September 2011
Travel Adventure & Hobby Meanings and Myths about Minerals
Pg 29 What is this? Answer.
It is one of two, of the engine compartments of the F1. That is where the engine was inserted in the plane …made entirely from Titanium from Russia! WINNER: Jake from Jake's Performance Hobbies!
Sapphire is the Stone
of August SEBASTOPOL, CA. ~ Sapphire is the modern Western cultures birthstone for September, if you use the cal- endar months. The “Modern” birthstone list was adopted in 1912 by the American National Association of Jewelers and is the list most commonly used by American jewelers today. It is also the birthstone for the Zodiac sign of Taurus, April 21 through May 21. Many other traditions exist and you can find them on the internet. Some of its Metaphysical
properties are; It promotes insight to the unknown and enhances intuitive awareness. It stimulates ambition and con- fidence. It subdues emotions and helps to release anger in a positive manner. It is also said to protect your garden from violent spring storms. Historically the most famous
gemstones are; Diamond, Emerald and Ruby. Diamond stands alone and is the hard- est of all known minerals and Emerald is a variety of the mineral Beryl which has 6 dif-
ferent varieties. Ruby is a vari- ety of the mineral Corundum which has 2 members, the other one being Sapphire. There is actually a 3rd vari- etal distinction now called Padparadscha which is a Pink/ Orange color like a Lotus blos- som. The name "corundum" is derived from the Tamil word "Kuruntam" meaning "ruby", itself derived from the Sanskrit "Kuruvinda" The rule to determine
which is which is; If it’s Red it’s a Ruby and if it’s ANY other color it’s a Sapphire. This leads to some very heavy arguments about whether a particular stone is light Red or dark Pink because if it’s Red it’s Ruby and can be worth 10 or more times what it would be as a dark Pink Sapphire. Corundum is a crystalline
form of aluminum oxide with the chemical formula Al2O3 but includes traces of Iron, Titanium and Chromium for color. Corundum is the sec- ond hardest natural mineral known to science with a Mohs hardness of 9. Diamond is the hardest with a Mohs hard- ness of 10. The hardness of Corundum can be partially attributed to the strong and short Oxygen-Aluminum
The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them. ~Bernard M. Baruch UPBEAT TIMES • September 2011 • 29
bonds which makes the crys- tal not only hard but also quite dense for a mineral made up of two relatively light ele- ments. In 1837 Marc Antoine Augustin Gaudin made the first synthetic Rubies by fus- ing Alumina (Aluminum Oxide) at a high temperature (2,000 °C or 3,632 °F) with a small amount of Chromium for the color Red.
Paul Forster is owner of: The Uncarved Block 110 North Main Street in Sebastopol, California.
Put a grain of boldness into everything you do.
Baltasar Gracian
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