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 ...
Yep, Abbie is a keeper, and while she seems to adore someone else, she’s also familiar with abuse, so it’s not going to happen on her watch.
Like I said: People think I’m stupid because I don’t say anything, but I think Abbie is going to prove quite the ally.
It’s OK. I’ll get through this. It’s just another boil in the armpit of the world.
Interesting metaphor!
Jake is having a whiny fuss because he knows there’s meat in the refrigerator. I’m on the verge of going to bed.
I’m going to go to bed, too, as soon as I can reconcile this thing in my journal. Maybe I’ll have a better take on it when I’ve had time to analyze it and distance myself.
Have a great sleep!
I’m just going to leave this right here...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5mdybeyLVc
Merry Christmas to all the Undeaders! May your day be jolly and bright! (As “they” say!)
‘Face
:o])
Amen
Good morning, Undeaders...
Something to start your Christmas Day off right:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE
Merry Christmas, all!
‘Face
That was pretty funny, Nully!
Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family are well and that your day is filled with love.
:o]
Truth.
What a sweet kitteh!
Good Christmas morning!
I hope you slept well.
I’m trying to decide what kind of day this will be and all I can come up with is “overcast.”
Not bad, thanks. Jake insisted I get up. Most of the household is not yet astir, including Drama Queen on the couch. The young adults and teenbros were playing “Cards Against Humanity” when the more sensible folks went to bed.
I think today is going to be a Slug Day, where nothing is done, even though I have a list as long as two pieces of string.
At least I have some music to listen to. I haven’t quite decided if I want to inject network TV into my life, and I’m thinking I’m much better off without it or I would have done it by now.
We need to leave for church in the 11:30 timeframe. While DP sets up his equipment for the Spanish Mass, the choir needs to practice with Don Manuel, our other guitarist, for tomorrow’s Mass. No rest for the musicos, but at least we’re all together, except anyone who is travelling. Last year it was just Asuncion and me and we missed all our girlfriends terribly.
Yeah, I know how that is, to miss girlfriends. Sharon is still in the hospital in SLC, and I keep meaning to send her a card, just to lift her spirits, but.
Maybe once “Project G-Ma Rolls” is actually rolling, I might be able to find something to do with my time besides sit by myself. Maybe I’ll even find a library! And get a real haircut! And shop at Walmart at 0600!
“All she wants for Christmas is to shop at Walmart at 0600 ;-).”
I don’t do well in crowds, so yes, that’s all I want for Christmas!!
Did you check you phone for the pic of my shirt?
Now I have. I forget about my phone. Tom would like that!
My phone says we have 59 fs, but it looks cold because it’s windy.
I always check my phone against the laptop for the weather. I’m not sure which one I don’t trust!
Anyway, you’re probably into Christmas Day things right now. I’m going to watch some more of “Inspector Morse” and see how the day goes from there. I’ve seen a couple of stars who later went on to bigger and better things, but not that many. It’s hard to believe John Thaw died at 60.
Hard living, the poor old fella. DP (accidentally, sigh) shook up the champagne, so we can’t have mimosas until after Mass.
Some people didn’t get presents yet because their “buyers” haven’t arrived. Bill will forget what day it is, so we sent him a reminder. “How has he survived this long?”
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