, since I don’t want to pay what they want me to.
I’ll give it another try in a few minutes and after that, I’m done for the day. Tomorrow will be just as busy as today, and maybe I’ll even be at my desk to chat with all y’all.
FS called last night and said he would come by today and put my office chair together so that’s excellent! He also taking me to Walgreen’s to get a prescription.
So, this is me, getting busy!
Yes, books do make the move more difficult, but this is my last move, and I’ve decided that if a book is not going to be read or referred to in the future, I’ll read it and donate it rather that devote more space to something that will have to be given away in the future, anyway.
I’m making progress, and that’s all I care about!
You are doing excellently and I feel like a total slug. Kathleen’s riding lesson this afternoon has been called off, so I can spend the time getting more camping stuff ready for tomorrow, and I won’t need another shower.
I’m done for the day.
I found Things but have to make more room in order to put them away. At the moment, my desk is in it’s almost last position, awaiting the rearranging of a few other boxes, but in order to make the boxes disappear, I have to get the boxes that are already broken down out of here.
Sorry about the riding less for Kathleen, but glad for you. Things happen the way they should!
For some reason, I feel slightly beat up! I’ll write to Charlie in the morning and then get after stuff again! It’s break-time for Bonza!
Enjoy your break! Congratulations again on all you’ve gotten done.
w00t!
Thanks! I’m done for the day, now. The pain began to be far too noticeable for me to continue. So I’m just going to be a slug for the rest of the day.
The manager is supposed to bring my extra keys to me by 5:30, and I have to give them to FS. He may or may not still be here by then.
I did get a lot accomplished! I’m proud of me! But dang, it’s been tough! Some boxes I just had to leave unopened and stacked somewhere out of the way, and others are in front of the places the contents need to be placed, and others, I haven’t gotten to, yet. But tomorrow is another day!
Thanks! :o])
Frankly, my dear,
Oh, wait, that would be in the wrong order.
Think how long it took you to pack, compared to how long you’ve had to unpack!
I’ve been getting out camping gear. In a few minutes, I’ll take James to Walmart to get some stuff.
The difference between the packing and the unpacking is the depression that set in when I was faced by the enormity of the job, and not knowing when I would be moving, exactly.
Getting it unpacked is now an absolute necessity and I’m under time constraints, trying to get it done before CFIDS rears it’s ugly head too much and puts me down for the count. The stresses during the entirety of this move are like none I’ve encountered in any move I can recall. the move itself was bad but the stresses of the last three weeks were monstrous.
So I’m trying to get it mostly done before the relapse comes in earnest. Another day like today and I should have most of it done. At least getting things out of the way for when the sofa-bed comes. The mattress and box spring haven’t been ordered yet, but the rails for the bed are on the way and may be here tomorrow.
At that point. I can gauge if I’ll have room for flat storage bins, and if so, I’ll get them ordered so I can get winter clothes and some seasonal things out of sight.
(One thing is sure — I need to order a wireless doorbell!)
You’re funnier than I expected!
Any news on your religious “refusal?” I hope they allow it.
“You’re funnier than I expected!”
Is that praising with faint damns or damning with faint praise.?
Neither or both. I was too tired to write the rest of the thought, which was, “You could fit in easily with my sister and I because we often talked in movie dialog.”
Some things don’t translate well to the Etherwebs.
Kitteh says, “Dis mus’ be Fryday. I iz tard.”
Good morning. Did you sleep well?
I woke up stiff and sore from so much exercise, yesterday. I don’t know if I’ll be able to do much more than try to put a few things away today, because there just isn’t that much energy left in me.
The space heater is in the bathroom so I can shower in a warm room. I hate the cold! It is a frigid 31° out this morning. Because of the ozone machine, I’ve had to leave the windows open, but I’m not a happy person about it. I just shut one because I ran the machine for about four hours last night and the odor is almost gone.
I’ll start my letter to Charlie in a few minutes, but I can’t find the box with the desk contents, so I have no envelopes. I’ve sent a message to FS, but it will be at least an hour before he’s up. That’s OK. I may feel better by the time he gets here.
For the moment NYC has decided that consultants like me can continue with the weekly ceremony of shoving a swab up my nose. So I’m still employed.
Happy Friday, everyone. We have made it through another week.
We had 27 fs when I walked the dog this morning. She may have done her business a little quicker than normal because of it.
Good morning, my dears. Happy Friday! I’m glad you still have a job, ArGee.
It’s pretty cold in my house this morning. We had only minor cat disturbances last night. I wonder what animal friends we’ll find on the campout this weekend?
Here's a bonus kitten! I'm going on a campout this weekend with limited teknolijies. Morning Kitteh service will resume Monday, November 8.
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