REMINDER: There will not be a December newsletter due to the show.

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1 THE GOLDEN NUGGET November PROGRAM CORNER When: November 10, 2011 Where: 1751 Congressman William L. Dickinson Drive, Montgomery, AL Time: 7:00 P M What: Annual Business Meeting (Election of Officers) + Planning Session for Show Who: All Members REMINDER: There will not be a December newsletter due to the show. >>>ALSO, MARK YOU CALENDAR FOR DECEMBER 9th FOR THE CHRISTMAS PARTY TO BE HELD AT 6:30 PM, Capital Heights United Methodist Church, 2000 Winona Av, Montgomery (Winona is one street over from Madison Ave or it can be accessed from Federal Dr) - BRING FINGER FOODS. REFRESHMENTS Drinks: Stan Stevens Snacks:???? Please remember to bring paper plates, napkins, and cups. Ice is available at the community center. It is your responsibility to find another member to substitute in the event you are unable to fulfill a month for which you signed up. 1

2 HAPPY NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY 25 Helen Holston 27 Trey Randall 11 Charles Deacy 15 Charles Holston 15 James Nolan HAPPY DECEMBER BIRTHDAY 2 16 Annette Stauch 17 James Easterling 17 Helen Kerbey WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Kenneth Solomons James Nolan SHOW VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Planning is getting urgent for our 2011 Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show December 2 nd -- 4 th. It takes a lot of time and hard work by a lot of people to put it on, but it s also a lot of fun. It helps educate the public about our hobby in its various aspects and is our primary source of income. Following the business session at the November meeting, we will be devoting the program time to finalizing plans for the show. The show begins with the set up of the dealers dinner and the showcases on Thursday morning, December 1 st, at 9:00 a.m. and concludes after the show ends at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday night, December 4 th. Each member is expected to commit work time, not only at the dealers dinner, but also at least 2 hours, preferably more (if possible and doesn t have to be consecutively) during the weekend at the information table and/or the demonstration table. We need everyone s cooperation in making the show a success. The hours of the show will be: Friday 9:00 6:00 (Students Day 9:00 2:00); Saturday 10:00 6:00; and Sunday 11:00 5:00. Please choose the hours you will agree to work and be prepared to sign up for the information and/or demonstration tables at the meeting. IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING, please notify Iris McGehee at regarding when you can work. Also, write the time down when you agree to work (forms will be available at the meeting). Everyone involved is too busy during the weekend to phone you to remind you of your obligations. Linda Griebel will be handling the dealers dinner this year. The vendor dinner will be at 6:00 on Thursday, December 1 st. Members also enjoy the dinner; however, we always allow vendors to get into the food line first. The club will provide the meat, cole slaw, potato salad and bread. We will be serving approximately 150 people; so plan to prepare large enough servings (double or

3 triple recipes) to help feed this number. Plan to bring a casserole or dessert. We naturally need more casseroles than desserts. If you cannot cook a casserole, Sunday Dinner has a large variety at reasonable prices that you might purchase. Also, if you cannot cook and do not want to purchase a casserole to bring, we will need tea (both sweetened and unsweetened), lemonade, and water. Sign up at the meeting indicating what you will bring. Here again, if YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING, call Linda Griebel and let her know what you can be depended on to bring. THESE DISHES NEED TO BE AT THE COLISEUM NO LATER THAN 5:30 ON DECEMBER 2 nd. Bring your hot items already heated! We have 15 showcases that need your Treasure Display. Make plans to put something in a case. These will be judged during the show and ribbons will be awarded. The size of each showcase is: 31 inches long, 12 ½ inches high and 11 ¼ inches deep. Some of you have beautiful mineral specimens, beading, wire wrapped jewelry, gem trees, cabochons, faceted stones, fossils, arrowheads, or any lapidary art items. So plan to display to the public what you can do. When others see these items on display, it might create an interest in joining the Club. Remember to label items put in the cases so everyone can see exactly what the item is that you are displaying. These cases MUST BE FILLED BEFORE THE SHOW OPENS ON FRIDAY AT 9:00. Sign up for a display case at the meeting or call Iris McGehee to reserve a space. Hope to see you at the meeting on November 10 th. Iris McGehee OCTOBER 29TH FIELD TRIP TO CATOMA CREEK WAS PRODUCTIVE AND ENJOYABLE 3

4 Kudos to Jeff Edwards for another interesting and fun filled day. It was a windy day, but the cooler temperatures worked out quite nicely while we walked around the mostly dried up creek and found lots of fossilized sea biscuits, some gastropods, and a few fragments of shark teeth and other assorted fossils. Crossing the waterfall was easy since there was only a trickle of water. Thad and Jeff both indicated that it was the lowest they had seen, but it made the gaps between the rocks visible and safer to cross. 4

