CULVER CITY ROCK AND MINERAL CLUB P.O. BOX

Transcription

1 CULVER CITY ROCK AND MINERAL CLUB P.O. BOX 3324 Culver City, CA Monday, JUN 11, 6:30 pm Exec Committee Monday, JUN 11, 7:30 pm General Meeting Program: Work Night for Show PRESIDENT S MESSAGE With the month of June comes all sorts of things that need to be done so that our clubs annual show, the 51st Fiesta of Gems Rock & Mineral Show (like you didn t know what was coming) can get not only off the ground, but fly with all the grace and beauty of our prior 50 shows. I ve asked for volunteers in past Nuggets and at prior meeting, and yes we ve gotten people to sign up for show duties. What we ve always lacked is that all encompassing scene where EVERYONE rushes up to volunteer, fills up every space of time for every job. Well we know that s not going to happen, so this year a select number of the club s officers is going to call on every member who has not signed up at one of our meetings. This way we ll have made the effort to reach out to every MEMBER and made the case for getting just a couple of hours to help out the club with its annual show and from which we derive much of our income for the year. Enough said, as someone said the other night at our meeting, the time has come to take action so we have enough people to make the show this year a success. On a different front, I know that our Field Trip Chair has been trying to get the proper OK s from the club that maintains control over Rainbow Ridge. What he s trying to do is set up a trip to that location and maybe others in the general vicinity for this fall when it s cooler (and maybe gas has dropped in price). So, what I m saying is that there is someone trying to get collection trips started again. Maybe I ll even be able to get my grandkids to come with me to dig. A reminder to all, the cookie brigade needs all those bakers out there to pitch in. We have over 25 dealers this year, so that means 25+ dozens of cookies...show us what you can do. Also stand up at the June meeting and let us know you ll help out. Lastly, remember June is our working meeting, come out and chat with all the other members as we do postcards, fill grab bags and put together prizes for the kids games. Everyone has fun, it s noisy, and the gossip flows. Rick Shaffer, President JUNE PROGRAM It is our club tradition to have a special work party during our June meeting instead of a formal program. Many members feel this is the best meeting of the year. We have more time to chat with each other as we gather around tables to stick address labels and stamps on the post cards for the Fiesta of Gems in July and to fill the grab bags. PAGE 1 THE NUGGET

2 MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE MEETING MAY 14, 2012 In attendance: Anthony Ferrari: Education Bruce Mensinger: Historian/Librarian Charlene Aspray: Publicity Darrell Robb: Treasurer Ellen Moe: Federation Director/Programs Felice Ganz: Membership Grace Bruno: Show Dealers Jette Sorensen: Parliamentarian/Web Master Ken Rogers: Publicity Leda Rogers: Corresponding Secretary Lynne Lukert: Publications Mary Ellen Shaffer: Director Minda Moe: Minerals Rick Shaffer: Interim President/Show Chair Steve Dover: Vice President/Trading Post Sue Acosta: Social April executive meeting minutes were approved with no changes. Treasurer Darrell Robb reported that the club is solvent. Rick Shaffer reported that for the last five years the club has not followed through to reward those that sold the most raffle tickets for the show. The club has the names on file. There was unanimous approval to retroactively award those with a $25 Trader Joe s gift certificate. Show Dealer Chair Grace Bruno reported that the show dealer spots are all full. All dealers have paid in full except one. Education Co-Chair Anthony Ferrari reported that the Education Committee is putting together a program to present to El Rincon Elementary School. The science teacher has asked CCRMC to present a program that is contiguous over two Fridays June 8th and June 15th. Volunteers are needed to go to the school to give the presentation. Steve Dover reported that there are still show cases available for the members. Ellen Moe asked for a small saw be set up at the show. There are small geodes for the kid s and Ellen would like volunteers to demonstrate and saw open the geodes for the kids. Bruce Mensinger reported that the 24 saw restoration is done except for a replacement cord and blade. The shop committee will discuss what type of saw blade should be purchased. Rick Shafer will get together with Felice Ganz and telephone those members that have yet to volunteer for the show. Lynne Lukert reported that Jan and Barbara will be taking care of the Nugget in June for the July issue while Lynne is out of town. Publicity Co-Chair Charlene Aspray asked that 8x11 flyers be available at the June meeting for the members to post in local grocery stores, libraries, etc. Web Master Jette Sorensen reported that the show dealer list will soon be posted on the website and information for the show will be on the front page. Jette also reported that we have 175 followers on our Facebook page. The Culver City All Night Grad Party sent the club a letter asking for our support. It was voted on and approved to donate the same amount the club donated last year $ Rick Shaffer gave an update on the progress of the shop repairs. Three bids have been received for the lead paint remediation. The bids are being evaluated. It was voted on and agreed to book and pay for the club s monthly meeting room rental through the month of November. The meeting was adjourned. COOKIES, COOKIES, Charleen Aspray, Recording Secretary CALLING ALL COOKIE MAKERS PAGE 2 THE NUGGET

