Seven More Common Minerals and Their Amazing Uses

Nature is rich in all kinds of minerals. 92 elements are found at various locations and levels of the earth’s surface. Some are hidden in the core while others are abundantly specking the landscape. Some have the potential to cure the most complex diseases; others can put your underarm within a second. We are developing a list to explore some of the most common minerals and what interesting uses they have.

Beryllium

It belongs to the family of alkaline metals and is known to be extremely toxic. The taste is very sweet but had the power to poison in no time. Most commonly it is used in X-rays, and also in fluorescent lights.

Columbite Tantalite

It is found in Africa and is also commonly known as Coltan now. Columbite tantalite mostly has uses in the technological stuff. From electronic gadgets to automobiles, it is a key mineral to be used in a lot of products in these fields. It is also used in pacemaker in order for the product to operate.

Asbestos

This mineral has a bad reputation. Known for its fire retarding characteristics and the potential to cause cancer in people; this mineral is not much liked among the people. Though, with a worker’s touch and some effort, it can also be polished to make the famous ‘Tiger Eye’ stone.

Gold

Gold is definitely going to make it to this list because it is quite commonly used and people have a very strong familiarity with this mineral. It is used in making jewelry, wires, gadgets, and even cosmetological products and ornaments. It is very malleable in nature and can be used in a huge variety of ways.

Lead

Lead is a mineral that one would want to use with care and precautions. It has toxic capabilities which make it quite dangerous. This is exactly why lead has a bad reputation among people. However, much of these fears are exaggerations. If only consumed through food and drink, lead can prove to be toxic. On the contrary, it has no harmful effects upon touching or breathing near it. Pencils are quite commonly made using lead. Earlier, eating utensils and paint were also made using lead.

Mica

Mica could be said to be a natural glitter as it puts the sparkle on many rocks found in natural settings. It has a lot of flexibility, making it ideal to be used as window glass in earlier time.

Platinum

Platinum is also one of the most precious metals and quite rare as well. It is expensive due to its limited reservoirs and is mostly used for making jewelry. However, technological ventures also have use for this mineral in some of their products. It is a whole family of metals called Platinum Group Metals, and its largest source are from byproducts of nickel mines.

Minerals have been extracted and used for centuries, and consequently, many have gone extinct while a great many are at the verge of it. They do have uses and benefits but we need to make careful investments of minerals that are already scarce.

Brass and Bronze: Their Amazing Uses Will Surprise You!

Brass and bronze are probably two of the most common metal alloys. They are used in a variety of everyday objects and have great usability properties. Brass is made with a combination of zinc and copper, while to make bronze, copper is mostly used with tin, but at times some other alternative metals are also used.

What Does Brass Has to Offer?

Firstly, brass is highly malleable as compared to zinc or copper. It has a low melting point and when melted, it takes a flowy state. It comprises of many other minerals including iron, aluminum, silicon, and manganese. On the downside, it can crack under stress when in exposure to ammonia. It is also not as hard as steel.

What Does Bronze Has to Offer?

Bronze is hard but has brittle nature as well. Depending on how much tin is mixed with copper, bronze has a normal 950 degree centigrade melting point. Bronze is mostly used due to its heat and electricity conducting properties. It has the capacity to resist corrosion, sea water corrosion in particular, which makes it even more useful.

Uses of Brass and Bronze

Both the alloys have a number of uses. From manufacturing better quality copper wires, to creating metal structures, a great many things can be done with these two artificial minerals.

A Variety of Musical Instruments

Brass is highly preferred for making musical instruments. Tuba, trumpet, tenor horn, French horn, and a number of other instruments are usually made with brass. Saxophone and harmonica also make it to the list quite often.

The properties of bronze make it a much better option for bells and strings used in piano and guitar.

Preserving the Cultural Heritage in Brass and Bronze

Since the color of these alloys is a lot like gold and they boast of regality as well, people have been making sculptures and statues from brass and bronze for the longest of time. Its resistance to tarnishing and corrosion is also an added advantage. When used for sculptures in molds, bronze gives the perfect look with sharp minute detailing. This is due to the nature of the allow to expand just before it set.

Mechanical Usage

Since it does not cause much friction, brass is often used in automobiles and mechanical gear, especially for this purpose. For electrical and plumbing options, brass makes a good choice for sure. Similarly, even bronze makes a good alternative to be used for automobile and mechanical productions. Since bronze has the potential to resist water corrosion, it is often used for ship and boat manufacturing as well.

Brass and bronze are very useful alternatives to pure metals that often have certain limitations. The permeable nature of these two compounds makes them ideal to be used in a great variety of things

Top Five Largest Diamonds in the World

“Diamonds” by whatleydude is licensed under CC BY 2.0

What is it that we have not seen or heard about diamonds? From being a girl’s best friend to a creating a political fiasco, diamonds never fail to be the center of attention. They have potential to capture anyone’s eye; especially the bigger stones.  People are still fascinated by diamonds as they were in ancient times. Promising strength due to their non-breakable nature, diamonds are also a symbol of love and commitment.

