Mineralogist Answers Gemstone Questions From Twitter | Tech Support | WIRED

Gabriela Farfan, the Smithsonian's curator of gems and minerals, answers the internet's burning questions about gemstones. Are all minerals crystals? How are diamonds cut? How do geodes form? Is the Hope Diamond actually cursed? This rock and mineral expert answers all these questions and more.
Director: Lisandro Perez-Rey
Director of Photography: Ben Finkel
Editor: Richard Trammell
Expert: Gabriela Farfan
Line Producer: Joseph Buscemi
Associate Producer: Brandon White
Production Manager: D. Eric Martinez
Production Coordinator: Fernando Davila
Casting Producer: Nick Sawyer
Camera Operator: Randy Feldman
Sound Mixer: David Campbell
Production Assistant: Brittany Barbour
Post Production Supervisor: Alexa Deutsch
Post Production Coordinator: Ian Bryant
Supervising Editor: Doug Larsen
Additional Editor: Paul Tael
Assistant Editor: Billy Ward
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[@annbacerra]

The casting producer doesn't get enough credit. I don't think I've seen a person on this series I wouldn't want to listen to for hours.

[@ediblelipscrubs9466]

All of these experts are so charismatic!

[@FlagCutie]

Agreed.

[@Sinspinner]

I’ve even watched people with professions I’m not at all interested in. These people are excellent communicators.

[@littlefishiesinthese]

Only one "average casting" comes to mind - the surgeon episode with Annie Onishi. I would prefer to listen to a surgeon who is more empathetic to their patients, and perhaps more enthusiastic in their answers. But such a surgeon would be a hard find!

[@renataarcos1073]

​@@littlefishiesinthesecame here to comment the same lol

[@jopo7996]

We should feel privileged that she is sharing so much knowledge, and not take it for granite.

[@RachaelCC]

That's a 24 karat pun! 🎉

[@crispychrissy]

This comment is certified saph-FIRE.

[@gus473]

🙄 Rock on, gang.....

[@person7200]

These puns are real gems!

[@thelittlehooer]

Ice see what you did there...

[@geniicube9585]

This is what the internet was supposed to bring us. Thank you

[@ediblelipscrubs9466]

I agree 💞

[@Cookie0fPower]

Agreed

[@akramdogha3778]

For real! I expected some horoscope energy stones BS but actually learned a lot and Gabriela was awesome.

[@jupiterwilkymay5161]

Gabriella is a real gem. 😊

[@Hotobu]

She seems like she's in the early stages of cerebral palsy.

[@mq6033]

This chick rocks!

[@Ethredge27]

Love to rock her world 🪨

[@DemHighTimes]

Yeah but she is by definition a type of geologist 🥱

[@DemHighTimes]

Try buying an engagement ring for a mineralogist. She gonna write you a 250 page thesis on why you didn't spend enough money

[@_MohamedZain]

Thank you to whoever came up with the idea of Tech Support, i learned so much over these past few years, and thank you to all the experts as well, you inspire us.

[@ImSquiggs]

It’s become one of my favorite series on KZbin. I thought I showed up at WIRED to watch a single John Krazinski autocomplete interview, and five years later I now watch every Tech Support upload they make. Such a great series that I never expected to stumble on

[@hungrstrke]

Jesus Christ Marie, they're not rocks, they're minerals !

[@Rdsxfn]

I scrolled way too far to find this

[@StillOnTrack]

Real missed opportunity to edit that in somewhere 😂

[@TheBlakus420]

@StillOnTrack Seriously tho 😂

[@julius8631]

Just came for this comment. Not even gonna watch the video

[@bestredditstories1158]

Was looking for this comment

[@AlexaVonSuess]

Even as a gemologist, I had a blast watching this. She does a great job at breaking down complex ideas into digestible pieces of info.

[@cleverusername9369]

She made things... Crystal clear 😎 *the Who YEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHH

[@DarklordZagarna]

Very, um, polished presentation.

[@ntibinotes]

south african geologist here and i am geeking! gold and pyrite can also be differentiated using the streak test: gold has a yellow streak while pyrite normally has a black streak

[@gilmour6754]

Love these episodes where the expert is in a field I'd never think to care about, but is so knowledgeable and passionate that I'm loving it.

[@lovely.and.lacquered]

I would watch 10 more episodes of her talking about gems! They are so pretty to look at, but learning more of the science behind how they are formed was really interesting!

[@thomashoglund5671]

She is such a pretty gem to look at.... I mean her gems are pretty to look at...

[@ZHL242]

Yo this lady _enunciates_

[@lka9900]

It’s so crisp

[@beckerderbacker4976]

Who else was obsessed with minerals as a kid? I had books on them and several minerals I had bought at stores. On occasion I would take a pickax to rocks I found, though I usually just found quartz.