3 MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETING MAY 14, 2012 Rick Shaffer called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance. There being a quorum, the meeting minutes were approved as published in the Nugget. Steve Dover reported that there will be 20 cases at the show, 15 people have signed up. The club provides the cases, lights, liners and locks. No price tags on items in the cases. Contact information may be put in the case or business cards on top of the case. Steve is donating a lamp that he made as one of the grand prize drawings for the show. There will also be a grand prize of $ There will be a Trading Post raffle tonight. Publicity Co-Chair Charlene Aspray announced that there are pads of flyers available for the members to hand out. 8x11 flyers will be available at the June meeting. Rick Shaffer suggested handing out the small flyers at the local Farmer s Markets. Ken Rogers suggested bringing them to any mineral show to hand out. Rick Shaffer asked for volunteers to sign up for the show if they haven t already. Members that have not signed up will be receiving a friendly call to sign up and volunteer. Program Chair Ellen Moe suggested that all members sign up on the CCRMC Yahoo Group page to keep informed of field trips and other club activities. Go to and search for CCRMC. Choose how you want messages to be delivered, daily digests or individual s. Ellen Moe gave a summary on the Oceanview Mine digs. The digs cost $60.00 for four hours, sift as much as you can. Any car can reach the site, there are flush toilets available. The Oceanview is currently working three different mines. Ken Rogers reported that Brad Smith is teaching a class on Basic Silversmithing. For $45 the two night class includes the silver and stone and is a great value. There are a few spaces open. Rick Shaffer asked for volunteers to bake cookies for the show dealers. Every year we give each dealer a dozen homemade cookies. We have 27 dealers and we need 27 dozen cookies. Please sign up with Kathy Mainzer. Bring your nickels to the June club meeting. CFMS is holding a special Nickel Drive for the CFMS Endowment Fund. Your raffle tickets are ready to pick up. Each member will receive a pack of 20 tickets to sell at.50 cents per ticket. The Grand Prize drawings will be held on Sunday at 4pm, winners do not need to be present. The club member who sells the most raffle tickets will be awarded a $25 gift card for Trader Joe s! PROGRAM REPORT The World of Jade Jim Pisani Jim is an active member and officer with the American Opal Society. Jim s presentation defined many of the differences between Nephrite and Jadeite, how to identify each, how to identify fakes, and places to find real jade in California. The Mesoamericans called Jade Piedra de ijada or stone of the loins. The Mesoamericans wore green stones around their waist to help cure any kidney ailments. Jade is typically translucent to opaque, has inter-grown crystals, while it is strong it is not necessarily hard. Both Nephrite and Jadeite are between 6 and 7 on the Mohs scale. Jade is often found with Serpentine, Schist and Limestone. Jadeite is silica and Nephrite belongs to the Amphibole group, they are related but two distinct minerals. Nephrite can be spinach green to white in color. It has a splintery fracture and is on the Mohs scale. One way to differentiate between Nephrite and Serpentine is to scratch with a knife, Nephrite will not scratch. Nephrite is found in China, Australia, Siberia, New Zealand, British Columbia and North America (Alaska, Wyoming, Washington and California). California Jade locations include Big Sur (between Cape San Martin and Plaskett Point), Jade Cove at Willow Creek, Massa Hill in Petaluma Marin County (Vonsen Blue Jade), Trinity River, Porterville, American River near Placerville and Stoddard Wells. Charleen Aspray, Recording Secretary THE NUGGET PAGE 3

