celebrating 75 years! hard rock newsas peridot is a gemstone that forms deep inside the earth and...
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Hard Rock News
Kitsap Mineral and Gem Society
Celebrating 75 Years!
July/August 2016 http://www.kmgs.org KMGS—since 1939
Message from our president
Happy summer to everyone! Here we are with July 4th, Independence Day, already coming up. Let’s not forget why we celebrate Independence Day. This is the day in 1776 when our government adopt-ed the Declaration of Independence. At that time our government declared that the 13 American colonies regarded themselves as new nation, the United States of America, and no longer part of the British Empire. I guess you could say we had our own “Brexit” at that time. So, let’s celebrate our Independence Day in a safe and sane way. Enjoy those barbeques, picnics, pa-rades and fireworks displays. Don’t forget our annual KMGS July picnic/potluck
at Raab Park on July 9th as mentioned on page 2 of this newsletter. It will be good to see everyone there. We will have fun activities for everyone and great food I’m sure. We will also have tailgating, so if you have material to trade or sell, bring it along. I hope you get an opportunity this summer to get out and enjoy some rock hunting. Consider bringing some of your new finds or your creations to our September regular meeting to show at the display table. We would like to see what you have and hear the stories that go with your display table items. Hav-ing a good showing at the display table is one of the main things you can do to help make our meetings enjoyable. We are currently looking for someone to head up the committee to get a lapi-dary shop for the club. This would be a nice benefit to the club, especially for new members who do not have any equipment. If anyone has any club questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time. My phone number and email address are shown on the left side of this page. Thanks for your confidence in me. I’ll do my best as sworn
Sincerely, Tony Schackmann
Elected Officers for 2016
President:
Tony Schackmann
(360) 372-2777 [email protected]
Vice President:
Linden Richter
(360) 507-8230 [email protected]
Secretary: Danielle Foss
(360) 621-5603
Treasurer:
Caroline Richter
(360) 908-7199
Tony Schackmann
Instead of a regular meet-ing in July we will have a picnic/potluck on the 9th. See page 2 for details.
Everyone is welcome, in-cluding members, member guests, and visitors.
For regular meetings, we meet at the Chico Alliance Church Daycare (entrance in the back).
Address: 3670 Chico Way NW, Bremerton, Washing-ton.
Club website:
kmgs.org (This site contains back-
issues of this newsletter)
Reminder There will be no regular meeting in July or August. Our next regular meeting will be at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 9th in the Chico Alliance Church Day-care (entrance in the back).
This country will
not be a good place
for any of us to live
in unless we make
it a good place for
all of us to live in.
~Theodore Roose-
velt
I like to see a
man proud of the
place in which he
lives. I like to see
a man live so that
his place will be
proud of him.
~Abrham Lincoln
July 4th, 2016
240 years of freedom. Don’t
let it slip away.
PAGE 2 HARD ROCK NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2016
KMGS PICNIC/POTLUCK
July is the month for the annual KMGS potluck-picnic. The picnic will be at Raab Park in Pouls-bo. It will be Saturday July 9th from 12 AM to 4 PM. Bring your favorite hot dish, dessert, sal-ad, or whatever. The club will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, condiments and sodas. We will be using the covered group picnic area again which will provide a respite from the sun or rain
as the case may be. Remember to bring your own plates, knives forks and spoons. You will also need to bring a serving utensil appropriate for the dish that you bring. It should be marked with your name so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle!
We will play the 50-50 raffle game. You need to bring cash for it. The lucky winner gets half and the club gets the other half.
Raab Park is located at; 18349 Caldart Avenue NE, Pouls-bo, WA
Bring tailgate items if you wish. If you don’t bring any-thing you can always purchase something.
Raab Park group picnic area where we will eat & visit. We’re good to go, rain or shine!
July birthstone - Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum (aluminum oxide).
