One of the things I love about gemology is it promotes an appreciation for things unseen, when only taking a simple glance. Magnification opens up a whole other world of appreciation when discovering the story a gem tells within. By looking under magnification we can sometimes determine even at the origin of some gems based on specific inclusions of mineral and little gems encapsulated within.
But, there is more to be known and seen of the the world while under magnification. What about the sand under our feet? Have you ever thought about what it might actually look like?
When in Honolulu, I took some samples of sand from the beach to analyze. I discovered it was made of tiny broken shells, but also some baby shells!
Years ago a macro-photographer for 1of1 Images (https://www.1of1images.com/), Ethan Beckler, caught my interest with his beautiful photographic art from sand out of Bandon, Oregon. I own some of his work, which thoughtfully includes the actual grains of sand used in his photography; adhered just next to his signature. Please check out his link! He was kind enough to send me some samples of sand from this region, and below, you can see what was discovered! Garnets, quartz, olivine/peridot… Gold can also found in sand from this area.
My takeaway from all this is there is more to the world than what we see. There are glimpses of beauty in unlikely places.