4 Jadeite is very rare and found only in about a dozen places in the world including Myanmar, Maw-sit-sit, Siberia, Guatemala and Clear Creek California. Jadeite is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale and is also associated with Serpentine. Colors are apple green to white with green and violet being the most desirable. Imperial Jade is chrome green in color and translucent. There is a splintery fracture but not as much as Nephrite. Jadeite should not fluorescent which would indicate that it has been dyed. Lavender Jade from Turkey with only 40% Jadeite is not true Jadeite. Maw-sit-sit is a rock mix of minerals including Jadeite, it is opaque. Clear Creek in California has been closed due to asbestos dust in the area; the jadeite is brown or black with some green, San Benito Jade. There is a large example of Jadeite outside Mineral Hall at the Natural History Museum. Differences between Jadeite and Nephrite. Jadeite has brighter colors, more translucent, more speckled look, smoother polish, slightly heavier and more valuable. Nephrite is darker, has a splintered look and used more for carving. A few notes on fakes. Jadeite was discovered in the 1700 s and the Chinese only knew Nephrite up until then, therefore Jadeite carvings over 200 years old would not be possible. Fake jades are often dyed and can fade after time; acetone will rub off the dye. Often other stones are misnamed as Jade, if Jadeite or Nephrite is not included in the name then it is probably not true Jade. Misnamed Jades include; Japanese Jade, Swiss Jade, Oregon Jade, Amazon Jade, Colorado Jade, Virginia Jade, India Jade, Regal Jade, Imperial Jade, Mexican Jade, Australian Jade, Jadine. Queensland Jade is Chrysoprase, African Jade is Grossular Garnet. More misnamed; Happy Camp Jade, Silver Peak Jade, Marble Jade, Fire Jade, Malaysian Jade, Peking Jade, Lemon Jade, Korean Jade (Serpentine), Shanghai Jade (Soapstone), Malay Jade (Quartzite). Tips for checking real Jade. Jade is heavy with specific gravity of 3 to 3.5. Jade is harder than Serpentine, Agate is similar in hardness but is lighter. Jade has a greasy texture, colder than other stones, not that translucent, typically dark green to black, doesn t fracture easily but rather splinters, has a ringing sound when clanked jade against jade. Charleen Aspray, Recording Secretary SHOW CASES We only have a couple of open cases left for our 51 st Anniversary Show. Priority will be given to CCRMC members, Show dealers, and other CFMS clubs. We provide the case, liner,lights, and locks. So if you haven t got your case yet please let me know soon. Set up for the show will be Fri June 29th and take down will be Sun July 1st. We will be having our normal show with 20 cases down the center of the auditorium. Thank You, SteveDover skdover@yahoo.com display chairman JUNE BIRTHDAYS Woody Shaffer 1-Jun Jan Ferguson 5-Jun Grace Brumo 6-Jun Ted Hanf 6-Jun Michael Murphy 6-Jun Felice Ganz 13-Jun Anthony Ferrari 14-Jun Zachary Stadel 16-Jun Matthew Yori 17-Jun Kate Victors 19-Jun MaryEllen Shaffer 21-Jun Sue Acosta 24-Jun Darrell Robb 24-Jun PAGE 4 THE NUGGET

