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HODJA

THE SOUND OF THE MONEY IS GOOD PAYMENT FOR THE SMELL OF THE FOOD!!! IT WAS A FANNY STORY ABUT HODJA

Mouse Diamond: Big Diamond discovery in Guinea. Well call it luck or a gateway to adversity. A young miner scourging the West African forests of Guinea stumbled upon a 182 carat stone. Four times the size of the famous Hope Diamond, these staggering figures would have made any person proud of his discovery. But far from taking pride in his discovery our young 25 year old miner has gone into hiding.

Reason: Everyone within close proximity of the stone starting with the Government of Guinea to the local traders and masses wants their pound of flesh. This resulted in the Diamond being tucked away deep in the vaults of Guinea's Central Bank. No Pictures and No Comments were the one liners used by everyone.

Mining Industry officials confirmed that though the newly dug stone was not flawless, it was well worth a fortune in its rough state. Guinea's biggest Diamond operators Aredor mining company say that the find is worth millions of dollars. Roughly shaped in a form similar to a computer mouse the Guinea gem is 10 cm from tip to tip on its longest side and 3 cm wide. Compared to this gem the famed Hope Diamond stands at a mere 45.52 carats.

Such freelance discoveries have always brewed trouble in Diamond rich West and Central African States. These discoveries serve to put the finders and first-round buyers challenging would be moneymakers in fast buck frenzies. Finders are known to flee into exile rather than bringing their wares into open market. Going back to 2000 in Congo, the discovery of a 265 carat stone resulted in its local buyer and finder being jailed for one month. The stone was eventually auctioned off in Israel for $13 to $20 million.

Discussing on condition of anonymity, officials and diplomats disclosed that the miner struck his shovel on the stone at a dig in southeast Guinea, bordering Ivory Coast and Liberia. It was clear however that the stone did not stay for long in the hands of the finder. It soon found its way in no time to the capital, Conakry, where it was kept behind steel doors at the guarded Central Bank. "The finder had no choice but to hand it over. Fearing his life" said a western diplomat stationed in the capital. Most people are reluctant to give the whereabouts of the young miner.

Ore and Gold along with Diamonds are among the top exports of Guinea. Although it is resource rich, Guinea is virtually undeveloped where people survive on less than a dollar a day. The biggest player , Aredor mining company uses high dollar valued , heavy equipment and turns up about an average of 30,000 carats each year.

On the contrary small scale miners like our young bastion with little more than just a shovel produce 300 to 400 carats a year. The 182 carat stone was discovered at a site owned by the government and leased to the miners. Discussing on condition of anonymity, officials and diplomats disclosed that the miner struck his shovel on the stone at a dig in southeast Guinea, bordering Ivory Coast and Liberia. It was clear however that the stone did not stay for long in the hands of the finder. It soon found its way in no time to the capital, Conakry, where it was kept behind steel doors at the guarded Central Bank.

"The finder had no choice but to hand it over. Fearing his life" said a western diplomat stationed in the capital. Most people are reluctant to give the whereabouts of the young miner.

Ore and Gold along with Diamonds are among the top exports of Guinea. Although it is resource rich, Guinea is virtually undeveloped where people survive on less than a dollar a day. The biggest player , Aredor mining company uses high dollar valued , heavy equipment and turns up about an average of 30,000 carats each year.

On the contrary small scale miners like our young bastion with little more than just a shovel produce 300 to 400 carats a year. The 182 carat stone was discovered at a site owned by the government and leased to the miners.

Rubies are made up of the mineral corundum. Corundum is aluminum oxide ( Al2O3). A ruby forms when there is a small impurity of chromic oxide in the corundum (an aluminium oxide in which some of the aluminum ions have been substituted by chromium). This substitution process is called an isomorphous replacement. Chromium and vanadium, another metal constituent of rubies, provide the fiery red color of the crystal. If the stone formed in the corundum is not red, it is a sapphire, although the name is commonly associated with only blue stones.

