That’s what platinum looks like under an ion microscope. Each of those bright spots is an atom. Now, how’s this for a science fiction premise:
Category: Ooh . . . Shiny!
Repost: In Search of the Blue Carbuncle
This Sherlock Holmes tale is an ideal Christmas story – Victorian London, a brisk walk on a snowy night, jewels, suspense, and the surprise twist:
Repost: Guest Videos on Chocolate and Geodes
OK, so chocolate and sugar aren’t technically minerals…they’ve still powered a lot of geologists on field trips. In nature, you don’t know what’s in a
Repost: Guest Video on Australian Opals
This beautiful GIA video captures the mystery, passion, and love of nature that draws opal hunters to Australia.
Metamorphic Gem: Garnet
This post (with a couple of updates at the end) is from 2018. Mantle gems include diamonds and peridots. These form under intense heat and
Repost: Guest Video: Mining Zircons in Cambodia
Watch as red zircons are dug out of the soil in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, and turned into sky-blue gemstones by heat treatment in somebody’s back-yard mini-furnace.