5 SHOP REPORT Refurbishment New at the Shop: A new 55-gallon drum of cutting oil was delivered to the shop. The 24-inch slab saw is in the finishing stage of refurbishment. I anticipate that it will be back in service by the time you read this. The rigid grinding wheels all have new splash guards. Sponge material replaced the curling leather and provide much better spray control. That means you and the work area stay dryer. not yet have a schedule of the work to be done or what tasks will require closure. During the construction period we expect to have a variety of inconveniences, but the shop will be open during the regularly scheduled times as much as is safe and otherwise feasible. To the extent possible, closures and anticipated interruptions will be posted on our web site, When you visit the shop, park in the parking lot that is in front of the Scout House and parallel to Culver Blvd. The limited parking in the alley behind the shop is closed. Do not park in the alley except for brief loading or unloading; the police or CC parking enforcement may issue parking tickets for vehicles parked there. Enter through the gate in the fence in front of the Scout House. Use caution and watch out for construction activity and debris. On Tuesday night visits, I recommend using a flashlight to avoid construction related hazards concealed by darkness. On behalf of the Shop Committee, Bruce Mensinger MEMBERSHIP New Members for May Refurbishment Closures The first bids, for removal and/or encapsulation of peeling and unsafe paint were received. The work should begin soon, possibly as soon as this issue of the Nugget reaches you. Because no schedule has been made yet I am unable to determine at this time (May 17) if or when painting will require shop closure. Closure information will be posted on our web-site so check there before you travel to the shop. Using the Shop During the Construction Period The roof replacement, concrete work, and some other tasks will occasionally require closing the shop. I do WELCOME! Susan A. Beveidge Stuart A. Capewell Harriet E. Earle Paul Gomez Oksana V. Ihnatkova Vera Indenbaum Yvonne C. Lubman Rose M. Myers Tiffany Palm-Taylor Joseph Souza THE NUGGET PAGE 5

6 BENCH TIPS STRAIGHTENING WIRE Have you ever pulled out your silver wire and found that it s all bent up. The easiest way I ve found to straighten it out is to stretch it a bit. Simply put one end in the vise and grab the other end with a pair of serrated tip pliers. Then pull just enough to feel the wire stretch like a rubber band. This works best on smaller wire diameters, up to about 16 gauge. If you re working on thick wires and pulling hard, be sure to brace yourself in case the wire breaks or pulls out of the pliers. MISC ITEMS Two recent news items you may find interesting: METEORITE RING Want to make your own special out of this world ring? Take a chunk of Gibeon meteorite, forge it into a thin strip, and cut the strip into several short lengths. Then forge weld the lengths together, twist the resulting ingot, and finally form it into a ring shape. See pics of this special wedding ring at a/zjcaw/all#0 DO BEZELS SHRINK The engineer in me says there s no reason a bezel should shrink when I solder it onto a base plate, but I sometimes find that the stone won t quite fit into the bezel that was perfect just before soldering. If that ever happens to you, here s a fix that usually works for those times when there s just a minor problem. I file or sand the stone down a little around it s base. For soft cabs like turquoise, lapis, jet or howelite, you can use a sanding stick. But for harder cabs like jasper or agates, you have to use a diamond file or one of the ruby nail files from the drugstore. There are two important things to remember when doing this. First, you can only make a minor adjustment in the stone size. All filing or sanding has to be hidden by the bezel because it takes the polish off the stone. Secondly, remember to round off all sharp edges on the bottom of the stone. A sharp edge here might sit on a little extra solder that s in the bottom joint of your bezel. Just a little bump here can put enough stress the stone to risk breakage when you burnish the bezel down over onto the stone. DRAGON S BREATH Here be dragons. And then here be the steam machine of the Dragon s Breath. If you like small working steam engines, you ll be impressed by this one created by Hans Meevis from Saint Martin. It s made entirely from silver, gold and hand carved gemstones. Runs on steam or compressed air. More BenchTips by Brad Smith can be found at facebook.com/benchtips or groups.yahoo.com/group/benchtips/ PAGE 6 THE NUGGET