When it comes to diamonds, size is a huge attraction and increases the value of the stone. Here is a list of the top 5 largest diamonds in the world.

Sergio

Weighing 3167 carats, Sergio is the largest rough diamond in the world. It was discovered from Brazil in the year 1893 and is one of the rare black diamonds that still have scientists debating about the origin of this category of the stone. It has mythical stories attached to it and is thought to hail from meteoric origins; but regardless of anything being said, Sergio enjoys the title of being the largest diamond of the world.

The Cullinan

The Cullinan weights a magnificent 3106.75 Carats and ranks second in the list of the largest diamonds in the world. It is famous around the world due to numerous reasons. Weighing 1.37 lbs when discovered, it made a striking gift for Edward II, the then King of United Kingdom. Later on, the Cullinan was taken to Amsterdam where it was cut into 9 large and as many as 96 small gems. Today, it values to be an estimated $2 million.

Excelsior Diamond

Excelsior Diamond had the honor of being the largest diamond of the world until 1905, when The Cullinan was discovered. It was founded in the year 1893 in Jagers Fontein Mine. Later on it was cut into 10 stones with the largest one weighing 69.68 carats. It is a beautifully stunning white diamond that reflects a hint of blue as well.

Star of Sierra Leone

Discovered in 1972, this beautiful stone made it to the hands of Harry Winston, a famous American jeweler. Since it was in rough form, this magnificent diamond was cut into 17 smaller gems, some of which were used to craft the famous Star of Sierra Leone brooch.

Incomparable Diamond

Incomparable weighs 890 carats and is a discovery of 1989. Found in Congolese by a young girl, it was years until experts cut the magnificent stone into smaller gems. The final result was a uniquely triangular shaped diamond in the shade of yellow and brown. Most recently, it was up for auction on Ebay in 2002. Surprisingly, no one bought this beautiful piece.

Gemstones have high value due to their size, shape, color, cut, and weight. In case of diamonds, it enjoys a very special status that has a abstract meaning and worth as well.

Gemstone Jewelry in the Times of Ancient Rome

Rome has been known for many things. From its philosophers to traditions, it has made a mark on history. One other thing that still survives time from the old era is its beautiful gemstone jewelry. Roman Empire was expanded over vast land and was rich in different kinds of minerals. Its jewelry was a combination of its own inspirations and influences of Egyptian, European, African, and Mediterranean jewelry art.

Types of Gemstones Used

Their jewelry was made of precious minerals for the base as well as the crowning which was mostly done using precious and semiprecious jewels. This required experienced hands and creative minds which were not so rare in Roman Empire. From the earliest of times, roman jewelers were experienced in using different kinds of gemstones including rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, pearls, ambers, jets, and garnets.

Roman Men and Gemstone Jewelry

Gemstone jewelry was designed differently and specially for men. It was to be worn in front of the knuckle rather than behind it as we do today. This explains the smaller size of the rings. In the earliest centuries, rings were worn on all 10 fingers but this trend later reduced to a single ring.

The Art of Wearing Rings

Rings were the most popular pieces of jewelry. They were made for both the genders and had beautiful designs made on the band and the stone. The gemstones were often carved with pictures of gods or even historical figures. Among all the gemstones, carnelian was the most famous gemstone used for rings. Garnet, quartz, and amethyst were also preferred by most.

Not Just for Beautification

Gemstone rings in ancient Rome were not only used to be worn as beautiful items of fine jewelry. They also reflected beauty and the status of the wearer. As is the ritual today, rings were exchanged to honor engagements in Ancient Roman era. Special rings were worn by kings and people with authority to seal documents using rings in order to verify the belongingness of the sender.

Fibula

After rings, this was the second most worn piece of jewelry that was studded with precious and semiprecious jewels. Fibulae were used by men and women both to hold their clothing together. It appeared like a fancy brooch and was made in various designs.

Gemstone Jewelry for Women

Women wore a variety of other jewelry that was made using gemstones as central pieces. These included bracelets, waistbands, etc. Earrings, toe rings, and hairpins were also commonly used and were studded with stones like jasper, onyx, pearls, peridot, emeralds, lapis lazuli, etc.

Ambers Were Far More Valued Than A Roman Slave

The most precious and prized ambers were collected from the Baltic region and even though they were not even proper minerals owing to their production from tree resin, they were valued to be far more precious and worthy than a healthy roman slave.

Gemstones have seen a magnificent era in Ancient Roman times and have been used in numerous ways from the beautification of people to the adornment of ornaments and sculptures.