In western cultures wedding anniversaries are traditionally associated with the giving of gifts made of materials which vary depending upon the number of years the couple has been married. Similarly, wedding anniversaries are also known by the material, so the 25th wedding anniversary is popularly known as the 'silver wedding anniversary' after the material associated with it. While there are variations to the list, a general one follows: 1st Paper 2nd Cotton 3rd Leather 4th Fruit 5th Wood 6th Sugar 7th Copper 8th Bronze 9th Pottery 10th Tin 11th Steel 12th Silk 13th Lace 14th Ivory 15th Crystal 20th China 25th Silver 30th Pearl 35th Coral 40th Ruby 45th Sapphire 50th Gold 55th Emerald 60th Diamond 70th Platinum Research Wedding Anniversaries
The Siamese is a breed of short-haired cat known for its colouration, intelligence and svelte elegance. The coat is thick and glossy, with points on the mask, ears, feet, and tail which can be seal, chocolate, blue, or lilac coloured. The ears are large and pointed, the tail is long and thin and the eyes are sapphire blue. The Siamese has the loudest meow of all cat breeds. The breed originates from Asia and first appeared in Britain in the 1870s when the King of Siam gave a gift of two Siamese cats to Owen Gould, the English consul general in Bangkok, to take back to London. Research Siamese
A Cardinal is an ecclesiastical prince in the Roman Catholic Church, who has a voice in the conclave at the election of a pope, the popes being taken from the cardinals. The cardinals are appointed by the pope, and are divided into three classes or orders, comprising six bishops, fifty priests, and fourteen deacons, making seventy at most. These constitute the Sacred College and compose the pope's council. Originally they were subordinate in rank to bishops; but they now have the precedence. The chief symbol of the dignity of cardinal is a low-crowned, broad-brimmed red hat, with two cords depending from it, one from either side, each having fifteen tassels at its extremity. Other insignia are a red biretta, a purple cassock, a sapphire ring, etc. Research Cardinal
Joanna Lumley is an English actress and producer. She was born in 1946 at Srinagar, Kashmir, India. British audiences know her chiefly for playing 'Purdey' in the television series 'The New Avengers' and 'Sapphire' in the 1979 television series 'Sapphire and Steel'. One of her first film roles was playing the English girl in the 1969 James Bond film 'On Her Majesty's Service'. Research Joanna Lumley
In Greek mythology, Phoebe was the goddess of waxing and waning cycles. Ruler of the sapphire- regioned moon and cloven-hoofed animals. In Greek mythology, Phoebe was a Titan, a daughter of Uranus and Ge, and the mother of Leto and Asteria by her brother Coeus. Research Phoebe
The USM9 is a German bayonet of the KCB 77 family manufactured by Eickhorn comprising a 5 5/8 inch long clip point blade of carbonsteel with a corrosion-resistant black finish. The handle is electrically insulated and incorporates a voltage tester. The guard is hooked forward to form a bottle opener. The scabbard incorporates wire cutters, a sapphire sharpening stone and a screwdriver tip. Research USM9
A gramaphone is a now almost obsolete device for replaying sound recordings made on plastic disks. A disk was engraved with a spiral pattern of grooves, and the recording reproduced by a blunt stylus of sapphire or diamond which transmitted the bumps of travelling over the grooves to a sensitive material, originally glass or mica which then vibrated reproducing the original sound waves. The sound was then passed to an amplifier, originally a horn and later an electronic amplifier. The recordings for a gramaphone were made by a phonograph, the original invented in 1877 by Thomas Edison which recorded the sound on tinfoil, and later improved by Tainter to engrave wax disks instead. Research Gramaphone
Alumina (Al2O3) is the single oxide of the metal aluminium. As found native it is called corundum, when crystallized ruby or sapphire, when amorphousemery. It is next to the diamond in hardness. In combination with silica it is one of the most widely distributed of substances, as it enters in large quantity into the composition of granite, traps, slates, schists, clays, loams, and other rocks. The porcelain clays and kaolins contain about half their weight of this earth, to which they owe their most valuable properties. It forms compounds with certain colouring matters, which causes it to be employed in the preparation of the colours called lakes in dyeing and calico-printing. It combines with the acids and forms numerous salts, the most important of which are the sulphate (Alum) and acetate, the latter of extensive use as a mordant. Research Alumina
Carbuncle is a beautiful gem of a deep red colour (with a mixture of scarlet) . It was called by the Greeks anthrax and is found in the East Indies. When held up to the sun, it loses its deep tinge, and becomes of the colour of burning coal. The name belongs for the most part to rubysapphire, though it has been also given to red spinel and garnet. Research Carbuncle
Corundum is a form of aluminium oxide common as an accessory mineral in metamorphic rocks and as an original constituent of certain igneous rocks. Pure corundum is colourless, but colour differences due to the presence of other elements give rise to several varieties of gem, notably, ruby and sapphire. The deep red ruby (corundum tainted with chromium) is one of the most valuable gems, second only to emerald and diamond. Sapphire is corundum tainted with titanium.
Corundum has the formulae Al2O3 and a relative hardness of 9. Research Corundum
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Wedding Anniversaries
