The most human eyes can see the mystical beauty of the field.
Minerals are scattered everywhere on our planet, from glittering nuggets of gravel or sand to actual hidden gems. Second US Geological Society (Opens in a new tab)Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic elements or compounds that do not contain meaning carbon. Each type of mineral exhibits an order in its internal structure and has a unique chemical makeup. The shape the mineral crystals take, as well as other physical properties, can be varied.
The rarest mineral on Earth is kyawthuite. Only one crystal, found in the Mogok region of Myanmar, is known to exist. Caltech’s mineral database (Opens in a new tab) it is described as a small (1.61-karat) golden stone, as tall International Mineralogical Society (Opens in a new tab) officially recognized in 2015
But little is known about kyawthuite, so let’s move on to the rarest mineral in existence. Here is painite, which appears as deep red hexagonal crystals (although there are kidney-shaped exceptions). Although painite is more easily found now than before, this mineral is still rare, and its chemical structure is something of a scientific puzzle.
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In 1952, English gem collector and merchant Arthur Pain acquired two purple crystals in Myanmar, according to George Rossman (Opens in a new tab)a professor of mineralogy at CalTech who has been researching pain since the 1980s and has advocated extensively. database (Opens in a new tab) He analyzed all the specimens microscopically.
He thought that the pain of the crystals were the gems of which the region is famous, but the unknown were far rarer.
Painites (which took Arthur’s surname) is sometimes dug up with stones and other gems. As a result, Dolor assumed the pyrope crystals when, according to Rossman, he donated them to the British Museum in 1954 for further study. Another pain specimen was exhumed from Myanmar in 1979, and until 2001, those three crystals were the only known specimens of the painter in the world.
The first painite crystal discovered, known as painite #1, was later analyzed by Rossman. His last study was unfortunately published Mineralogical Magazine (Opens in a new tab) in 2018
“I brought” [studies] about [first] sample,” said Action Science.”[My results] signs were made which further confirmed the findings of the penitent.
Through this research, Rossman established what elements constitute pain. With infrared spectroscopy, infrared radiation is used to identify elements that absorb, reflect, and emit that light. With Raman spectroscopy, a laser is used to scatter visible, infrared, or ultraviolet light, which causes molecules to emit unique vibrations that make them identifiable.
Rossman also found an error in chemical makeup first established by physicists at the British Museum. While they had correctly identified aluminum, boron, calcium and oxygen, the element zirconium was missing. Another thing Rossman discovered was that it gave him a red-faced pain; It has trace amounts of vanadium and chromium, which make it look deceptively like firecrackers.
But what makes pain so rare? For one, it is only found in Myanmar, but the real reason lies in its formation. Painite is a boron crystal, meaning it contains boron. It also has zirconium. Boron has a notoriously difficult time bonding with zirconium. In fact, painite is the only mineral in which the two are found bound together in nature. While the cause is still unclear, zirconium and boron were not found in significant concentrations, Rossman said. It is also thought that these elements are not very stable with the other elements with which they can be combined.
“As far as I know, no one has made a serious effort to form a prison,” Rossman said. “I know nothing of trying to synthesize it in the lab.”
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Why is it important?
What Rossman has is an idea why painite and so many other gems, such as kyawthuite, are found in Myanmar. with the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana It began to split about 180 million years ago, when India crept north and collided with what is now South Asia. The pressure and heat from the collision of the treasure rocks, made several gems. He thinks that the boron in painite and other borate minerals may have come from a shallow sea formed around a recently formed land mass.
Rossman had many crystals suspected to have been sent as part of his identity. Some have been hidden in plain sight for decades, having often sent them into rough jewel bags or into the hands of merchants and publicans.
Painite for luxury jewelry is hard to come by and valued at as much as $60,000, Rossman said. The price that determines it can be subjective, but the fewer defects, the better.
It should be noted that there are ethical concerns surrounding mining in Myanmar, including other well-known gems and specimens of small prehistoric creatures contained in amber. Human Rights Watch (Opens in a new tab) awareness of the abuse of human rights by the military government, which profits from the mining industry, which has dangerous and dangerous tunnels, tax and labor. Some jewelry companies don’t want to buy gems milled there for this reason, and some scientists studies to decline samples (Opens in a new tab) from this land
Unfortunately, it is now more common than it once was. Many crystals began to appear in 2005, all within that year, and now the most painful ones can be found in Myanmar’s wet Loo and Ibi Taung regions.
Although painite does not wear the crown of the rarest mineral, it is still a real gem.
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