Rutile, first found in the Central Urals, and the value of its crystals

There is a very beautiful mineral called rutile, which, incidentally, was first found in Russia, in the Central Urals, and is now mined in many countries of the world. Rutile tends to form long crystals in the shape of needles and bundles of needles, mostly golden or straw-coloured. Its discoverer called the stone radiant schorl, but today it is known by a multitude of names: Venus's hair, Cupid's arrows, titanium schorl. The last of these actually points to the mineral's industrial importance, since it is one of the principal sources of titanium. When cut, rutile can look almost as dazzling as a diamond. The most valuable are considered to be crystals in the form of stars; to my mind, such a crystal would make an excellent Christmas decoration. A rare crystal with star-shaped bundles can cost up to several tens of thousands of roubles; collectors, of course, chase after them

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

In the finale of the Strugatskys' Roadside Picnic, the Golden Ball is told: "Happiness for everybody, free, and let nobody go away unsatisfied!" I do not promise to offend nobody, but the digest really does come free of charge. So, here is the main business of the

Frederic Leighton

Frederic Leighton. “Daedalus and Icarus”, 1869 Daedalus warns his son not to climb too high: the heat of the sun may melt the wax, but Icarus is already gazing into the distance, and the lamentations of a foolish old man interest him not in the least

Rutile, first found in the Central Urals, and the value of its crystals

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

Frederic Leighton

Attempts to resolve the problems of many years of uncontrolled mass migration

Characters from Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" on the pedestal of the monument to Nikolai Gogol on Nikitsky Boulevard, photograph of the 1960s