[@cecillewolters1995]

Yes and I still love them ^^ I’m Dutch and the fantasy books that got me interested are ‘the emerald boy’ and ‘Deltora’

[@carlomalferrari]

mine started when i watched Snow White as a kid. 🤣 The dwarves in the mine scene really had me enchanted.

[@thomaskelliher]

I think I begged my parents for just about every book out on the market on minerals when I was a kid 😂

[@zammyr6807]

Having studied Geology, this is the first time I don't feel stupid watching these videos.

[@burningrabbit7278]

Me: "Eh, I don't think I have time to dedicate to a tv series right now." Also me: "Twenty minutes of an expert talking about gemstones? Sign me up!"

[@handlefornate]

I'm glad that she touched on blood diamonds ethics, i think an even better mineral ethics opportunity would be when discussing the minerals of our smartphones and electric vehicles and how the western colonialism in the global south relies on destabilizing the regions where we get all these minerals (especially like Sudan and Congo in Africa) and the humanitarian crisis of these areas!

[@ediblelipscrubs9466]

I agree

[@grassfolk]

Agree, I was disappointed the cell phone question didn’t go there.

[@evilsharkey8954]

@@grassfolkI think she chose the element that was most abundant in the smart phone rather than focusing on cobalt or tantalum because the blood diamond question was going to bring up the conflict minerals topic.

[@gobsofgabs7379]

Honestly could have been edited out for time, especially since the blood diamonds were mentioned.

[@handlefornate]

@@gobsofgabs7379 tbh I think that'd be worse than forgetting to mention it if they actually filmed it and put it on the cutting room floor

[@alexksader_zp8554]

She is just majestic! The energy, the positivity! And she brought all the things she's talking about - ruby? here's ruby! diamonds? here are the diamonds! pure gold? Here! Wow!

[@allana6643]

It looks like they’re filming at the Smithsonian since that’s where she works, idk if they let you borrow 54 carrot diamonds haha

[@alexksader_zp8554]

@@allana6643 yeah yeah, they're at the Smithsonian museum , i meant brought to the set, or the table, sorry English not very good

[@veronicam5383]

​@@alexksader_zp8554your english is fine, she just wants to be a know-it-all

[@demeter-the-great]

It’s all crystal clear. She really rocks! Let’s not take a gem like her for granite, she’s a real diamond in the rough. Schist happens, but we have to be gneiss.

[@DefinitelyNotDiego]

gneiss man

[@nodsib]

Now we’re getting down to Bismuth

[@SmokingKillss]

We need a 10 episode season of her explaining minerals to us "immediately"

[@Mercure250]

2:17 I did not expect to hear that name here. Mount Saint-Hilaire is an old, eroded mountain (it looks more like a big hill now) in the Montérégie region of the province of Québec, Canada. It contains many minerals and there is indeed a mine located there. There is also a town at its base, called Mont-Saint-Hilaire, in which I used to live, hence why it felt a bit surreal for me to hear the name in this video.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

It is a legendary locality to mineral collectors, where dozens of new minerals have been found!

[@Mercure250]

@@canadiangemstones7636 I actually didn't know it was this significant. Makes me appreciate where I used to live even more!

[@onkelpappkov2666]

​@@Mercure250If I was you, I'd proudly call it "mine".

[@DarklordZagarna]

Of course, there's also the (now-renamed) town of Asbestos, Quebec, famous for its mining of another noteworthy mineral...

[@Mercure250]

@@DarklordZagarna Yeah, this one, I knew about. Thing is, in French, the mineral is called "amiante", so to us, "Asbestos" didn't really mean anything. It's only when English speakers started being like "Bruh there's literally a town named Asbestos wtf" that the town decided it was maybe a good idea to change the name. Especially since, apparently, they got a few too many nosy KZbinrs going there and talking about it.

[@pippa3150]

You can tell she really loves what she does. I loved geology in college. I studied it quite a bit. But I still learned a lot today!

[@yxx_chris_xxy]

She wanted to be a princess as a kid and now gets to wear some of the most valuable and famous gems in the world during nights at the museum. She even gets to wear the Hope Diamond without being affected by the curse. We can only imagine all the cosplay that's happening at the Smithsonian once the visitors have been herded out in the evening.

[@MacMasore]

I love people like her, I’m not particularly interested in gems, crystals and jewelry but she tells it so well with so much enthusiasm I just kept viewing!

[@Nikkiflausch]

Mineralogists and geologists continue to be the peak of nerdism. I‘ll never get tired of listening to them.

[@erinhowett3630]

The mineral exhibit at the Smithsonian was one of my favorite places on earth growing up. And I get to share it with my husband this spring!

