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Anniversaries 2024. Part 1
295 years ago
Construction of the "Saw Mill" at the Kolyvan-Voskresensky Plant. The saw mill was built at the new Kolyvan-Voskresensky Plant (moved from the Loktevka River to the Belaya River in 1727 by order of Akinfiy Nikitich Demidov) and was used not only for harvesting lumber, but also for sawing stone used in construction. This mill was the first enterprise in Altai where mechanized stone cutting work was carried out.
250 years ago
In 1774, nephrite was discovered in New Zealand by Europeans (the English), and it was then discovered that the Maori had long used it for their everyday life and religious objects under the name "pounamu".
240 years ago
The first discovery of lapis lazuli in Russia. In 1784, near the village of Kultuk, in the valley of the Slyudyanka River, peasant Voina (a resident of the village of Kultuk) and hunter Lapshin (a resident of Irkutsk) found samples of lazurite, which were given to Eric Gustav (Kirill Gustavovich) Laksman for study. In 1785, Laksman confirmed that the mineral found was lazurite.
Opal, as a gemstone, captivates with its unique shine and play of color. However, in order to preserve its exquisite beauty and ensure a long service life,
For a long time, during which humanity dealt with precious stones, gemology was not singled out as a single science.
The asterism effect in gemstones is caused by the unique crystallographic properties and internal structure of minerals.
The name "rauchtopaz" arose due to the unusual appearance of this mineral and a specific shade that is associated with smoky tones.