Diamonds aren’t the only mantle-associated gems. Most of the upper mantle is made out of peridotite, a combination of olivine and pyroxene. It is named after the very famous gemstone it contains–peridot.
Category: Ooh . . . Shiny!
Guest Video: Digging Up A Herkimer Diamond
Small Herkimer diamonds are usually the best ones, but it’s enormously satisfying to watch someone extract this huge, faceted crystal from the surrounding rock.
The World’s Top Five Diamonds
How would you choose the world’s top five diamonds? By cost? Carat? Who owns them? People occasionally pay insanely high prices for some unique
The Gold and Emeralds of Ancient Egypt
Some 5,000 years ago, ancient Egypt civilization began to take shape in the Nile River’s floodplain. These natural geologists and artisans not only made
Tolkien’s “Errantry”: Coral and Ivory
He made a shield and morion of coral and of ivory… — J. R. R. Tolkien, “Errantry” Nowadays, we treasure living coral for its beauty
Tolkien’s “Errantry”: Malachite stalactites
Of crystal was his habergeon, his scabbard of chalcedony, his javelins were of malachite and stalactite – he brandished them, and went and fought
