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Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. - mailing address: 1001 West Lambert Rd. #18, La Habra, CA 90631-1378
DELVINGS The Newsletter of the Delvers Gem & Mineral Society
Volume 69 Number 5 May 2016
Agates from the Santa Monica Mountains collected by Jason Badgley
Jason sells agates and lapidary services: http://californiaagategallery.com/
Photographs © Jason Badgley, used by permission.
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 2
Taps from the Gavel – Fred Dexling, President
Thanks to “Chuck” Pierce, for an informative demonstration of broom casting at the last meeting (p.6).
I am sorry to inform our members that this year’s show has been cancelled. The inability to find a site in time to organize for the show in September forced the board to cancel the show. A committee will continue to search for suitable site for next year’s show.
At this month’s meeting there will be a discussion and vote regarding a change of meeting night from Friday to Thursday. It is hoped that a change will result in more members attending the meetings.
This month’s refreshment will be Ice Cream, in celebration of Mothers’ Day. The ice cream will be provided, but members must provide the toppings, so bring your favorite topping.
For this month’s program, we have a guest speaker, Ken Rogers, who will tell us about forgeries in our little world of rocks, gems and minerals (see next page).
Board Meeting Minutes 04/08/16 - Teresa Taylor, Secretary
The board voted to abandon plans for a show this year, due to the late date and lack of a decided venue.
The cost of potential venues and lack of manpower with the shrinking number of active members were
also considerations. A motion was made to consider alternatives to Friday for the club meeting night.
It was suggested that more members might attend the meetings if held on another night of the week.
Jon Fults will contact the Church to determine which other weeknights our room would be available.
General Meeting Minutes 04/08/16 – Teresa Taylor, Secretary
Dale Harwood showed a variety of mineral specimens: a large fan-shaped specimen of native copper
from the Ray Mine in Arizona; pink smithsonite from El Refugio Mine, Sinaloa, Mexico; barite from
Illinois; siderites from Romania and Colorado; pyrite on calcite from Pints Quarry in Iowa; atacamite
from Lily Mine in Peru; thomsonite (zeolite) from Golden, Colorado; and orthoclase feldspar twins
from Aspen, Co. Dale also brought an unusual association of sulfur on halite from Trona (collected
many years ago) and he offered to everyone small specimens of sulfur and/or halite from Trona.
Andrew Hoekstra displayed fossils typical of those that can be collected in Woodland Hills from the
Topanga Formation, which is one of April’s field trip destinations (p. 4).
Chuck gave a demonstration of broom casting, complete with molten metal, burning straw, and steam
(pg. 6). The door prize winners included Dale Harwood (picture jasper), Peter German (fire agate), and
Maria Dairo (Moroccan geode). Doreen Wong reported $11,701 in the club treasury, and that the club
received a thank-you letter from the Cerritos College Foundation for our recent scholarship donation.
Thirteen members were present. The meeting adjourned before 9 PM.
From the Editor’s Desk – Andrew Hoekstra
Have you been to the City of Cerritos Public Library? If not, you will be surprised and impressed. Their
children’s section has a life size T-Rex skeleton and a geologic column display, a 20 foot long 10 foot tall
salt water aquarium, and more. The 40 million dollar library is decorated with art, such as Chihuly glass.
They are offering us the use of many museum-quality display cases in their lobby (Sept-Oct). Can we fill
these? I will need help from members willing to loan some of their best items. This opportunity to show
off your collection and to publicize our club is especially timely, given our lack of a show this year. We are
also thinking of doing one or more programs at the library. Perhaps we can recruit some new members?
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 3
DELVERS MAY 13th PROGRAM: be there!
The Changing of Gemstone and Bead Industries: New Finds, Fakes, Created, Dyed & Enhanced Ken Rogers will speak on the changes in the gemstone and gemstone bead industry, plus how they affect jewelers,
beaders, lapidary enthusiasts and jewelry buyers. On February 17, 1972, Nixon went to China, opened trade, and in doing
so, woke up the "Sleeping Dragon". While China expanded its industrial growth it looked to its own natural resources,
including historic and craft industries. China opened and expanded their mines, including Turquoise and many other gem
stones. They retrained their craftsmen and developed new, modern, bead and gem cutting and carving facilities.
