Month: November 2017

Topaz, a type of silicate mineral, generally forms in igneous rocks.  The chemical composition of topaz is Al2SiO4(F,OH)2 .  Topaz can be found in a variety of different colors and even colorless.  Topaz is commonly a golden brown to yellow hue.  Different chemical impurities can change the color of the mineral.  This mineral can be found in many places including the United States, Brazil, Sri Lanka,…

Brazil - An adventure of a lifetime Well, it’s been exactly one month since our arrival in Brazil and I think I could honestly say that more has happened to me in this last month than in the previous twenty years!  All considered, everything concerning my reason for being here in the first place is going very well. Our first day in camp was very…

Bottom Line  As of this writing, man-made diamonds are simply not yet cheap enough to justify buying them over natural diamonds.  WHAT ARE LAB CREATED DIAMONDS? Lab created diamonds (also known as lab grown diamonds, synthetic diamonds, or cultured diamonds) are man-made diamonds that look just like a real, natural diamond. Since they consist of the same carbon atom structures, lab created diamonds display the…