7 SHOW REPORT It s late May when this report is being typed up and it feels like our show is tomorrow, so many things to do and so many things to think of still. One of our main tasks in getting volunteers for various show activities is this is the best way to train individual members. The total number of jobs that make up the smooth operation of our show would fill this page. This training of our members is how we can make it easier and simply more fun for these members to participate in the years to come. Yes we have about 30 members who have already volunteered but that is only 33% of the entire club, and yes, there is an element of fairness here. That percentage mentioned earlier is also primarily made up of the same people (mainly your executive board members) year after year. This is why this year everything possible is going to be done to make sure everyone takes a turn at the duties required to make this show a success not only for our club, but for our dealers also. Please remember, all of our dealers attend dozens of shows each year and they need this show in Culver City to be a success also. These shows provide their income and it s our responsibility to provide them with a smooth running show with the greatest number of visitors/customers. There are many small but important jobs that each of us in the club needs to keep in mind for the show. One is the selling/buying of the Grand Prize Raffle Tickets. The club also sells these tickets at the show to our visitors, giving them a chance at all of the great prizes that are donated by the dealers as well the unique items donated by our members and the $100 grand prize donated by the club. Another small job each of us is responsible for is the handing out of the show flyers. This small 4 X 4 in. advertisement flyer is our best way to communicate to our coworkers, neighbors and friends the dates and times of our show. There s many of us who simply go around to the farmers markets held in almost every community around here. Just passing out these flyers is still the best way to tell people of our show, and at the same time, they get to know our members and ask questions. So these two small jobs mean a lot to the overall functioning of our show. The larger jobs need not take a lot of your time. We re look for a minimum of 2 hours to sit and work the table where we sell the grab bags. It s fun to see both children and adults alike checking out their mix of tumbled rocks. There s the selling of the raffle tickets, there s the handing out of the information/sign in sheets we ask every visitor to fill out, there s the taking of these forms and the handing out of the free hourly raffle tickets. These are just the jobs required at the entrance tables. We need people to help out with membership information and handing out old Nuggets to those who ask for them. Then there are security operations where members walk around the floor just paying attention to what s going on. What most volunteers do is work at a job for an hour or two, then walk around and see the show before going back to doing another job and allowing another member to take a break. Remember there are two days of show starting at 9am and going to 6pm, and what this means is that there are a minimum of 9 hours a day where we re running the show, and each of the functions of the show takes at least one member to fill that job. So, we get back to the numbers, the number of members who are willing to help make this show a success. I know from prior years it turns out to be fun just by working side by side with our fellow members and yes members show up unannounced, but it s always better to have an idea who s going to show up. Rick Shaffer ACTING Show chairman (does anyone want to help even at this late date? We ll show ya the ropes) THE NUGGET PAGE 7

8 MINERAL REPORT JUNE SHOWS A show-worthy mineral It s the official state gem of Massachusetts, and will be the banner gem of our 51st Rock & Mineral Show this July. It s also known as Fowlerite, in its zinc-rich variety. Rhodonite was discovered in 1819 in Germany. Rhodonite is a manganese inosilicate mineral, with chemical formula (Mn2+,Fe2+,Mg,Ca)SiO3. It is a member of the pyroxenoid group of minerals. Its name comes from the Greek word ῥόδος rhodos, rosy, which refers to the mineral s rose-red color. Because of surface oxidation, it can tend to turn brownish red. It can also be gray or yellow. It has a vitreous luster, with occasional pearly luster on its clevage surfaces. When rubbed across unglazed tile, it has a white streak. Its Mohs hardness ranges from 5.5 to 6.5, while its specific gravity ranges from 3.4 to 3.7. Crystals of rhodonite are rare, but are usually tubular. It has perfect cleavage, but uneven fracture. Its type locality is in Lauthental and Elbingerrode, within Germany. It forms out of manganese deposits in hydrothermal areas through metamorphic or sedimentary processes. It has been found on all of the continents, with the best specimens occurring in Russia, Sweden, Italy, Brazil, Peru, Romania, and Australia. Within the United States, the best specimens can be found in Montana, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Fowlerite occurs in granular limestone in New Jersey. During the 19th century, Rhodonite was used to make service platters and gifts for the Russian royal family. It can be polished into beads and cabochons, or carved for ornaments, ornate tile, or small statues. Minda Moe, Mineral Chair 1-3: WOODLAND HILLS, CA: Rockatomics Gem & Mineral Society; Pierce College Victory Blvd Hours: 10-5 daily Website: Rockatomics.com 9-10: LA HABRA, CA: North Orange County Gem & Mineral Society; La Habra Community Center, 101 W. La Habra Blvd. Hours: 10-5 daily Website: : GLENDORA, CA: Glendora Gems & Mineral Society; Goddard Middle School, 859 East Sierra Madre Hours: Sat 10-5; Sun Ybidwell2@aol.com Jun 30 - July 1: CULVER CITY, CA: Culver City Rock & Mineral Club; Culver City Veterians Memorial Auditorium, 4117 Overland Avenue (Overland & Culver) Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-5 Website: CFMS GOLD AND GEM SHOW & CONVENTION JULY 13, 14 & 15 Riverside Municipal Auditorium 3485 Mission Inn Ave RIVERSIDE CALIFORNIA Hours: Friday & Saturday 10-5 Sunday 10-4 Hosted by Valley Prospectors of San Bernardino, CA Contact: Steve Schubert, Show Chair ( 951) meschubert@hotmail.com THE NUGGET JUNE 2012 PAGE 8