The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium.. The ruby
is considered one of the four precious stones, together with the sapphire, the emer-
ald and the diamond. Rubies arouse the senses, stir the imagination, and are said
to guarantee health, wisdom, wealth and success in love. Ruby is a variety of the
gems species corundum. It is harder than any natural gemstone except diamond,
which means a ruby is durable enough for everyday wear. Fine-quality ruby is ex-
tremely rare, and the color of the gem is most important to its value. The most
prized color is a medium or medium dark vivid red or slightly purplish red. If the
gem is too light or has too much purple or orange, it will be called a fancy-color sap-
phire. See more at: http://www.americangemsociety.org/july-birthstone
Natural ruby crys-
tals from Tanzania
August birthstones—Peridot & Sardonyx
Two birthstones are available for August birthdays: Peridot and Sardonyx. Peridot is said to
host magical powers and healing properties to protect against nightmares and to bring the
wearer power, influence, and a wonderful year. As peridot is a gemstone that forms deep inside
the Earth and brought to the surface by volcanoes, in Hawaii, peridot symbolizes the tears of
Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes. Today, most of the peridot supply comes from Arizona;
other sources are China, Myanmar, and Pakistan. This gemstone comes in several color varia-
tions ranging from yellowish green to brown, but most consumers are attracted to the bright
lime greens and olive greens. Peridot, in smaller sizes, often is used in beaded necklaces and
bracelets.
Sardonyx is a form of onyx and is recognized by its layers of reddish brown and white
banding. It was popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans who carried into battle talis-
mans of sardonyx engraved with images of heroes such as Mars or Hercules, believing that
this would bring courage and victory. Because of its attractive banding, sardonyx has long
been used to fashion cameos (carved raised figures) and intaglios (the reverse of cameos).
This gemstone is found throughout the world. The most attractive specimens are found in
India, but material also is mined in Czechoslovakia, Brazil, Uruguay, Germany, and in the
United States. See page 5 for more information on sardonyx.
Peridot
Sardonyx
KMGS Meeting Minutes for June 2016
Meeting was called to order by Tony. No visitors tonight as
it is graduation night for many schools. There are a few
brief announcements and then we move right into show and
tell. Jim McClure is covering for Garry tonight for the
show and tell. Carolyn Richter has some larimar from the
mines. There are some pretty red abalone shells brought in,
which are great for beading and jewelry. It’s always best to
run a lot of water over abalone when it’s being worked as
the dust is not good to breathe. Malachite and a few other
minerals also should be worked with caution under a lot of
water. Jack Eads has been rockhounding in his backyard
again and found some petrified wood. He brought amber to
show with insects, it’s a lovely collection! Jim has a nice
large piece of amber he picked up at the Tucson show, as
well as the rest of his amber collection including some Bal-
tic amber. He has a blue forest petrified log with amber in
the side. It’s beautiful! Great show and tell, as usual!
The Shelton club is having a tailgate rock swap in August. There is some news of estate sales
occasionally, so be sure to attend meetings and watch your email to get the last minute info.
Linda Shadel, a longtime member of KMGS wrote to give suggestions to help the club with our
ever evolving work shop idea. Always nice to hear from members that have moved away. Some
great ideas are tossed out by Vig’tree to reach out to the community for an available space and
perhaps partner with a tech school in the area. Vig’tree periodically schedules the Michael’s
craft room in Silverdale for the beading group as well as others to try and bring in other mem-
bers for the club and for the Hardrock Beaders. June 19th, 1:00-3:30 PM and third Thursday in
July (21st) is when the room is scheduled. No meeting in July because it’s the picnic! Bring
potluck dishes, hamburgers and hotdogs are provided. Don’t forget the Kitsap County Fair in
August, be sure to sign up for a shift to help represent the club. Be thinking about displays for
the November show. The field trip to Crystal Mountain was rescheduled for this month. It is
June 18th. Be sure to attend meetings so you don’t miss any information. Kathy went to visit
Leslie Wing and he says hi to everyone. Leslie was our past president and is doing well. Garry
Mahan is looking for someone to do the newsletter, so keep that in mind! The club always
needs helpful members willing to participate. Your participation makes the club a lot more fun
and functional.
Dan Ice has the program tonight with his slideshow of the Smithsonian Natural History Muse-
um. Great slide show, Dan! Always a pleasure to see the nice photographs of mineral speci-
mens. Dan always has great information to go along with the specimens. That’s all for now.
