Global Rockhound Community News Letter
Issue 05: September 2005: Editor Sally Taylor:www.rockhoundstation1.com
In this issue...Feature Fact -- NHM, UK's Diamond Exhibition --RHS1 Club News -- IFAW to rescue Hurricane Katrina animal victims -- Travel: Argentina--- Rockhound Recipes and Tips, column -- Feature Article, Serial, Metaphysics and History of Minerals, this issue, Sapphires
FEATURE FUN FACT
In ancient Egypt minerals were used to make cosmetics. These cosmetics served the purpose of enhancing beauty, which was highly valued, and also for medicinal remedies. Kohls, made of powdered galena, dark grey lead ore, malachite, antimony, oxidixed copper, or chryxocolla (blue-green copper ore) were used to outline the eyes. Lapis Lazul, jasper, lead carbonate (white), and serpentine were ground and used to paint the eyelids. Red ochre (a red clay) was used as rouge and lip paint
UK NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM'S DIAMONDS EXHIBITION THE LARGEST EVER
A star line-up of many of the world�s most spectacular white
and coloured diamonds have been brought together at the
Natural History Museum's Diamond exhibit, it's largest exhibit
to date. Diamonds, has been made possible by the generous
support of principal sponsor Steinmetz, with additional support
from the Diamond Trading Company. This dazzling event is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see such an astonishing array
of important diamonds in one exhibition.
The sheer size and diversity of the collection of diamonds
were assembling will make this an awe-inspiring exhibition,
says Dr Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum.
This exhibition will bring together many of the most impressive
single stones in the world alongside fascinating science and
insights into the diamond industry to tell the story of diamonds
from deep in the Earth to the red carpet.
Not all diamonds are white and this exhibition will focus on the variety of natural colours. For every 10,000 white diamonds only one coloured diamond is mined. Coloured diamonds, known as fancy diamonds, are the most valuable gemstones in the world.
Displayed together for the first time, the star line-up includes:
The De Beers Millennium Star. This 203.04-carat pear-shaped stone is the world�s largest D colour internally and externally flawless diamond. White diamonds are graded by colour using a lettering system from D to Z, with D being completely colourless and Z a pale yellow. The De Beers Millennium Star was unveiled in 1999 at the Millennium Dome, where it became the target of a foiled robbery attempt in 2000. This is the first time since then that it has been on public display in the UK.
The Steinmetz Pink. The world�s largest fancy vivid pink, flawless diamond, kindly loaned by Steinmetz. It took Steinmetz almost two years to cut this magnificent 59.60-carat oval-shaped diamond, which was first revealed around the neck of model Helena Christensen in Monaco, May 2003.
The Incomparable. Cut from an 890-carat rough diamond, at a staggering 407.48 carats this yellow stone is the third-largest cut diamond in existence.
The Ocean Dream. The world�s largest naturally occurring fancy deep blue-green diamond at 5.51 carats. Its incredible colour, caused by exposure to natural radiation over millions of years in the Earth, makes this one of the world�s rarest diamonds.
The Moussaieff Red. There are very few true red diamonds in existence. To find a deep red diamond of this size � 5.11 carats � is astounding, making it one of the most rare and highly prized diamonds in the world.
The Allnatt. At 101.29 carats this vivid yellow cushion-shaped diamond is one of the most striking in the world.
The 616. A 616-carat diamond crystal as found and remaining uncut, the 616 is the largest single diamond crystal in the world, greater in carat weight than any cut diamond known today.
The Orange Flame. Most orange diamonds are below one carat in size, so this 3.23-carat vivid yellow orange diamond is exceptionally rare. The colour is caused by small amounts of nitrogen within the diamond.
The Blue Empress. This 14-carat pear-shaped blue diamond was one of eleven fancy blue diamonds, which formed the unique Midnight Collection, unveiled by De Beers in 1999. Intensely coloured blue diamonds are incredibly rare and very few have such a pure, saturated colour. The blue colour is due to minuscule amounts of the element boron.
The Aurora Collection � a set of 296 naturally coloured diamonds totalling a staggering 267.45 carats � is on loan from New York diamond collectors Alan Bronstein and Harry Rodman and displayed for the first time in Europe. This collection of exceptionally rare stones includes examples from the 12 colour varieties and reveals an enchanting spectrum from emerald green to blood red.
