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 ...
Just don’t give him the candy. Sorry about the earring. I lost one recently, too. It’s the stupid masks.
Masks aren’t required here.
I was playing with a puppy on the floor years ago and it’s sharp little tooth caught my earlobe in the piercing and tore it a bit. I didn’t think too much about it but a few years later, I realized that it hadn’t healed right. (I seldom wore earrings, except just often enough to keep the holes open.)
Now, if the earring isn’t somewhat heavy, it will slip out, so I began wearing those little plastic backs on the earring in that ear, just to keep the end from slipping through. I didn’t do that today. My own fault.
It’s just another reason to wear dangly earrings! More weight!
He usually carries grape ice breakers, which are sugar-free, so he uses them a lot. He always has some in his pocket or whatever vehicle he’s driving.
I had never had them until I got here, because I only do mints occasionally. I used to buy Eight O’Clock Mints when I could find them, but I haven’t seen any for quite a few years.
Back from nap. Jake is still doing his.
I’ve been watching a series on Auschwitz, and though I’ve read about the extermination camps before, the chronology of the camps and entrance/exit of the villains was very confusing and quite overwhelming.
This is very well done. (By the Brits, of course.)
The soprano doing the solo is my 5th cousin twice-removed. She is often featured in holiday services.
I read a book for a while and tidied up after Sally went home. She’s improved a lot, but she hasn’t formed the habit of picking up after herself, yet.
I think I’ll get my pajamas on to encourage myself to go to bed at an early hour. I don’t know why I’m so tired. Maybe we all had Covid again instead of a regular cold.
I can completely understand you wanting to go to bed!
I’ll be up for a while because sleep is hard to come by. Especially on days like today — foggy, though not too cold, with more gray days predicted for the rest of the week.
Since tomorrow is laundry day, I’ll be up early, but one day this week, I’ll go with FS to pick up the current parts for the vehicle, and maybe another day this week, I’ll get it insured, and partially registered and get a new DL.
It’s a good thing pay day is coming because I’ll need it, I think. There will still be a battery to buy, but FS knows where to get those, but of course, there is oil and a filter to be bought, but Walmart is cheaper than O’Reilly’s.
This is me, being up for an hour already.
Off to the laundry room and hoping you’re feeling better today.
Good morning. This is me being up with some cats. I gave Shannon her pill, but she still hates me. Jake went out.
Today’s floof is playing a game wif da hoomanz and it looks like it’s winning!!
Back from the laundry room. I like having it to myself and seeing no lights on in any of the apartments! On the way back, I DID see McDonald’s Arches, so I need to map it to see if it’s within walking distance for future reference. It would have to be on a day when I think I can make the walk there and back. The return walk is the hardest as it’s uphill. Again.
Anyway, I don’t know what will get done today, but I’m sure something will. It’s going to be overcast again, but mild, so the humidity will be up. (What am I saying?? It’s ALWAYS up! LOL!)
Good morning. Happy Monday!
I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas. We had ice which made it a little tricky. Our daughter got underway for her trip back home this morning so it’s back to some kind of normal for us as we move toward the new year.
Mostly back to "normal" here... for now... until more visitors start arriving on Wednesday...
So, a couple of days of peacefulness... lol
We’re doing fine here and hope everyone is the same!
The cats would like warmer temperatures, please.
Happy Last Monday of this year!
Christmas was different, but next year, I may be used to it! What’s “normal” these days? I don’t even know any more.
And if I could have my druthers, some warm dry sunshine would be ideal. ;o]
I would be happy if the humidity would stay below 50% for more than 6-8 hours at a time...
“Owner.”
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