Your Secretary,
Danielle Foss
Danielle Foss, secretary
JULY/AUGUST 2016 HARD ROCK NEWS PAGE 3
PAGE 4 HARD ROCK NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2016
BUY...SELL...TRADE
We are starting a new column which will be offered free to KMGS members to buy, sell or trade equipment or material related to rocks or minerals. Contact me (editor) if there is something you want to buy, sell or trade. Include your price, or price range, for the items of interest. Contact details are as follows: Garry Mahan, [email protected] or Phone: (360) 871-2815.
Beading/Embroidery Class to be given
Donna Ballard will be teaching a class in 3-D Embroidery. It will be the last weekend in July 30-31,2016. Place is at Donna's home. Only room for about 4 - if more is needed we can have another weekend later. This will be a 1 or 2 day class. You need to know how to bead around cabochons. There is a fee for this class. You will get a beading kit to make a large beaded project and a kit to learn the different beads for a sampler. For more info and to sign up for this class please call Donna at 360 692-2513.
Juniors
Hello Junior Rockhounds! We are hoping to see you at our two summer events. The first is the picnic on July 9th. I am always impressed with the great food at our gatherings and the picnic is no exception! I will have some games available to play. Let's hope for some great weather! I hope you have signed up for a case at the KMGS booth during the Kitsap County Fair. It still isn't too late to sign up! Contact Mr. Doug Leider to sign up for a case and to come to help out during the Fair. It is fun and you get some experience setting up a display case. It is also fun to talk about our club to Fairgoers! The Kitsap County Fair is August 24th - August 28th. Sincerely, Kathy Reimers, Bobbie Sack and Jill Wetzel, Juniors Leaders
No program for July or August
Since we have the Picnic in July and the Kitsap County Fair in August, there will be no programs for
these months. The next program will be in September, which is our next scheduled meeting month (no
meeting in August). Linden Richter
Cool Rocks & Gems
Montana agate Chrysoprase
Marra Mamba
Imperial Jade Tiger Eye
PAGE 5 HARD ROCK NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2016
Refreshments for July
We’re expecting another good spread at our July picnic/potluck on the 9th. See page 2 for de-
tails. Bring your favorite hot dish, desert, salad, or whatever. The club will provide hamburg-
ers, hot dogs, condiments and sodas.
What is Soapstone?
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock composed primarily of talc, although it may contain other minerals
such as chlorite, amphiboles and carbonates. Soapstone is a versatile material that has many uses
because it is very soft, easy to work and resistant to heat. Historical uses for soapstone include the
crafting of sculptures, jewelry and other ornaments. Other uses for soapstone throughout the years
include the creation of counter top surfaces, gravestones and fireplace liners.
Today, fabricators and welders use soapstone as a marker because of its heat-resistant properties.
Carpenters, seamstresses and other craftsmen also use soapstone as a marking tool. Soapstone is
still used to create molds for casting metals such as silver or pewter. Soapstone is also the primary
material used to carve Chinese Seals. Soapstone was widely traded by many ancient cultures, and an a trading city in southeast Iran called Tepe Yahya served as a major center for the production and distribution of soapstone until 3,000 BC.
