The Tidewater Prospector

Transcription

1 The Tidewater Prospector Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, October 2017, Virginia Beach, VA PRESIDENT Robin Stoughton (757) st VICE PRESIDENT (Membership) Mike Jackson (757) nd VICE PRESIDENT (Program/Entertainment) Ken Barnette (757) TREASURER (Finance) Lloyd Schiffelbian (757) SECRETARY (History/Library) Cheri Jackson (757) WORKSHOPS Bill Stoughton (757) SHOWS Vacant NEWSLETTER Brooks Britt (757) FIELD TRIPS Al Dehart (757) WAYS & MEANS Roger Tiangco (757) HOSPITALITY Robin Stoughton (757) PRESIDENT EMERITUS John Mac Davis Notes from the President by Robin Stoughton Fall is here, craft shows are a l m o s t e v e r y w e e k e n d now, and the days are getting shorter. I prefer light till 9:00 pm, not dark at 7:00. Anyways, I would like to thank all our club members who helped out making all 488 grab bags!! Our new $10.00 bags should do great at our shows! We also have new fossil bags and 286 kids grab bags. I do not have a report from any members who went on the Willis Mountain trip Our annual Chr istmas party and Pollyanna will be Friday, December 15th at 6:00 pm. The club provides the meat, cheese and veggie trays. We ask that all members bring a side dish or dessert to share. If you want to participate in the Pollyanna you will need to bring a gift wrapped lapidary related item. November will be our annual elections. Officer positions that are up will be Secretary, currently held by Cheri J a c k so n a nd President, currently held by Robin Stoughton. Both want to continue with their positions. 2nd Vice President is also up and is currently vacant. We need to have a member in good standing to take over that position. Your main job as 2nd VP is our monthly programs. We also have the positions of Librarian and Show Chair vacant. We will also need a member in good standing to take over the job of Newsletter Editor at the end of the year. Brooks has done an incredible job doing our newsletter for the past 16 years but would like to step down and hand it over to someone else. I really need club members to start stepping up more and help fill our vacant positions and also to do a program now and then. A club cannot stay together without participation. Since no one volunteered to do this month s program, we will have a show and tell. Everyone can bring in their favorite rocks or gems and tell everyone why it is your favorite. I will not be at the meeting so Mike Jackson and Lloyd Schiffelbian will be running it. Emory Dixon will do a brief presentation on his recent trip to the William Holland School. Will see everyone at the November meeting. Hospitality: Thanks to all members who brought snacks last month. Any member who would like to bring something to our monthly meetings, please do so. REMINDER: All newsletter input needs to be to Brooks by the 3rd of the month.

2 Treasurer s Two Cents Welcome New Members!!! Kate MEECHAN Vacant Club Positions MUST be Filled by November by Lloyd Schiffelbian September was a normal month for the club's treasury. We had our first meeting at the new church location and there was lots of room for the meeting. The paid raffle raised $32, and two new members joined the club. P l e a s e w e l c o m e K a t e MEECHAN and her daughter, Maggie, as our newest club members! Expenses were routine and the treasury balance is about $2,345. Club membership now stands at 94 adults and 7 children. by Robin Stoughton 2017 has been a challenging year for our club with the move to a new meeting location in February, only to be followed by another move in September to a larger location. But our club's greatest challenge now is the absence of a 2nd Vice President in charge of arranging the monthly club programs. This position has been vacant for most of the year after Ken Barnette was forced to relinquish the position due to his job requirements. The club will be voting in November for half the Officer positions, including the vacant 2nd Vice President. As you all know, Brooks Britt has done a wonderful job of publishing our club's newsletter for almost 17 years, and has also managed the club's website. Recently Brooks has decided to relinquish the position of Newsletter Editor and Website Coordinator by the end of the year. Club members have certainly enjoyed the wonderful newsletters he has faithfully published and thank him for the many years of service to the club. As a consequence, the club will also now be voting in November to fill this Newsletter Editor position. I have often talked at meetings about the need to fill the vacant 2nd Vice President position so someone can organize the monthly club programs. Now the club also has a second position, Newsletter Editor, that also needs to be filled by November. It is very important that ALL club members seriously consider "stepping up" to support the club by volunteering to fill these two vital Officer positions. In fact, our club's future health depends on filling these two positions; therefore, I strongly encourage all members to consider volunteering to fill these important position! The club's Board will provide guidance and assistance for anyone willing to volunteer for one of these positions. I will discuss filling these positions at both the September and October club meetings. Tyrannosaurus Rex Collected "Of the 19 skeletons of Tyrannosaurus Rex collected to date, all but one were discovered by amateur or professional collectors. According to eminent Dr. Robert (Bob) Bakker, over 80% of all major, scientifically important, palaeontological discoveries are made by amateurs. Add the major discoveries by private, professional paleontologists and the percentage of major palaeontological discoveries by academic scientists becomes very small. Source: Alerts and Action (American Lands Access Association) via Hy Grader 6/01 Page 2