[@stephanieotto2868]

After watching that, i want a part 2! It was really interesting 🙂

[@fredrikjohansson]

I like the fact that per definition snow is a mineral. Is a natural made solid material with crystal structure

[@Asumji]

I have created my own little mineral collection over the years and have visited many museums to see such crystals so this has been so close to my heart. Thank you for this episode

[@cecillewolters1995]

Are there some specific pieces in your collection that you hold dear to your heart?

[@Asumji]

@@cecillewolters1995 They're all around the same value to me so not really I usually prefer the bigger stones tho since there's more to look at ^^

[@marosvarga9198]

"Jesus Marie, they´re Minerals!"

[@armyforlife3191]

I can listen to her explaining in detail for hours and hours. These expert videos really makes me wanna keep learning

[@nowwereevengames]

this was explained so easily, i wish i had teachers and professors like her 😅

[@qnetx]

Excellent presentation! Clear, concise, informative, insightful and superbly presented. Kudos to Gabriela and the production team.

[@Dan_d00d]

SO mucj chemistry. Im in nerd heaven. Loving that Gabriela is not dumbing down the use of terms and names while making the concepts clear. Sci Com done right! Talking up the carbon allotropes around diamond and graphite would be a cool thing too, and some more about toughness v hardness. Of course... some cummingtonite wouldn't go astray , A postdoc surrounded by shiny things is a nice way to do it!

[@kenknapp2319]

More than the video title! Was super informative!!! Thanks!!! Geology is really cool but in school they really only explained about using hardness and reactions to certain solutions (but never really explained why)

[@zusiarosenthal4674]

i love seeing people that are as passionate about what they love to do as her. its so refreshing!

[@treiz01]

I love seeing a professional who enjoys what they do!

[@drewfromyay882]

I love this lady! Her answers were crystal clear.

[@halosiam]

She is an enthusiastic person about her subject 😊 The way she explains is absolute GEM🥰

[@naive_person472]

I have watched a lot of these Tech support videos and this individual may just be the best at explaining her area of expertise out of everyone!!! She is an amazing science communicator.

[@jptrgoddess]

This was so nice! She answered so many questions I didn't even know I had. Plus, I've grown to love sparkley rocks, so it's nice to see her collection!

[@ilethe6116]

The collection behind her is actually at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. She mentions that at 10:22

[@jyusatsu]

This is very interesting since I'm curious about gemstones and minerals. Ms. Gabriela's explanation is easy to understand and I would love to learn more and listen to her answer more questions about minerals.

[@tonyarichards5430]

Very interesting. I wish she would have covered star sapphires, although the process is similar to turquoise. I have my mom’s Linde ring. She bought it in 1957. My most treasured possession. I think there are seven colors.

[@Bubblies005]

I loved going to the Smithsonian and seeing the Hope Diamond in person. Definitely a bucketlist moment for me. I love rocks, minerals, mineraloids, and organics. ❤

[@knux5796]

she explained everything so clearly i love this

[@marym1036]

I loved this! Informative, interesting, a bit of fun, wonderful speaker and voila…I now want to learn more about mineralogy/gemology/geology. I feel old asking if Wired could provide recommended further reading/other media on the subject when they shoot these type of videos. Kudos to whoever casted this gem of a biomineralogist for the piece!

[@kalennighteyes]

Thank you, Gabriela. You *rocked* this episode! Wired sure found a great gem to speak about this topic!

[@Bodie275]

The expert in this video was amazing. Thoroughly enjoyed this video, thank you.

[@iLikeTrainsXx]

This was a really fun watch! More rock support pls

[@ElbiAdajew]

We need a part two

[@isla2593]

This was so much more fascinating than expected. Thank you ! For sharing knowledge :)

[@janetf23]

Thanks for a rock solid start to 2024's Tech Support series, my favorite series along with Obsessed👍

[@hamade7997]

This is my favorite in the series you have done so far, amazing.

[@theemissary1313]

I love listening to experts with equal amounts of knowledge and enthusiasm.

[@constanterratic4252]

More please! ☺️ Loved this so much!

[@Bestpetlover01]

Finally, the gemstone questions I never knew I had are answered by a mineralogist. So interesting!

[@TheSkinnyZ]

Looooved this! Need part 2 soon!

[@jiyoungpark6233]

oh, thank you, so much, for giving terrific answers, it inspired me a lot, that diamonds themselves are used when being cut.

[@jordan.newsom]

I would never have sought this out, but it was very interesting! I guess i'm into gemstones now lol

[@nanaandbump.]

She is super knowledgeable and presented very professionally, this was fun to watch! Thanks

[@roguedogx]

7:20 I can't explain why but there's just something so appealing about obsidian.

[@ryeofoatmeal]

what a great timing! I've been into gem stones lately and been reading thru Internet a lot haha. the way she explains are very articulate with the subject, and can tell her passion as mineralogist

[@kaltolukis5]

She is amazing. Well spoken, so knowledgeable. Learned so much.

