3.

2 Valuable Minerals

Metals
Important metal minerals
Gold, silver, copper, aluminum, iron, platinum

(Largest gold crystal ever found)

Ores minerals that contain valuable metallic elements Metallurgy preparing metals for use
Extraction removing ore from the earth Refining removing impurities by use of heat Shaping turning the pure ore into the desired form

 Useful metals
Aluminum
Most abundant metal in crust Refined from bauxite ore Uses Bayer and Hall-Heroult processes Ores found in Australia, China, India, Brazil

Iron
Second most abundant metal in crust Mixed with carbon to produce steel (alloy)

Copper
Forms brass and bronze alloys Used for plumbing, electrical wiring, coins

Lead, Nickel, Tin, Zinc, Uranium

 Precious metals
Gold
Prized since ancient times Made into jewelry, decorations, bullion (bar)

Silver
Makes jewelry or tableware Useful for photographic film development

Platinum
Whitish-gray metal More valuable than gold due to its uses Used in catalytic converters, dental work and surgical tools

Beautiful Gemstones
The best of gems
Precious stones rarest, most durable and beautiful minerals Diamonds
Can only be scratched by other diamonds Found in diamond pipes in Africa, Asia, etc. Carat, clarity, color, cut (4Cs)

Corundum
Ruby traces of the element chromium Sapphire traces of iron or titanium

Beryl
Emerald traces of chromium oxide Aquamarine traces of iron oxide

 Second-rate gemstones
Semiprecious stones less rare and less durable than precious stones Red spinel, amethyst, zircon, tourmaline, opal, lapis lazuli, jade, chalcedony

 Lab-created gemstones
Stones can be created in a lab for a fraction of the cost Simulant gemstones
Materials which look like precious gems but with a totally different chemical make-up Glass, cubic zirconia, plastic

Synthetic gemstones
Same chemical make-up, but lab-made Lab methods: flame fusion process, pulled method, hydrothermal synthesis

For the Love of God

A sculpture by artist Damien Hirst produced in 2007. It consists of a platinum cast of an 18thcentury human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds, including a pear-shaped pink diamond located in the forehead that is known as the Skull Star Diamond. The skull's teeth are original, and were purchased by Hirst in London. The artwork is a Memento mori, or reminder of the mortality of the viewer. Cost $25 million.