Mogul treasures, including the Shah Jahan table-cut diamond, are among the fascinating historic pieces on display once owned by the rich and powerful. Along with the George III Garter Star and Queen Victoria�s Lesser George (on loan from the Royal Collection), they celebrate our love affair with diamonds that spans at least 4,000 years. Also of great historical significance is the Eureka diamond, a 10.73-carat brilliant, cut from the first authenticated diamond found in South Africa, in 1866. It will be displayed alongside the Star of South Africa, a 47.69-carat old style pear-shaped diamond found in 1869. This stone is credited with starting the �diamond rush� in South Africa in the late nineteenth century.
Spectacular items worn by celebrities, including Scott Henshall�s revealing Spiderman dress, worn by Samantha Mumba to steal the limelight at the premiere of the film Spiderman II, show the unrivalled glamour of diamonds on the red carpet. R&B star Usher�s watch, which features his face in coloured diamonds, has also been confirmed for the exhibition. Renowned jeweller Mouawad has loaned the pink and white diamond heart-shaped purse presented to Nicole Kidman by Robbie Williams in the video for their duet Somethin' Stupid.
Every diamond is unique and some are older than the stars.
This exhibition reveals diamonds as one of nature�s great miracles.
Formed from humble carbon and transformed by colossal pressure
and incredibly high temperatures, diamonds remained hidden deep
beneath the Earth�s crust for billions of years until powerful volcanic
forces and molten rock carried them to the surface. Only a small
number of diamonds survived this remarkable journey. Just a tiny
proportion of these are of the size and quality to be cut, polished
and set into jewellery.
Visitor information:
Admission: �9, �6 concessions, Family (up to five, minimum one adult)
�24, FREE to under 5s
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10.00�17.50, Sunday 11.00�17.50
Ticket booking: NHM Website or 0870 013 0731
RHS1 CLUB NEWS
To all of the Rockhoundstation1.com members who have been patiently waiting for launch, September 28th is our date. You will be able to login using your present usernames and passwords. You may change your passwords at login. If you have any problems logging in, let me know and I will forward your information to you. It has been a long time but when you see the new site, you will feel very good about the wait. You still have the private forums, but added to that is our Gazette, where members can advertise their clubs, events, or just submitt an article for public view. In the Photo Gallery you may post a picture or a selection of pictures for public view. There will be occassional awards for pictures and posts, too, so this is going to be a fun feature for us all. Currently, we are creating our RHS1 Discount Travel Service. Soon anyone in the world can purchase inexpensive airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rentals, etc. at RHS1.com
Members, enjoy discounts and rebates on purchases from our site merchants: National Geographic, SnapFish, Bent Gear (camping equipment), Amatuer Geologist (rockhound supplies), Your Active Pet (adventure dog gear), Detectors Unlimited (metal detectors), Alibris Books and Magazines.com (for your rockhound and treasure hunter's books and magazine subscriptions or for any book or magazine subscription no matter what your favorite subject). We will be adding to the list, too, so you can be sure your membership will make shopping easy and save you money.
Have questions about a gem or a mineral? Find the information you need in our Geology Center. Want to read today's news? Members and visitors can read all the news from all over the world in your choice of 11 languages at the World News Center.
The list of services available to viewers and members just keeps growing, so watch for launch day!!
RHS1 staff would also like to welcome Pro-Member Bob Fitzgerald to our team. If you are an avid treasure hunter or achaeology buff, you have already heard of Bob and his worldwide discoveries and adventures, but for those who haven't, you have a great treat in store for you. Welcome aboard Bob, we're really glad to have you with us and look forward to hearing from you in the forums and the Gazette. Bob will be showing me how to use his Vector Recovery Equipment later this year so stay tuned for some good stories.
THE IFAW NEEDS YOUR HELP TO RESCUE HURRICANE KATRINA ANIMAL VICTIMS
By now you�ve already seen the horrific images on TV. Among them, victims of Hurricane Katrina trying desperately to rescue their pets from the tops of trees or the attics of their submerged homes...helpless to reach the animals they love. Many families who were forced to evacuate quickly were unable to take their pets with them. For many of the hundreds of thousands who have lost everything, their pets are all they have left to give them comfort and strength. Not to mention the thousands of pets misplaced or completely abandoned. As the situation continues to worsen, humanitarian agencies are doing their part to help and we must do ours.
Help IFAW raise $130,000 to send a Mobile Command Vehicle to rescue Hurricane Katrina animal victims. IFAW is working with Code 3 Associates, Inc. to send its 78-foot disaster-relief and response unit to rescue animal victims of the hurricane and reunite them with their families. This self-sufficient mobile unit will be staffed by members of IFAW�s Emergency Relief Team, specially trained and certified for all types of rescue and animal care. The unit provides sleeping quarters for up to 12 rescue workers, a veterinary triage and exam center, and 125 cages to hold rescued animals. This entire relief effort is funded by compassionate animal lovers like you. So please give what you can now. The more contributions we receive, the longer our animal rescue team can remain on the ground saving pets and bringing hope to the families that love them.
