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 ...
Merry Christmas to you, too!
I’ll have something else that’s appropriate tomorrow, as well, so stay tuned!
;o]
Thanks! I’ll post something else tomorrow, as well, Delta!
beautiful...
Merriest of Christmases to you and yours
We’ve been Undead for 18 years, I think — 2004 was when we went to the End of the Internet!
My joints agree that I’ve been Undead about that long.
Choir practice is done. Now I’m kicking DP and Frank out of the house so I can wrap their presents.
Since I had very little wrapping paper, very little was wrapped. I had considered buying some at Walmart, but the Christmas aisles were jam-packed, and there is no way I was going to try and compete for that!
It’s OK though, because I had enough for the presents I bought earlier in the year and that’s all I really needed.
The wind is blowing so the chimes are singing to me. I really am glad I have them! I hear them more often here than Happy Valley, even though it was windier there. Location is everything, I guess!
Thank you, that was beautiful!
I wish you & family, and all of the undead here, a Wonderful and Safe Christmas!
You’re most welcome! And the same wishes to you and yours as well!
:o])
Yay! We can vote now... ;-)
Merry Christmas Eve... Blessed 4th day of Yule, etc...
LOL! Good to see you DC!
Merry Christmas Eve to you as well!
I’ll be going over to my grandson’s in a bit so I’ll be closing down, but I’ll be back this evening. Later!
Later Face... We’re heading out to my Parents in a bit as well. Probably won’t be back on again until tomorrow.
“... and to all a good night...”
Ho ho ho... :-)
I hope you have a nice time at your grandson’s. Smile at everyone and say, “Oh, that’s nice!”
I gritted my teeth until it was time for the photo and then the maneuvering got to me. I hope I didn’t ruin everyone’s Christmas. I did manage to ignore the worst of it all.
I didn’t get an invitation to Christmas dinner, so I’m guessing this was it.
It’s OK. I got a shirt (a size too small so I’ll lose more weight!) and a clock and some candy, the latter of which I didn’t need. The clock will go in here when the rug is down and the bookcases are where they should be.
Yeah, it’s that time of year! I hope it was an enjoyable time and that your dad doesn’t tire himself out too much!
Give my regards to your family, please!
A very Blessed Christmas to y’all!
Oh, dear. That sounds very stressful. If you were, you could drink some wine and play a game or watch the teenbros play video games.
I got through it, so it’s nothing big. I was surprised when sweet little Abbie came to my defense in a manner of speaking.
Someone kept talking about “death” and “dying” and after the third time, Abbie said it was too gloomy and to stop. I just did a mental fist pump.
From “MAD” magazine of a bazillion years ago: Time wounds all heels. Yeah. Like that.
Great tagline!
Merry Christmas to you, SG. You’re in my heart and on my mind. Please be good to you!
It would be nice to be there! Playing games is always good! (Unless they are mind games.)
But having Christmas elsewhere would be a good thing, I think! At least I didn’t get angry and make a fool of myself! ;o]
Glad to hear it. And good for Abbie!
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