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NASA’s highly anticipated summer 2022 mission to “16 Psyche” — a 140-mile-wide asteroid made of gold, platinum, iron and nickel — has been postponed due to the late delivery of the spacecraft’s flight software and testing equipment.A 15-member independent review board is currently re-evaluating the ...

Throughout much of history, gem “experts” couldn’t distinguish a ruby from a spinel. It was not until 1783 that spinel — August’s newest official birthstone — was recognized as a mineral distinct from its far more famous red lookalike.Ruby is composed of aluminum oxide, while ...

A team of archaeologists has uncovered a hoard of 169 gold rings dating back 6,500 years during the excavation of a burial site near the Romanian-Hungarian border. The tomb was discovered during the construction of a new road linking the Romanian city of Oradea with ...

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you classic songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, we present Heart’s amazing rendition of what is arguably one of the greatest rock songs of all time, Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.”Co-writer ...

The Perth Mint has just unveiled the “Great Southern Land” coin, a limited-edition 2-ounce pure gold collectible set with colorful, iridescent opal slices puzzled together in the shape of the Australian continent and illustrated with a menagerie of native species.The Perth Mint frequently pays tribute ...

Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, AR, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary by offering park guests a limited-edition replica of the famous 4.60-carat, D-flawless Esperanza diamond pendant.Discovered in 2015 by Bobbie Oskarson, the icicle-shaped Esperanza weighed 8.52 carats uncut and was the fifth-largest diamond ...

Spotlighting treasures recovered from the shipwrecked 17th century Spanish galleon the Nuestra Señora de las Maravillas, Allen Exploration’s Bahamas Maritime Museum in Freeport, Grand Bahama, opened its doors to the public for the first time on Monday.The museum tells the story of The Bahamas’ rich ...

Legend has it that in the year 41 BC Cleopatra gulped down a pearl-infused cocktail to demonstrate to her lover — the Roman leader Marc Antony — her immense wealth and power.Roman naturalist and philosopher Pliny the Elder (23 – 79 AD) offered a detailed ...

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fabulous songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, rock legend Paul Simon tells the story of an unlikely romance between a poor boy and a rich girl in New York City. ...

Did you know that olivine, the non-precious variety of August’s birthstone — peridot — could play a key role in the global effort to reverse the effects of climate change?According to scientists at the Project Vesta, olivine’s chemical makeup is perfectly suited to counter ocean ...

Remember the name “Lulo Rose” because this 170-carat rough pink diamond has the potential to become one of the most celebrated gemstones of all time.Discovered by Lucapa Diamond Company at its Lulo alluvial diamond mine in Angola, the Type IIa, chemically pure specimen is believed ...

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring new brand new tunes with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today, former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher laments his recent separation from a long-time love in the 2022 release, “Diamond in the Dark.”In the ...