3 Ways and Means by Roger Tiangco VENI! VIDI! VOLUP! We came, We saw, We enjoyed and have fun! Another pleasurable evening was what we have on our TGMS club meeting on September 15, We did marvel about the spaciousness of the new meeting place - Huge! Herein below, are the prizes that were won on the PAID RAFFLES. OPAL: As one Poet have said Now flares, now wanes, in every tint and hue, and flashes different fire, from different point of view the Winner cannot hide her excitement, when her ticket number was announced to claim the Prize. The Opal gemstone, is over 7 carats in weight and measured at 20 mm x 19 mm, polished cabochon. Indeed, Mother Nature has given us, this magical gemstone, whose beauty come from diffraction of incident light, by ultra-microscopically grating planes within the stone, that splits it into spectral colors. As we are already aware of Science believed, that at the last period of rock formation, hot watery brine from volcanic magma, carried jelly-like silica solution and water, displaced and filled surrounding matrix which later became Opal. The name Opal, is of Sanskrit origin Upala, which means precious stone. Legend has it, that three Gods, wooed a beautiful maiden, but to forestall jealousies, the Eternal, changed her to a transparent cloud. In order to recognize her, Brahma coated her heavenly blue, Siva, his fiery red, and Vishnu, his sun s golden light. The Eternal heretofore, granted the transparent cloud a new appearance as Opal. It was assigned as the Birthstone for October-born children. Opal is the State Mineral of Nevada. Other best collecting areas: Idaho, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon & Vermont. TURQUOISE: As we have known already, Turquoise is a mineral of hydrous basic phosphate of copper and aluminum. It form as a secondary mineral in the zone of alteration in dessiminated hydrothermal replacement deposits, but only in areas that have aluminum bearing rocks. Page 3 The lady winner, will now provide a new home to this polished cabochon of 30 mm x 22 mm and weighs over 5 grams. It is jewelry ready to be set as a pendant. Over thousands of years ago, Egypt Pharaoh have venerated the captivating beauty of this amorphous gemstone, even before the Christian era. This gemstones were mined in the Sinai Peninsula. The tomb of Queen Zur, beloved of Pharaoh Athotis, was found to have engraved Turquoises in gold plates, bracelets in figure carvings. Pliny the Elder, in 23 AD have called this gemstone- kalos lithos meaning beautiful stone. Later times, was referred to as Turquoise, a French short name for Pierre Turquoise - as they believed it came from Turkey. Eulogized by Poets as talisman of adventures, protector of innocents and old-age link to good fortune. Turquoise is the State Rock of New Mexico. Other best collecting areas: California, Nevada and Virginia. R H O D O C H R O S I T E : This gemstone, has marbled structure of layers varying from pale pink to glowing raspberry red and of dark rose-red nuance. The happy graceful-lady winner, was so enthusiastic to provide a new home to this precious gem, measuring at 49 mm x 39 mm and weighs 24 grams. Rhodochrosite is a carbonate of manganese, mostly occurring in the form of botryoidal aggregates. This gemstone, rarely forms large crystals, it is translucent with glassy lustre. Resplendent in its own individual color, emphasized by the character of graceful design with its blossom like pattern. Commonly occurring with chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite, in hyphothermal and epithermal veins - also can occur with sphalerite, bornite and tetrahedrite in massive hydrothermal replacement deposits. The name was derived from Greek word rhodo rose and chros color, in referenc to the redrose color of the mineral. Rhodochrosite is the State mineral of Colorado. Other best collecting areas: Arkansas, Maine and Montana. (See Ways and Means, Page 4) MARBLE: Resulting in nature s process involving heat and pressure, this rock which we called Marble is a metamorphosed limestone. It con-

