Một phụ nữ VN tặng Bảo Tàng USA viên ngọc 5899.5 carats !

Bà Thủy Ngô Nguyễn đã tặng cho Field Museum (Chicago, USA) nhiều collections nữ trang quý giá gồm kim cương, ngọc quý, cẩm thạch và hạt trai . Trong số ngọc quý , có viên ngọc Topaz nặng tới 5899.5 carats ( gần 1.2 kilogram !!) . Viên ngọc Topaz này được đặt tên là viên ngọc Chalmer’s Topaz ( Chalmer là tên của một người Mỹ có công xây dựng nên Field Museum ) Bà Thủy cùng chồng ( bác sĩ) và một cháu trai di tản sang Mỹ năm 1975 với 2 bàn tay trắng ! Sau 30 năm làm lụng và kinh doanh trong ngành địa ốc, bà Thủy đã gầy đựng sự nghiệp lớn, nuôi 4 con nên người ( 2 con trai thành bác sĩ chuyên khoa, một con trai làm Luật sư và một con trai tốt nghiệp đại học ) . Bà Thủy cũng rất tích cực cứu giúp đồng bào ở quê nhà qua những chương trình từ thiện tư nhân cho Việt Nam . Hiện nay, những collections của bà Thủy đang được trưng bày trong Grainger Hall of Gems của Field Museum . “The Chalmers Topaz” 5,899.5 carats Locality: Brazil Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen One of the beauties of topaz is that it frequently occurs in sizable, inclusion-free crystals that can be faceted into large gems like the “Chalmers Topaz” pictured here. Named for former Field Museum trustee William J. Chalmers, this topaz is 5,899.5 carats and weighs over two and a half pounds! Contemporary Diamond Necklace Colorless diamonds set in platinum necklace 22 carats of diamonds (total) Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen In ancient times, jewelers merely polished diamond crystals. But by the 18th century, jewelers had discovered how to create facets (flat polished angles) that bounced light back to the viewer better. In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky perfected the modern round brilliant cut—still a standard today—with 58 precisely angled facets. Fancy Yellow Diamond Ring Fancy yellow diamond and colorless diamonds set in gold ring 1-carat diamond (center) Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen The center stone in this ring is one carat, or one fifth of a gram. The word carat likely refers to the seeds of an African locust tree (called a kuara) that were used as a standard in ancient times. The scientific weight of a carat wasn't standardized until the 20th century. Because gems vary in density, stones of the same carat weight but different species may be different sizes. Ruby and Diamond Pendant Ruby and diamonds set in gold pendant 23-carat ruby Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen Carat (weight) is another important factor when grading a ruby, and large, high-quality rubies are extremely rare. The ruby in this pendant weighs in at a respectable 23 carats! Emerald Pendant Emerald and diamonds set in white gold pendant 20-carat emerald Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen Because emeralds so often contain inclusions, jewelers judge them first by color, then by clarity. In the jewelry industry, an “eye clean” stone has no visible flaws to the naked eye, while a “clean” stone has no visible flaws under 10X magnification. Emerald Necklace Emerald and diamonds set in gold necklace 27 carats of emeralds (total) Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen Top quality emeralds like the one-carat stones in this necklace are rarer than diamonds and hard enough to resist scratching. However, impurities can make the stone susceptible to fracture. Sometime emeralds are oiled to improve clarity and prevent cracking. Carved Imperial Jade Pin Carved imperial jade set in gold pin Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nguyen By the 18th century in China, nephrite began to be supplanted by large quantities of jadeite imported from Burma (now called Myanmar). Translucent, emerald green jadeite—called “imperial jade” —became popular with emperors in the late Chinese dynasties. South Sea Cultured Pearl Brooch 11 mm pearls Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nugyen Pearls are no longer as rare or expensive as they once were because most of those on the market today are cultured. To tell a synthetic pearl from a real pearl, rub it against your teeth. The fake pearl will feel smooth while the real will feel gritty. But the only way to tell a natural pearl from a cultured pearl (both are considered “real”) is with an x-ray, which will reveal the nucleus. Golden South Sea Cultured Pearl Necklace 10.5-12 mm pearls Donor: Mrs. Thuy Ngo Nugyen South Sea pearls are famous for their large size, partly because of the rapidity with which the mollusk secretes the layers of nacre, and partly because South Seas pearl farmers leave the pearls to “grow” for at least two years. Gold-lipped pearl oysters produce this distinctive color of pearl.