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 sounds like a good time was had by all, even Frank! LOL!
I hadn’t realized how much weight I had lost this last year, and as a result, one of my favorite winter church outfits is no longer chic and stylish but baggy and forlorn-looking. So I had to make a complete change of clothing which was a little rough, since I still haven’t found all my church clothes.
I was thinking today was my appointment with the bishop, but it would seem it’s next week. Anyway, he told me to take two time slots and today, someone had written over the top one, even though I had printed my name LARGE across two of them (20 minutes each) and PW tells all and sundry that it’s OK and that they (FS and PW) will have the one just after me for their visit. She didn’t bother to tell me so I made a fool of myself protesting the name that was arbitrarily scrawled in over mine.
It was only as we were leaving that she bothered to explain it to me and apologized for “not telling” me when it was taking place. Wrong answer. Before she made any changes or told anyone “it’s OK” to make those changes to what I had written, she should have discussed it with me first.
And of course, I got home and opened the door to cigarette smoke. Now, I have a headache, and I’m trying to ignore it. I just don’t even know how to tell her that she needs to discuss these things with me before making decisions FOR me.
FS was going to take me to Walgreen’s but I know he likes his Sunday naps, so I told him to go home and I’ll walk over tomorrow morning. I’ll stop at Kroger on the way home and get some Swiss cheese for my sandwiches.
I have four more boxes to break down and was able to donate six storage tubs to a gal at church, so I have a little more room to maneuver.
With luck, I’ll get the printer set up tomorrow and be able to get a letter written. I actually found my envelopes!
The Roku is set up and I was going to set up the DVD player, but tomorrow is wash day and I figure the printer is more important than the DVD player is.
All of this is just minor, I know, but how much stress does a move have to have before I yell, “STOP!” I really don’t want to be ugly.
"I would appreciate it if you would not make or change plans for me. If you want to discuss the possibility of a decision or change, I will be be glad to do that, and then I will decide what works best for me."
Thanks! They both need to know that.
Sometimes you need to be completely direct with people.
Well, drat. The Outer Banks Marathon was called off due to weather, so the runners are home a day early. There goes my 8:00 p.m. bedtime and nobody else in the bed but a cat.
Oh, well.
They are both touchy. Being direct causes hard feelings. But THEY can be direct with me and think nothing of it.
I know it was my choice to move here, but I didn’t expect to receive so much flak from such simple statements and comments, much less, actions.
I’ll see how this week turns out and if things are the same next week, after we see the bishop in our respective time slots, I’ll “request” that they allow me the dignity to make my own decisions, right, wrong or indifferent.
It’s the least they can do, no matter what they think about it.
Welldarn.
That would have been the perfect end to the day, for sure!
And I was going to relax tomorrow and paint leaves. *sigh*
You can let them push you around, or you can stand up for yourself and accept that they might have a tantrum. It’s the same old thing over and over again, isn’t it?
Yep. I prefer to let them have a tantrum. Or more than one. I didn’t come here to be bullied.
So I’ll spend this week being quiet and doing quiet things and see what kind of fireworks I can light on Sunday.
;o])
Maybe you’ll still have time tomorrow to pain leaves and relax a little.
Looks like we both might have to assert ourselves...
I was looking forward to Plan A, and now I have to accept Plan B. I’ll try not to be cranky.
Also, many young children now believe Sally is a witch. If it keeps them from tossing a football into our tent, it’s all good.
Plan B isn’t always our first choice (or it wouldn’t be “Plan B”!) but sometimes, it ends up being our first choice because someone else has sabotaged us.
Sometimes, also, we can’t help but be cranky when we’re left with Plan B.
LOL! There’s no telling what kind of hex Sally could put on children who toss footballs into your tent, so I would think that “many young children” may give it a wide berth in the future!
Now, I believe I’m going to go get parallel to the deck and see if I can get myself back on some sort of schedule, beginning tomorrow.
Laundry day, for starters!
I hope you have a good night and are able to sleep well.
You, too!
Every day is laundry day here.
Kitteh sez, “Don’t do laundry fings. Sleep like dis.”
And I did. I woke up at 0200 and shut off the alarm and got up at 0600 and I’m glad. I can wash clothes tomorrow!
I hope you were able to sleep well, in spite of the plan changes.
I’m going to put together my office chair and my under-sink rack, make some rearrangements and in here and go to Walgreen’s to get my prescriptions. If any unpacking goes on it will be a bonus but I need to get things placed in their final order so I know how much space I’m working with.
;o]
Good morning. Happy Monday!
We were again at 30 fs when I put the dog out this morning. It hasn’t warmed up at all since then.
Cold is not the best way to start EST.
Cold is not the best way to start CST, either and it is still 34°.
Good happy Monday to you!
An entire week of November has slipped past me while my head has been in boxes. (....Waiting for the joke about that....)
;o]
I slept okay, but gosh, I wish Plan A had eventuated. Oh, well.
Vlad and I are going to Walmart in a few minutes. We’re out of cat sand.
It looks like it will be a nice day here, and I hope you all have one, too!
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