[@DJofSparta]

This series is a real gem.

[@benosborne4655]

im so glad you guys did a geology episode ive been asking for this lol

[@stefunnylim]

what a great vid, i really learnt a lot!! thank you gabriela!! (also loving all of the mineral puns here lol

[@phillandillan]

We need more of her

[@shoa2285]

This was so cool to watch. I wish maybe in another episode she can touch on the fluorescent side of minerals. Minerals that when you shine Ultra Violet (UV) light you see magnificent colors.

[@vintagedesert]

This was a great video, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!

[@HarshReality882]

I love her energy and knowledge!

[@OnlyPainAllDayEveryDay00]

She did an excellent job explaining and is super positive and enthusiastic. A real gem (pun intended, but it does describe her perfectly)

[@khushboovishwa]

I think her inorganic chemistry is just great🙏🏻

[@istrajnapersevere5670]

So knowlegable and passionate! Thank you for this educational episode!

[@Mind_Idiot]

im 99% sure that the lady asking about the 'moonstone' ring was probably sold a polished gypsum ring. That explains the 'don't get it wet' instructions, since it would slowly dissolve. Beautiful opal you got there btw.

[@danmorrison8194]

The presenter seems excited about her job. That’s pretty refreshing!

[@nyangtries2645]

make a series of this topic please with her as the host i love how she discuss the topic without being boring.

[@themarquis336]

She’s so great. I love her! Bring her back to talk about anything she wants!

[@deckard5558]

Finally, an eye-soothing background.

[@firehawk2324]

I've always loved rocks and minerals. My daughter does as well. We definitely need to visit The Smithsonian some day!

[@justalittlebitmo]

We were at the geode beds in Utah just a few months ago. How fun that she referenced them!

[@MRMUMU]

Love this video , thanks for sharing the information!

[@Vistico93]

Of the 118 known elements, only 80 of them have at least one stable nuclide and our cellphones use 65 of them. Dang... That's some complex tech I'm using to text my friends! (I'm assuming cellphones don't use any of the radioactive ones unless there's a need for an old-school smoke detector in them ;-)

[@hominahominahomina1]

This is something I thought would be boring. Now I want to know more because it's not just about rings and necklaces

[@k.bart.parkinglot]

I could literally listen to this all day.

[@deckardcraigwyr8573]

we need second part about gemstone, we love you gabriela

[@GPIA]

Great job, purely informative and concise

[@Potencyfunction]

Like is not obvieoust.

[@somthinwrong]

Thanos: *takes notes aggressively*

[@johnvanniekerk4068]

I stay in Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa! The Kimberley diamond is part of the De Beers collection. De Beers recently gave their sorting structure, known as the Harry Oppenheimer House, to the Local Sol Plaatjie University

[@Wiwcac]

Im literally polishing opals now as you brought up opal. Ill use water for them, but if it gets saturated ill dry it out very slowly.

[@fabrislemos]

"They are not rocks! They are minerals!"

[@Potencyfunction]

Keep in mind that are specs that think in 2 dimensions, they don´t understand other side of the words. neither think at their actions.

[@VeroTesta]

Hank Schrader, rejoyce!

[@BeeTimesTwo]

This was such an interesting watch!

[@snobgoblinDK]

This is so fascinating

[@ericperry1861]

Rock and Stone!

[@anoobyproaz5616]

Leave no dwarf behind!

[@commonbaum945]

I cannot believe they actually call the yellow diamond a "very fancy diamond" LMAO

[@chrisdiduch3347]

Technically the term is just ‘fancy colour’. For yellow, such as the one shown, it’s usually called ‘canary’. The off-yellow sort of brownish ones with low-medium intensity are called ‘champagne’or ‘cognac’. Basically, these names are given to make them sound more attractive.

[@arthurmezacasa1021]

The region in Brazil were I was born is very rich in geodes! Especially amethyst and white quartz ones! There are multiple cities that have capitalized tourism and commerce related to them!

[@PollywanaOceanJewelry]

I wish I could have her helping me with my ocean stones. This was really good information and she's a great teacher, I could watch for hours.

[@alexmalt]

This lady needs her own Bones show.

[@bikeny]

I never saw the show, so I'm curious as to what the show would be like.

[@LeBeautiful]

Cursed diamonds but a heart of gold

[@erinhowett3630]

I’ve seen some of these pieces in person! Neat!

[@chardvnnay]

I wanted to study rocks in college but didn't think it would be a livable career. Love this video, she seems well informed and I feel like I could talk about rocks all day with her 😅

[@speedyhomo]

Happy she mentioned the Marquise cut!! Its my absolute favourite cut for any gem. If I ever get married I'm getting a marquise moissanite ring, they're soooo pretty :)

[@BlackCeII]

Got to love one wired decides to actually put out something educational as opposed to making some marginally famous internet personality even more famous