Washing my collection of minerals

 I took advantage of being on vacation to wash my collection of mineral the week of December 21st, 2020. I enjoyed washing one at a time with a tooth brush and hand soap, the results are unbelievable, as they shine like saying thanks for the well deserved shower. I cleaned their display, and I also got a new LD lamp much more powerful than the previous "candle" they had. I am proud of the hard work, it pays off in the end. I will share some of the pictures, and feel free to share if you enjoy this as much, or is it just me. Happy new year 2021.

Colored diamonds? Diamonds are not forever anymore!

Ever since I was a kid I remember the first time I saw a diamond, it was a jewelry store in Guadalajara, Mexico. Lived there until I started college in Mexico city in the mid 70's. My Mom explained to me that day that diamonds were very shiny, durable, that one can cut glass of a window with this the hardest natural substance and those features made it very expensive; and because of the clarity, and purity, this was a typical stone for women when they got engaged, and so forth. I think this was a good Geology class that started to give me my professional direction. So, the picture I had in my life for years about diamonds, was that the diamond was color-less, with a mega high refraction index, mounted on rings, earrings, or pendants, and that they were forever, very famous even in 007 movies. Once on college, I had the chance to see the first specimen, an hexoctahedron in my Mineralogy class brought to the classroom by my professor, famous Mexican Petrologist Raul Ortiz Asiain. A few days ago (40 years later), I was walking down one of the floors of the worldwide famous The Galleria Mall when I stopped by The Debeers, and I realized that the color-less are almost a thing of the past, nowadays the trend is to look for colored diamonds! I was flabbergasted! some look like topaz, or citrine, but not like diamonds. The blue ones look like a shiny topaz, or even an aquamarine, if it wasn't for its refraction, they would've fooled me. I was very disappointed, and I firmly believe that diamonds are not forever anymore! I am not even sure the colored specimens have some fake color lab-made. Didn't mean to get off on a rant, but I said it. Diamonds are diamonds, fantastic and almost perfect even in its crystallography, pursuing a sphere. Happy day my dear readers.

Minas Gerais Brazil's specimens display in the Intercontinental Hotel in Mexico city!