9 The purpose of the CULVER CITY ROCK & MINERAL CLUB is to bring together persons interested in the earth sciences, to engage in research and study in this realm, and to assist members in the collection and preservation of rocks and minerals and in the study of lapidary and related arts... Officers for 2012 MEETING SCHEDULES Interim President - Rick Shaffer Vice-president - Steve Dover Treasurer - Anna Marie and Darrell Robb Recording Secretary - Sylvia Binkley, Charlene Aspray Corresponding Secretary - Leda Rogers Education - Co-chairs Anna Yori and Anthony Ferrari Federation Director - Ellen Moe Field trips - Co-chairs Rocky and Cole Rhodes Historian - Bruce Mensinger Librarian - Bruce Mensinger Membership - Felice Ganz Minerals - Minda Moe Parliamentarian - Jette Sorensen Photography - Sylvia Binkley Programs - Ellen Moe Publications - Co-chairs - Lynne Lukert, Barbara Fier, and Jan Ferguson Publicity -Co-chairs Charlene Aspray, Ken Rogers Shop Committee ( President, Vice President, committee members) Show - Rick Shaffer Social - Sue Acosta Sunshine - Lili Gelberg Trading Post - Steve Dover Web Master - Jette Sorensen Board of Directors: Lynne Lukert (2012) Woody Shaffer (2012) Mary Ellen Shaffer (2013) Robert Thirlaway (2013) General Meetings are held the second Monday of every month* at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Veterans Bldg., 4117 Overland Ave. Enter from the rear door. Guests are always welcome. Executive Committee Meetings are held the second Monday of every month*in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Veterans Bldg Auditorium. All club members are welcome. *Meeting days occasionally change due to Monday holidays or, in July, because of the Fiesta Of Gems show (July 2007). DUES & FEES One time Initiation Fees: Individuals $ Persons/Same Address $25.00 Juniors $15.00 Yearly Membership Dues: Individuals $ Persons/Same Address $35.00 Juniors $10.00 (After July 1, dues are $15.00, $25.00 and $5.00 respectively.) SHOP INFORMATION The shop is open to all members in good standing over the age of 18 who sign an indemnification form. Instruction is available at all sessions. Practice slabs are available. Location: Culver Blvd. in Culver City (behind the Boy Scout clubhouse and next to the paddle tennis courts) Shop Phone: (310) Hours: Tuesday 7:00pm - 9:30pm Bruce Mensinger Wednesday 10:00am - 2:00pm Vern Lowe (open by appointment) Thurdsay 10:00am - 2:00pm Woody Shaffer Saturday 12:00am - 4:00pm Lynne Lukert Sunday 1:00pm - 4:00pm Rick Shaffer If no one shows, the shop may close early. If you plan to arrive at the shop more than a half hour after the opening time, phone the instructor The Nugget The deadline for all submissions is generally the 15th of every month. All articles or notes without a byline are written by the Editor. Permission to copy is freely given as long as proper credit is noted. The Nugget accepts paid advertisements by club members and non-members. The cost for an eighth of a page (approx. 2 high x 3.5 wide) is $7 per insertion, payable in advance. Ad location is at the discretion of the Editor. Ad layouts, copy, or business cards must be received by the 10th of the month. Send materials directly to Lynne Lukert, Editor, 601 N. Bronson Ave, Los Angeles, CA PAGE 9 THE NUGGET

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11 the NUGGET VOLUME 52 ISSUE 6 CULVER CITY ROCK & MINERAL CLUB, INC. CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, USA Frances Aldrich CULVER CITY ROCK & MINERAL CLUB the Nugget Lynne Lukert, editor 601 N. Bronson Ave. Los Angeles, CA REQUEST ADDRESS CHANGE FIRST CLASS