15 replies to this topic

[Yuli Ban]

In response to Wjfox's most recent status update.

I decided to do some sleuthing and realized that I was the one who posted images of gemstones, but that was for a deeply off-topic thread about a story I was trying to muster the energy to write at the time.

Here's two of my favorite gemstones: the fire opal

 

It's like a sunset you can hold.

 

And the rainbow opal
Actually, no, it's called a Boulder Opal

 

Though actual rainbow opals aren't half bad either

 

 

 

Another fun one has to be the bismuth fractal crystal,  an artificial crystal grown from molten metal

[Yuli Ban]

[Raklian]

Almost magical. 

[wjfox]

Wonderful pics and video. Thanks for creating this thread!!

 

I'll be posting a lot here.

[Yuli Ban]

 

Painite is a very rare borate mineral. In fact, perhaps the single rarest mineral on Earth

[wjfox]

"This is how geologists collect lava samples from an active volcano."

 

https://twitter.com/...816947458777088

[Yuli Ban]

[Yuli Ban]

Cave of the Crystals

[wjfox]

Tree-like structure of a pure copper crystal, electrolytic made. Picture taken by a scanning electron microscope with magnification of x2500.

 

 

[wjfox]

102-carat 'flawless' Canadian diamond sells for online record of $15.7M US at auction

Oct 05, 2020 12:08 PM ET

A diamond unearthed in Northern Ontario two years ago has sold for a record price in an online auction, to an unnamed buyer who paid $15.7 million for the flawless, colourless gem.

The stone, which was cut from a 271-carat rough diamond found in the now-closed Victor Mine in Northern Ontario in 2018, was highly touted for its D colour and flawless status, which means it is considered to be as close to a perfect, naturally occurring diamond as is possible.

Less than one per cent of all naturally occurring diamonds in the world achieve the stone's lack of impurities and colour — and there are only seven that are as big as it is that have ever come up for auction.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...ction-1.5750480

 

 

[wjfox]

[Yuli Ban]

Even gemstones are getting deepfaked

[funkervogt]

Could all of these gems and crystals be manufactured with the right technology, or are some impossible to make outside of a natural process? 

[wjfox]

Could all of these gems and crystals be manufactured with the right technology, or as some impossible to make outside of a natural process? 

 

If we can already (as of 2020) simulate conditions around Earth's core (see e.g. room-temperature superconductors), then I expect we'll have machines that can synthesise pretty much anything within the next century or so. Though whether there's an economic demand/need for such artificial gems is another question.

[wjfox]

Kernowite: New mineral found on rock mined in Cornwall

9 hours ago

An "amazing" new type of mineral has been discovered by scientists analysing a rock mined in Cornwall about 220 years ago.

The dark green mineral has been named kernowite after Kernow, the Cornish language word for Cornwall.

A group led by Natural History Museum (NHM) mineralogist Mike Rumsey made the discovery while studying a rock taken from Wheal Gorland mine in St Day.

Mr Rumsey said: "It's amazing that in 2020 we are adding a new mineral."

https://www.bbc.co.u...rnwall-55396421

 

 

[Yuli Ban]

JESUS

Take a look at this

https://i.imgur.com/YGCgniN.mp4