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7 MANY THANKS! Thanks to those members who entered items in the Alabama National Fair or who worked demonstrating lapidary skills during the fair. Congratulations go to those who won ribbons and a special congratulation to Drucilla Hornsby who won the Best of the Fair Award for her beautiful necklace. Iris McGehee OCTOBER ADVENTURES IN ARKANSAS AND MISSISSIPPI by Linda R. Griebel We have to be true rockhounds to plan an entire week around a SE Federation field trip. Having noted the October 15th excursion hosted by the Memphis club, we planned a large driving loop through Mississippi to Arkansas and then back through Mississippi ending on the 15th to attend that particular event. Of course, we added our other interests to include historical stops (Civil War Battlefield at Vicksburg, Hot Springs National Park), various museums and architectural sites, as well as an arboretum. 7

8 We spent one full day at the Crater of the Diamonds which is simply put not a crater at all, but a 40 acre plowed open field where you can sift, dig, or wash dirt to see if you can find any minerals. Sorry, folks, we didn t get a single diamond, but brought back a couple buckets of jasper, agate, and other rocks. (Had to get something for our efforts!) At Senatobia, MS, the Memphis group hosted a very busy field trip at a quarry to which federation members from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas came. There were enormous piles of rocks through which to dig. Of course, I took several bucket loads back to my car as the morning passed. Some of our finds included agate, a few fossils, and hematite geodes which I plan to bring to the 8

9 November meeting. The hosts graciously prepared a wonderful lunch of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, etc for everyone who came. We even encountered our friends from Mississippi that we had met at class at William Holland. Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society Minutes October 13, 2011 The meeting was called to order by President Lynn Stauch. The program was presented by Thad Cheatham who talked about fossils and things 9

10 that can be found in the Montgomery area. He talked about the Catoma Creek area and the field trip that is planned for Saturday, October 29. He cautioned that it probably would not be a good place for children and that adults should be extremely careful because of the debris present. For more information on the field trip, contact Jeff Edwards. Refreshments were provided by Linda Lloyd, Iris McGhee and Lynch Stauch. Minutes were approved as published in the Golden Nugget. The Treasurer's report was read by Iris McGehee, which were approved and filed with the secretary. Family memberships were approved for the following: Kenneth P. Solomons, Greenville, AL, and James Nolan, Wetumpka, The Southeast Federation Field trip to Graves Mountain is scheduled for November 5. Additional information can be obtained at the Georgia Mineral Society Web site. A letter of appreciation was read for the contribution to the Elmore County Disaster Relief Management for tornado victims. The November meeting will be devoted to plans for another successful show the first weekend in December. Iris will have signs printed and available for distribution at the meeting. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned. Mary Lou McHugh, Secretary REMINDERS>>> Bring cancelled stamps to meetings. Bring spare rocks, gems, minerals to the November meeting in order to prepare for the Wheel of Fortune. Show your recent acquisitions at the monthly meeting so other members can experience a variety of different materials. NOTE: the shop will no longer be open on a regularly scheduled basis. The shop will be opened only by appointment. Please or call any of the following individuals at least one week ahead of time to set up a shop work date: Thad Cheatham, Jeff Edwards, Iris McGehee, or Harold Glover. Links to check out International Colored Gemstone Assn newsletter Georgia Meteorite Association William Holland Wildacres Al Mineral Locality Index GIA 0time/index.htm Where to find treasure:

11 Sapphire ring 'belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty' Wednesday, 03 August :17 by David Keys, Archaeology Correspondent - The Independent A unique gold and sapphire finger ring, found by a metal detectorist and just purchased by the Yorkshire Museum, almost certainly belonged to Anglo-Saxon or Viking royalty, very senior clergy or a leading member of the Anglo-Saxon aristocracy, say historians. Of very great historical importance, it is the only Anglo-Saxon era sapphire ever found in the ground in Britain. The only other sapphire from the period is the one that the Queen wears in her Imperial State Crown, used at the opening of Parliament. Known as St. Edward s sapphire, this latter gem was once part of King Edward the Confessor s finger ring and is now the oldest gem in the British crown jewels. The association of sapphires with high status demonstrated by St. Edward s gem suggests that the sapphire ring, just purchased by the Yorkshire Museum, is of very substantial historical significance. It was found in a field some six miles to the south of York by a local metal detectorist, Michael Greenhorn, a railway technician, was subsequently declared treasure and has now been bought by the museum for 35,000 (US$ 57,500). It s very likely that the ring belonged originally to an Anglo-Saxon Archbishop of York, one of the Earls of North Umbria or a senior member of one of Anglo-Saxon England s royal families. But narrowing down the field may not be impossibility. For the Yorkshire Museum is to launch a multi-disciplinary investigation to unlock the secrets of their newly acquired and unique piece of treasure. Although the ring probably dates from the early 10th to the mid 11th century, it could be much earlier, conceivably even from the 7th century. So the museum s first task will be to narrow down the age range by looking for stylistic parallels in other pieces of Anglo- Saxon and other first millennium AD jewelry. Secondly they want to better understand the sophisticated technology used to create the ring - especially the gold work. The precious metal alloy is of a very high standard 90% gold, 8% silver and 2% copper. The museum, in York, also plans to track down the ultimate origin of the sapphire itself. It s possible that it came originally from India or Sri Lanka and a special scanning electron microscopy examination of the gem will almost certainly be carried out to identify trace elements and ascertain its geological background. This may also help to reconstruct its pre-anglo-saxon history. Is it likely to have been imported into England or Europe from thousands of miles away in Anglo-Saxon times, or is it more likely that it was imported in Roman times and re-used in various different high status roles for hundreds of years before it was lost south of York a millennium or more ago. Microscopic examination of ware marks on the ring may also shed light on its history as might a detailed historical examination of the area around where it was found. The Yorkshire ring, weighing 10.2 grams, is 25.5 millimeters in diameter, and is adorned with a six millimeter deep-blue sapphire and pieces of red glass, all set into the gold. 11