Note to readers: click any of the red text to go to IFAW donation page.
TRAVEL - AGATES IN ARGENTINA
If you have ever thought about going to Argentina to rock hunt, these pictures are bound to have you packing your bags. They are sent to us by Claudia and Ricardo Birnie of Buenos Aires(pictured right), Argentina and were taken in the area of Patagonia. They sent many lovely pictures that, unfortunately, did not do justice to these incredible specimens when sized to fit here, so we have just given you a small taste of what awaits the rockhunter in this area of the world. Don't be frustrated with the pictures though, you can view these spectacular agates in person at the Rock Show this October in Munich, Germany.
See Photo Feature
All About Agates click me
All About Patagonia click me
Here is a sample of the info on the agate link above
Most agates occur as nodules in eruptive rocks or ancient lavas where they represent cavities originally produced by the disengagement of vapour in the molten mass which were then filled, wholly or partially, by siliceous matter deposited in regular layers upon the walls. Such agates, when cut transversely, exhibit a succession of parallel lines, often of extreme tenuity, giving a banded appearance to the section. Such stones are known as banded agate, riband agate and striped agate.
In the formation of an ordinary agate, it is probable that waters containing silica in solution -- derived, perhaps, from the decomposition of some of the silicates in the lava itself -- percolated through the rock and deposited a siliceous coating on the interior of the vapour-vesicles. Variations in the character of the solution or in the conditions of deposit may cause corresponding variation in the successive layers, so that bands of chalcedony often alternate with layers of crystalline quartz. Several vapour-vesicles may unite while the rock is viscous, and thus form a large cavity which may become the home of an agate of exceptional size; thus a Brazilian geode lined with amethyst and weighing 35 tons was exhibited at the Dusseldorf Exhibition of 1902.
The first deposit on the wall of a cavity, forming the "skin" of the agate, is generally a dark greenish mineral substance, like celadonite, delessite or "green earth," which are rich in iron probably derived from the decomposition of the augite in the mother-rock. This green silicate may give rise by alteration to a brown oxide of iron (limonite), producing a rusty appearance on the outside of the agate-nodule. The outer surface of an agate, freed from its matrix, is often pitted and rough, apparently in consequence of the removal of the original coating. The first layer spread over the wall of the cavity has been called the "priming," and upon this base zeolitic minerals may be deposited.
ROCKHOUND RECIPES & TIPS
ROCKHOUND RECIPES & TIPS welcomes you to the premier edition. I'm Sandi Bowman, your writer for this column. I would love to have your comments and ideas. Feel free to email me at:
: RTC at RockhoundStation1.com
Thirsty and hungry but no time to stop and eat? Try these on for size:
POCKET PICKLES (2 VARIATIONS)
medium/large dill pickles, sliced lengthwise in quarters. jar of dried beef slices
Wrap one quarter stick of pickle inside two dried beef slices. These can be fixed ahead of time and kept in a cool pack for a quick on the trail pick me up.
Vegetarian Variety: instead of the dried beef, use one small flour tortilla spread with a bit of mild taco sauce or salsa. Place pickle slice in the center and roll up.
Tip: a little bit of sauce is better than too much...unless you like it soggy.
GENERAL TIP: When rolling either version, first fold up the bottom about an inch or more to create a pocket. Fold the left hand side over so it 'cuddles up' to the pickle then just roll to the right. Doing it this way keeps the pickle in place and neat.
Try this make ahead snack that's very satisfying on a hot day:
COOL ANY TIME SNACK
Take a small ziplock freezer bag and fill l/3 full of fully rinsed and still moist ripe seedless cherries or grapes (red or black varieties work great). Fold bag in half to release excess air. Seal. Lay flat and make sure fruit is in a single layer. Freeze. To use: carry in a freeze pack and snack on as desired.
A backpack camper doesn't need a lot besides water, spoon, and a container to cook in for food preparation with all the freeze-dried foods available these days. However, you don't have to settle for plain out of the package freeze dried and reconstituted meals when, with a little pre-planning, you can eat in style. Here are some ideas for you.
