The quarry yields blue hone granite which is used to make stones for the sport of curling.

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All this could one day make colored stones more valuable if it helps make supplies more reliable and increases demand.

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In the world of music in the early 21st century, The Rolling Stones make an easy target.

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Although the world's top emerald mines in Colombia were controlled by Spaniards between the 16th and 18th centuries, most of the best stones were shipped to India to make jewelry commissioned by the royal families.

FORBES

Indeed, on very large stones of 20 carats and up it may make sense for a jeweler to take no profit: The monster pieces draw attention to the brand.

FORBES: King of Bling

Since then it has enabled millions of people to visit the stones, with its bus helping those less able to make the journey down the hill or back up.

BBC: Giant's Causeway's long history of attracting tourists

He said it was also important to make sure "solstice celebrations aren't in some way compromising the mystery and integrity of the stones".

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Why there weren't any backups -- even older ones -- that could've been used as a restore point is totally unclear, so we're hoping Microsoft has the stones to come clean for the benefit of an entire industry that wants to understand how to make sure this never happens again.

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