HARD ROCK NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2016 PAGE 6
UPCOMING GEM & MINERAL SHOWS: 2016
July 2016
16-17—DARRINGTON, WASHINGTON: Annual show; Darrington Rock and Gem, Mansford Grange Hall; 1265 Railroad Avenue; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-5; Free Admission; There will be hourly door prizes, displays, custom rock cutting, kid's activities, rock collecting maps, dealer certificates for rocks, free rock pond and rock & mineral identification.; contact Angela Moore, (360)-436-2107; e-mail: [email protected]
22-24—TENINO, WASHINGTON: 2016 Rock and Gem Rendezvous; Washington Agate and Mineral Society of Olympia and the Tenino Rock Cruisers, Parkside Elementary School; 301 Central Avenue; Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-6, Sun. 9-5; Free Admission; Demonstra-tions, indoor displays, activities for kids, dealer booths.; contact Daniel De Boer, 5107 Brenner Road NW, Olympia, WA 98502; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: https://wamsolympia.wordpress.com
August 2016
12-14—PORT TOWNSEND, WASHINGTON: annual show in conjunction with the Jefferson County Fair; Port Townsend Rock Club, Jefferson County Fair; 4907 Landers Street; Fri. 10-8, Sat. 10-8, Sun. 10-6; Adults $8, Seniors $6, Students $6, children ages 6-12 $2 / Children 5 and under free; contact Marge Roark, PO Box 1383, Port Townsend, WA 98368; e-mail: [email protected]
13-14—EDMONDS, WASHINGTON: 10th Annual Rock and Mineral Sale; Maplewood Rock and Gem Club, Maplewood Rock and Gem Clubhouse; 8802 196th St. SW; Sat. 9-5, Sun. 10-5; Free Admission; contact Bev Ryder, (425)-338-4184; e-mail: [email protected]
20-20—SHELTON, WASHINGTON: Annual show; Shelton Rock and Mineral Society, MCRA Park; 2100 E Johns Prairie Road; Daily 9 -5 ; Free Admission; 7th Annual Tailgate Rock Sale and Swap. All rock hounds and vendors are invited to participate and bring rocks, minerals, fossils, rock crafts and equipment to sell and swap. Raffle, door prizes, and displays.; contact Susan Perrault, WA, (360)-272-9432; e-mail: srms242@ yahoo.com; Web site: sheltonrockclub.weebly.com
WSMC-Sanctioned Field Trips for 2016
7/16 DAR Sweetwater 10:00 @ Darrington Show (Grange) Travertine Dig & Hard rock
8/20-21 CAS Greenwater 9:00 @ Enumclaw Ranger Station Agate & Jasper Dig & Hard rock
9/10-11 POW Teanaway 8:00 @ Teanaway Camp Geodes, Agate, Jade Dig & Hard rock
9/24 CAS Little Naches 9:00 @ Enumclaw Ranger Station ThunderEggs & Lilypad Jade Dig & Hard
rock
10/15 Marysville Money Creek 9:00 @ Money Creek Camp Ground Ore & Picture Jasper Dig & Hard
rock
1/19 Mt Baker Blanchard Hill 9:00 @ I-5 Exit 240 Gas Station Dalmatian Stone Hard rock
HOST CLUB CONTACT INFO Msvl = Marysville Rock Club Ed Lehman—[email protected] (425)
334-6282 (425) 760-2786 Dar = Darrington Rock Club Ed Lehman—[email protected] (425) 334-
6282 (425) 760-2786 Pow = All Rockhounds PowWow Club Larry Vess—vessel3755@gmail,com (253)
473-3908 Elb = Ellensburg Rock Club Steve Townsend—[email protected] (509) 933-2236 Spk = Spo-
kane Rock Rollers Mike Shaw—[email protected] (509) 244-8542 Cas = Cascade Mineralogi-
cal Society Tony Johnson— (253) 863-9238
Note to KMGS members: Our club is a member of the Washington State Miner-al Council. As such, we are entitled to participate in any of the WSMC - sanctioned field trips. Go to this site to check out upcoming WSMC field trips for 2016 (or see be-low):
http://www.mineralcouncil.org/FieldTrips_2016.pdf
HARD ROCK NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2016 PAGE 7
Creative Stone Carving (From http://themetapicture.com/sculptor-creative-art-with-rocks)
Japanese artist Hirotoshi Ito does something very special. In his masterful hands, common
rocks become strange, unsettling and humorous creations that will make you look twice.
He goes beyond just carving into stone. After he finds a good rock, he reconfigures it by hollow-
ing it out and adding other objects to its form. By doing so, he transforms each rock into a vari-
ety of whimsical versions of themselves from an alternate universe. His creativity has no lim-
its. Check out the eyeball in the bottom, center rock.