12 In medieval times, sapphires were seen as magical objects capable of protecting kings and other members of the ruling elite against assassination. They were seen as particularly powerful against death by poisoning! In the medieval mind, the ability of a sapphire to combat poison could even be tested - by swinging the gem above a spider. If the creature died, then the sapphire was seen as being in good working order. Sapphires were also regarded as high status health aids (able to cure a range of complaints) and as a guarantee of morality, capable of reducing human lust and impurity of thought. Original article - (link contributed by Terry Fetzer) SE SHOWS (for other areas, click on KINGSPORT, TN: Mystery of Natural History Museum, MNHM Bldg., 321 Broad St.; Mary McNabb, (423) ; kptmuseumassn@usa.com MORGANTON, NC: Morganton Parks & Recreation, Collett Street Recreation Center, 300 Collett St.; Gary Leonhardt, (828) ; recreation@ci.morganton.nc.us ORLANDO, FL: Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Dr.; Gordon Oakley, (407) ; oakleysmall@gmail.com; PASCAGOULA, MS: Jackson County Fairgrounds, 2902 Short Cut Rd.; James Darnell, (228) ; FAIRFAX, VA: George Mason University, Student Union Bldg. II, Rte. 123 and Braddock Rd.; Tom Taaffe, (703) ; rockcllctr@aol.com; or Jim Kostka jkostka@juno.com; COLUMBIA, SC: Jamil Temple, 206 Jamil Rd.; Susan Shrader, (803) ; ashrader@mindspring.com; MARIETTA, GA: Cobb County Civic Center, 548 S. Marietta Pkwy.; Mary Ingram, (404) ; mandmingram@gmail.com; MOBILE, AL: Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds, Cody Rd. and Ziegler Blvd.; Jerry Shirey, (251) ; rockhoundjs@aol.com Dec 9-11 NORCROSS, GA: North Atlanta Trade Center, 1700 Jeurgens Court; Richard Hightower, (478) ; staff@mammothrock.com; Dec FRANKLIN, TN: Annual Williamson County AgExpoPark, 4215 Long Ln., I-65 exit 61; John Stanley, (615) ; show@mtgms.org; Club Officers for 2011 President: Lynn Stauch st V P/Programs: Thad Cheatham nd V P/Field Trips: Jeff Edwards Secretary: Mary Lou McHugh Treasurer: Iris McGehee Directors: Jim Gaines Mel Barkley Board meetings are at 6:30 pm immediately before the monthly meetings. 12

13 General Information The purpose of the Golden Nugget is to inform members of news about gems and minerals along with news about club, state, and regional activities of interest to our members. Most important, the Golden Nugget provides a way for each of us to share information about projects and to pass on tips that will help others enjoy our hobby. Unless members are willing to contribute, the Golden Nugget cannot meet this latter purpose. Copyright 2011 by Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. Except for items that are specifically copyrighted by their authors, all material in this bulletin may be freely copied. Please give credit to The Golden Nugget and the appropriate author. Meetings of the Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society are held every 2 nd Thursday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the Mureal Crump Adult Center, 1751 Congressman William L. Dickinson Drive (U.S. 231), Montgomery, AL 36109, Montgomery, AL. The annual gem show replaces the December meeting. Anyone interested in gems and minerals is invited to attend. Field trips, workshops, and classes are held at various locations. These are announced at monthly meetings. Membership dues are $15.00 for individuals and $20.00 for families residing in the same household. The Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society is a member of the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information. THE GOLDEN NUGGET Official Voice of the Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society, Montgomery AL Linda R. Griebel, Editor thegoldennugget@hotmail.com The Golden Nugget P. O. Box 801 Wetumpka, AL