They will now be able to track the effect of atmospheric dust, which has a little-understood but potentially far-reaching effect on everything from Florida's weather to the health of its coral reefs.

ECONOMIST: Bad air from Cuba

He said the ash was mostly made up of dust which causes the irritating effect but it also contains 4% silica.

BBC: Mount St Helens spews out steam and ash on 5 October 2004

They also conclude that greenhouse warming has partially been offset by the cooling effect of aerosols - tiny particles of dust thrown into the atmosphere that can reflect solar radiation back into space.

BBC: Climate research bolsters 'action' call to UN talks

And if the spa's gem associations are a stretch, they're comparable to what others are doing, like using diamond dust in anti-aging body treatments and here, for obvious reasons, sapphire dust as well (which felt great in a body cream but didn't have any discernible effect).

FORBES: Off the Beaten Track