1. When you plan your meals, think about things that can be combined to make something different. For example: some angelhair noodles (found in the Chinese foods section of the store) tossed into a thin soup along with some bacon flavored chips (real or imitation) or other seasoning, can turn a light soup lunch into a satisfying, wholesome, meal in a dish. Be sure to add some extra liquid and seasoning if needed to compensate. Easy way to judge (after a couple of minutes to allow absorption): if you can stir it easily, it's fine as is. If it's difficult or awkward to stir, add additional fluids and seasoning.
2. Whip a few instant potato flakes into anything that's too soupy to enjoy. Thickens and compliments most liquids without forming lumps.
3. Add a package of reconstituted, diced, tomatoes and peppers to biscuits and gravy for added visual and taste pleasure.
4. Plain scrambled eggs again? No. Put those unused packets of salsa or taco sauce to use...just add enough to perk up the flavor. They're easy to pack, light to carry, and can be used to perk up lots of things besides eggs.
Another thrifty tip: save left over soy sauce, mustard, and ketchup packets to add to your portable kitchen as flavor enhancers.
Wishing you lots of fun, good food, and success!
� Sandi Bowman, 2005
About The Author:
I once cooked fresh venison steaks etc over a campfire 'stove' made of a piece of chicken wire and 4 flat rocks (2 down and 2 to hold the wire in place) for an entire harvesting crew when our new mobile home did not arrive on time. Everyone raved over the meal so...either they were too hungry to care or I got lucky. :o) Check out Sandi Bowman's site at:
http://www.cookcreatively.com -- for more enticing goodies.
FEATURE ARTICLE - SERIAL
METAPHYSICS AND THE HISTORY OF MINERALS THIS ISSUE - Sapphire
Birthstone - September Astrological stone: Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius
Sapphire is actually corundum (an aluminum oxide mineral), and second in hardness to only the diamond. While most people think of the color blue when thinking of sapphire, they come in a wide variety of colors including clear, green, yellow, and pink. All are considered sapphire except the pigeon blood red corundum, which is ruby, and actually identical in all properties to sapphire except for the color.
Of all the blue gems, sapphire is the most desirable for it's luster and hardness, cornflower blue being the most valuable. Star sapphires, a popular variety, differ in that they have an aqueous inclusion that creates a refracted five-pointed star on the stone's surface. Comercially sapphires are often heated to enhance their color. Buyers must beware, however, of purchasing stones which have been fraudulantly chemically treated then heated to produce a colored cover.
Sapphires are among some of the first gemstones recognized and coveted by humans, with a history going back thousands of years. The excact origins of the names "sapphire" and "corundum" are not known, but current thought is that the name "sapphire" is derived from either the Hebrew word "sappir" or the Sanskrit word "sanipruja", and may have been used originally to refer to lapis lazuli as well. "Corundum" comes from either Sanskrit " kurivinda" or from the Indian name for corundum " kauruntakas".
Ancient thought held that the sky was a sapphire and that the earth, like an inclusion in a gem, was enclosed within. Ancient Clergy revered sapphires. Buddists thought the stone to engender devotion and enlightenment and the Greeks consulted their oracles using sapphire. Ancient kings wore the stone to ward off harm. It was associated with Apollo and thought to have aided prophecy and development of the "third eye", and considered healing stone for eye problems. The 'Breastplate of Judgement' of Aaron was jeweled with sapphires (Exodus: xxviii, 15-30). In the middle ages the Clergy revered sapphire for its ability to ward off evil and illness, and as a tool for enlightenment.
Traditionally sapphire has had much use medicinally and metaphysically. Medicinally it has been used against pituitary and thyroid problems, tuberculosis, inflamation, fevers, hearing disorders, nervous system ailments, leprosy, and epilepsy. Insanity and depression are thought to be aliviated by wearing sapphire. It cools sooths and detoxifies the body, and wards off malady.
Metaphysically, sapphire is a powerful stone. Magicians and sorcerers use the gem to glean the meanings of prophesies and to control spirits and demons. Star sapphire, conversely is used to ward off sorcery curses, and demons, but black sapphire is the most protective of all stones.
Sapphire is used commonly to align the mental, phyical, and spiritual planes, to strengthen psychic abilities, and promote spiritual clarity. It promotes wisdom, cheerfulness, force of will, and luck . Spiritual healers favor star saphire for it's magnified intensity and it's ability to strengthen concentration and relax the body and mind. Sapphire is strongest when next to the skin, especially covering the throat chakra.
Wearing sapphire jewerly signifies generousity, prosperity, wisdom, and piety. They make an excellent gift for any gem lover.
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