HARD ROCK NEWS JULY/AUGUST 2016 PAGE 8
KMGS 2015 CHAIRPERSONS
Membership
Evah Summers
(360) 689-3715
Juniors
Programs
Kathy Reimers, Bobbie
Sack, Jill Wetzel
(360) 731-5963
November Show
Chairman
Gordon Eslava
(360) 830-4638
Refreshments
Karen Eslava
(360) 621-9830
Field Trips
Danielle Foss
(360) 621-5603
Silent Auction
Doug Leider
(360) 627-8142
Display Table
Garry Mahan
(360) 871-2815
Welcome
Willma Eads
(360) 871-2445
Raffle Table
Mary Balderson
(360) 908-8063
Cheer
Kathy McClure
(253) 265-3011
Washington State Mineral
Council
Tony Schackmann
(360) 372-2777
KMGS Webmaster
Jack Eads
(360) 871-2445
Kitsap County Fair
Doug Leider
(360) 551-6921
KMGS Facebook
Gordon Eslava
(360) 830-4638
Education
Jack Eads
(360) 871-2445
KMGS Scholarship
Wilma Eads
(360) 871-2445
Historian
Bobbie Sack
(360) 277-0383
KMGS Beaders
V. Keefer
Wire Wrapping
Vangie Mayton
(360) 373-3370
Librarian
Bryan Tallman
KMGS membership notes Membership dues are $10.00 per ADULT, $20.00 per FAMILY, $3.00 per JUNIOR members.
All club dues are due in January OF EACH YEAR. If you want a hard copy of the newsletter,
please add $6 to the above amount to cover the cost of printing and mailing. An online member-
ship application form can be found on our website, kmgs.org.
Dues can be paid to our Membership chair, Evah Summers at the monthly club meetings or
mailed in to: KMGS at P O Box 3342 Silverdale, WA 98383-3342 or Evah Summers at 4691 NE Minder Rd, Poulsbo, 98370. Appeal for a new membership person: I'm asking again for a person or persons who is interested in performing the duties of membership chairperson. No time like the present to step forward and help your club! Thanks, Evah Summers
Composite Cabochons
PAGE 9 JULY/AUGUST 2016 HARD ROCK NEWS
Brad Smith’s Bench Tips for July 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 howlite, you can use a sanding stick. Harder cabs like jasper or agates will require a diamond file. In a pinch, a ruby nail file from the drugstore will work. There are two important things to remember when doing this. First, you can only make a minor adjustment to the stone's 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 bur-nish the bezel down over the stone. ------------- STRAIGHTENING WIRE Have you ever pulled out some silver wire only to find 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 rub-ber band. This works best on smaller wire diame-ters, up to about 16ga. Be careful if you are trying to pull hard on a thick wire. Brace yourself in case the wire breaks or pulls out of the pliers. "Bench Tips for Jewelry Making" and "Broom Casting for Creative Jewelry" by Brad Smith are available on Amazon.
Editor Contact Information: Garry Mahan
[email protected] Phone: (360) 871-2815.
“The Hard Rock News” is the Official Publication of the Kitsap Mineral and Gem Society. Meetings are held at 7:00 PM on the second Friday of most months at Chico Alliance Church Daycare (entrance in the back). Address: 3670 Chico Way NW, Bremerton, Washington.
The object of the Society is to provide a general dissemination of knowledge pertaining to the earth sciences; to sponsor regular meetings and field trips for the benefit of the membership and to be helpful along these general lines to one another. The Society is social and educational in character.
Meeting place: We meet at the Chico Alliance Church Daycare (entrance in the back). Address: 3670 Chico Way NW, Bremerton, Washington. Bulletin months: Jan (postcard), Feb, Mar, Apr, May, June, July/August (comb.), Sept, Oct, Nov, Dec
The KMGS potluck Picnic will be at Raab Park in Poulsbo on Saturday, July 9th, 2016, Noon to 4.
The Kitsap County Fair is August 24th through the 28th. Please consider putting in a display case & helping out.
Feel free to contact me if you want to put an an-
nouncement in the newsletter. Deadline for each
newsletter is the 25th of the previous month.
Looking Forward to July and Beyond... Update Your Home Calendars!
Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KitsapMineralandgemsociety
Club website: kmgs.org
PO Box 3342 Silverdale, Washington 98383-3342
July/Aug 2016
TO:
HARD ROCK NEWS