Example of Corundum

Another name for Corundum is Emery. On Mohs Scale of Hardness, Corundum is a 9, just under diamonds (10).

Ruby crystals form at high temperatures, between 620 and 670°C. They appear to be the features of distal hydrothermal reactions with marble. "They are formed mainly in high-grade metamorphic environments where hydrothermal fluids meet limestone," (Waltham, 1999, p. 144). When there are rutile inclusions present in cabochons, there is a star effect.

Star Effect

Rubies can also be created in a laboratory, using two different methods: Flame-Fusion and Flux-Growth.

The cheapest method of producing synthetic rubies is the flame-fusion process. The chemicals are melted and dripped onto a boule. The melt then crystallizes within a matter of hours. The result is an unnatural, glassy stone with curved growth plates. Instead of inclusions, flame-fusion rubies have tiny gas bubbles. They cost $1-4 per carat. Such a ruby is often used in costume jewelry.

Trillion Cut Ruby

The flux-growth method involves dissolving the chemicals into a molten mixture, called a flux. The gem is inserted into the flux, and it crystallizes under controlled-pressure conditions. It takes up to six months for the crystal to form. The growth planes are straight, making the crystal structure look more like a natural ruby. Often flux-growth rubies have inclusions which only skilled gemologists can decipher from natural ruby inclusions. Flux-growth rubies can range in cost from $100-500 per carat. Because these rubies look so real and are much more affordable, many people buy them... but no geologist ever would!

Literature Cited

Emeralds are one of the most beloved of gems, with a colorful and long history, earning it the rank of “precious” stone, along with diamond, ruby and sapphire. Emeralds belong to the beryl mineral family and the only gemstone besides topaz that is listed as in all of the ancient birthstone table. The gem is the traditional gift for the 55th wedding anniversary, it is also used as a 20th and 35th wedding anniversary stone. Traces of chromium give emerald its green color, the same element that gives ruby its fiery redness. Other beryl minerals include pale blue aquamarine, pink morganite, golden helidor and pale green beryl. Technically, light green beryl material cannot carry the title emerald, the color of true emeralds have been described as the rich, translucent green of new grass glistening after a rain.

10 Reasons not to commit Suicide (as per the web)

If you’re reading this, there is at least a small part in you that doesn’t want to die. Listen to it, and please read on.

1. Suicide is final – once it’s done, there’s no changing your mind. Since you have even the slightest of doubts, you owe it to yourself to stay alive.
2. You can always kill yourself later, why not wait? Even if you wait just one day, you may find a reason not to kill yourself in the meantime.
3. If you’re feeling suicidal, you’re probably in more pain than you know how to handle. There are ways to reduce the pain, and ways to learn to deal with pain. You can learn both – either way things will get better.
4. Just because you’re feeling suicidal doesn’t mean you have toact on that feeling.
5. Consider this – if you’re trying to escape from the pain you are in and seek relief, suicide is not the answer. You cannot feel relief, or anything else for that matter, if you are dead. You must stay alive in order to feel the relief you seek.
6. Often when feeling suicidal you feel alone. You are not alone – you found us didn’t you? Turn to your family or friends or a priest or a rabbi – anyone that will listen. If you don’t know whom to turn to, use the links on the right-hand side of this page to find resources that can help.
7. By terminating your life right now, you terminate your future. Consider this – we create our own future. You have the power to create whatever future you wish for yourself. But you need to be alive in order to have that future.
8. If you’re sensitive enough to be in so much pain that you no longer want to live, you’re probably sensitive enough to care about, and want to help others. Maybe you don’t feel like helping anyone else right now, but why not help yourself? And perhaps by not killing yourself and overcoming your difficulties you can later help someone else who is in a similar situation.
9. Finally, don’t do it because I’m personally asking you not to. Whatever you’re feeling, whatever you’re going through, things can get better – I know because I’ve been there. Maybe I haven’t experienced exactly what you have, but not only have I thought of suicide, I tried it – thankfully I was unsuccessful and I can speak from personal experience when I tell you things can get better.

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