* Astronomy

The Guinness Book of World Records has declared the painite the rarest of all gems in years past. In fact, less than 20 of the specimen were known to exist. The painite gem which has been tagged as Specimen No. 5 was fashioned into an oval weighing 2.54 carats. It is the painites' few numbers that make it rare, not necessarily its colouring, which appear brownish in colour. However, the gem also has pleochoric attributes, meaning it changes hues from different angles. At the right angle, a painite can also appear pink to red. The painite was named after Arthur Charles Davy Pain, the British gemologist who discovered the gem in Myanmar.

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For the first time since the earliest days of the state, Irelands national geology collection is to be given a home. The majority of the 10,000 pieces have not been seen since the 1920s.
Most specimens come from abroad. It includes mammal and fish skeletons, maps, material related to the petroleum industry and earthquakes and a rock dating back 500 million years.
Under a new plan the National Museum of Ireland is proposing to add a basement level to the Natural History Museum in Merrion Street, which closed last summer after the limestone staircase collapsed.
When it reopens in 2012 the new floor will become the permanent home of the collection.

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A colourless 101.27 carat diamond

Ancient priceless gemstones and jewels belonging to postdated Achaemenid era have been unearthed in Iran's southern province of Fars.
Archaeologists succeeded in discovering over 20 pieces of 2,200-year-old bracelets, necklaces and earrings adorned with agate, ruby and opal in ancient graves behind Salman-e Farsi Dam in Iran's southern city of Yarj.
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