4 sist chiefly of recrystallized calcite or dolomite and is capable of taking a high polish. Marble occur in a wide range of colors and variegations, and is used in sculpture and architecture. Marble rock is normally white in color, but when tinted by iron oxide, carbon, or serpentine - can result in having different shades, as in ochre-yellow, light brown, deep green or black. Michelangelo Buonarroti ( ); Italian sculpture and painter, a protégé of Lorenzo de Medici, ventured to Rome in the year 1498, where his art work Pieta, have established him as the foremost living sculpture. The marble rock he used was purportedly from Altissimo Quarries, which is one of the numerous towns of Carrarra, Italy. Our winner of this Green round marble, did appear to be quizzical for a moment but one thing is sure, he will provide a new home to this polished Green Marble, measuring at 8-inch wide and weighing 570 grams! Best collecting areas: Georgia and Vermont. TIGER S EYE: A strongly chatoyant gemstone, Tiger s eye belong to the family of Quartz, it showed lustrous yellow, sometimes brown, at time bluegray colors of parallel fibers and with vitreous and greasy luster. The winner was so ecstatic, when his ticket number was announced to claim the prize, and I would be too!, because he did won the Green Marble! The fibrous crystal structure of this gemstone Tiger s eye, have resulted from pseudomorphic origin - a mineral having the outward appearance of another mineral that it has replaced by chemical action or radium activity. Most often Tiger s eye are formed by the alteration of crocidolite (blue asbestos) and consisting essentially of Quartz, colored by iron oxide. The gemstone slab he won measured 54 mm x 40 mm x 30 mm and weighs 80 grams! Tiger s eye gemstone is rare in continental USA. FREE RAFFLES: The following mineral specimens have now a new home: Amethyst, Druzy Quartz, Crystal Quartz and Pyrite. September Meeting Minutes by Cheri Jackson and Robin Stoughton The first meeting at our new location was called to order at 7:30pm. New members and guests were welcomed. The minutes were dispensed as they were in the newsletter. Lloyd reported that there was $2, in the Treasury as of the end of August. It was announced that the TOTE Show was to be on October 6-8th with setup on the 5th. Volunteers or setup and to work the show during the weekend. Lloyd will be in charge of this. Anyone volunteering at the show will be entered in a drawing. No displays will be at the show this time and Roseanne said that the Pebble Pup table was in need of fresh stuff. There were 286 $1 grab bags made at the last meeting and 80 fossil bags. We will be making 400+ $10 grab bags at Bill and Robin's house the Sunday after the meeting. All bags were marked at the meeting as well. Lloyd is in charge of the membership roster now. Tom Leary brought copper specimens smelted from materials coming from Willis Mountain and he will be donating a bucket of fossil material from Aurora to the Pebble Pups table. Our annual Christmas pot luck and Pollyanna will be on December 15th at 6pm at our meeting place. Roger said that upcoming Officer positions coming up for re-election in December will be President and Secretary. We are also looking to fill the position of Second Vice President, Show Chairman, Librarian, and Newsletter Editor. We then had our raffle and door prize drawings. This program was then turned over to Bill who did a good program on material from Oregon and Idaho. The meeting was adjourned at 9pm. Page 4

5 Nominating Committee Report by Roger Tiagco Brad s Bench Tips for October by Brad Smith Please be informed that NOVEMBER ELECTION ( ) is fast approaching. We will elect or re-elect those capable personnel to lead us in our quest for lapidary techniques and Earth Science appreciations. The Offices open for election and the duties involved, among other things, are as follows: PRESIDENT: Shall preside at all meetings of this Society and the Board and perform all duties customary of this Office. The President, will also maintain liason with Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies and other Earth Science groups as appropriate. The President shall appoint the Chairman of all standing Committees, with the exception of the Nominating Committee. SECRETARY: Shall keep accurate record of all Meetings of this Society and its Board. The Secretary has custody of all official documents and papers of the Society, maintains a complete and up-to-date roll of the membership, and performs roll call when directed. Shall provide the President with the order of business, a list of all Committees, and have available, at every meeting, a folder containing the Constitution, By-Laws and Standing Rules. Please notify the Nominating Committee of your desire to run for open office or nominate agreeable personnel for elective positions. Their names will appear in a printed ballot to be handed to voters at the meeting in November. In addition to the slate of proposed Officers, nominations may be made from the floor. We will tabulate the votes and will announce the results. Thank you, Nominating Committee Roger Tiangco,(Chair), Roger Blackman, Diana Hinshaw, Rosanne Hinshaw Page 5 LAYOUT TOOLS Dimensions on some features of a design can be fluid while others must be accurate for the design to work. When precision on a piece is important, good layout techniques are essential. These are the tools that I rely upon to get holes in the right place, to achieve correct angles, and to cut pieces the correct length. I like crisp sharp lines to follow, so I often coat surfaces with a dark marker and scribe my layout lines onto the metal. A square makes quick work of checking right angles or marking where to cut, and the thin center punch helps me mark a place to drill holes exactly where I want them. Finally, a good set of dividers is probably my favorite layout tool. They let me quickly mark a strip for cutting, swing an arc, and divide a line or curve into as many equal segments as I need. I keep at least one set of dividers in every toolbox. INVENTORY RECORD In an ideal world each of us has a complete pictorial record of all pieces of jewelry in our inventory. We use the pics for marketing, and we use the record for insurance. We use it to remember which items have been sent out on consignment, or we use it to mark which items we're taking to a show. And eventually, we note in the record the pieces that have sold. Unfortunately, we don t always have time to take good pictures of each piece for a detailed inventory. In situations like this I ve been able to make a quick group shot with the help of a smart phone, a camera, a scanner, or a color copier. The quality is more than sufficient to accurately identify the pieces. See all Brad's jewelry books at Amazon.com/author/ BradfordSmith

6 Tidewater Gem & Mineral Society P.O. Box Virginia Beach, Va About This Publication The Tidewater Prospector is the monthly newsletter of the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, Virginia Beach, Virginia, associated with the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. Permission to copy freely granted when proper credit given to both the publication and the author. Our meeting in October is on Friday the 20th at 7:30 pm at Memorial United Methodist Church, 804 Gammon Road, Virginia Beach, VA. The Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society is a non-profit organization devoted to the collecting and study of minerals, gemstones, geology, paleontology and the lapidary arts as well as the love and deep appreciation of the great outdoors. Meetings are the third Friday of each month at 7:30 PM at Princess Anne Plaza United Methodist Church located at 208 South Plaza Trail, Virginia Beach, VA. Our monthly meetings are open to everyone, no admission is charged. Website