As time went on, the Chinese started designing and manufacturing new gemstones in their factories. The Chinese went
as far as buying up gem mines in its neighboring countries and territories. Soon, the Chinese were able to control much of
the world gem and bead market. In his illustrated talk, Ken will discuss what has happened in Asia, where it is going, and
how it will affect us, here in the U.S. Then, Ken will go on to expose and discuss some of the new, dyed, enhanced and
misnamed and factory manufactured gemstones.
Ken Rogers has been recognized as one of the "go to" people when someone had questions about gemstone beads. Ken
has been a rockhound since he was 10, cut his first gemstone cabochon at age 15, and learned silversmithing and jewelry
making in his high school art class. Ken had a 30 year career as a photojournalist, working for the world's top magazines
and corporations. When the photographic world converted from film to digital media, Ken returned to the gem and jewelry
world to manage a Beverly Hills jewelry store and several gem bead companies. Since then Ken has returned to creating
his own gem bead jewelry consulting, lecturing, and helping friends with their businesses. Ken has been a member of the
Bead Society L.A. for the past 15 years and the Culver City Rock & Mineral Club for 10 years.
F I E L D T R I P S & S H O W S May 7th: Rincon (Carpinteria), Pleistocene shell fossils – So. Cal. Paleontological Soc. - David Mautz (805)794-1809
May 10th: Central Coast, Jade Cove – Oxnard GMS (see their field trip page on facebook) – Bob Driskell, 805-320-0602
May 14th: Paradise Rd (Santa Barbara Co) agate & jasper – Triclub: Oxnard/Ventura/Conejo – Bob Driskell, 805-320-0602
May 14th: Area 54 (Panoche Hills) – Rockhound Field Trip Fanatics – Kris Rowe, 559-250-5057, [email protected]
May 28, 29, or 30 (to be determined): Big Bear – Multi club/Pasadena – Joe Goetz, (626) 260-7239, [email protected]
May 29th: Cady Mountains – Orange Belt Mineralogical Soc. – for info, contact Kim, at [email protected]
West Coast Gem & Mineral Show: May 13-15, Friday & Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-5. Free admission. At Holiday Inn-Orange County Airport: 2276. S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana; Exit 8 from 55 Fwy, at Grand & Dyer
May 7 - 8: ANAHEIM, CA Searchers Gem & Mineral Society
Brookhurst Community Center 2271 W. Crescent Avenue
Hours: Sat 10 - 5; Sun 10 - 4:30 Margaret Hogarth(909) 597-7033
[email protected] http://www.searchersrocks.org
May 13-15: YUCAIPA, CA
Yucaipa Valley Gem & Mineral Society
Yucaipa Music & Arts Festival, Yucaipa Boulevard
Fri. 6pm-9pm; Sat 11am-10pm; Sun. 12-6pm
Lee Peterson (909) 794-0731
http://www.yvgms.org
June 3, 4 & 5: LA HABRA, CA
North Orange County GMS
La Habra Community Center
101 W. La Habra Blvd.
Hours: Fri. 5pm-7pm; Sat. & Sun. 10-5
Don Warthen (626) 330-8974, Cell (626) 826-9538
http://www.nocgms.com
June 4-5, 2016: GLENDORA
Glendora Gem and Mineral Club
859 E. Sierra Madre Ave.
Glendora, CA 91741
Sat. 10am-5pm
Sun. 10am-4pm
Bonnie Bidwell (626) 963-4638
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 4
Footprints :
April 17 th, Woodland Hills, April 17th
Nine people, including Delvers members Andrew and Maria and several juniors, collected 14 million year old fossil clams, oysters, and snails from roadside and hill.
Vista Show, April 9th - by Fred Dexling
Chuck Pierce and I made a visit to the Vista Show. The distance was about 72 miles one way. Low gas prices - $2.49/gal - certainly encouraged us to make the trip. Rain was forecast for the day but we were lucky - no drops plastered us.
The show was well attended (we had problems finding a parking space) and there were more than 30 dealers.
Delvers member Nancy Bird was busy selling. I also saw one of my favorite dealers, Tall Paul, who was selling books, mystic things and strings of gemstones. I bought a paperback from him about jade and abalone.
Surprisingly, many of the dealers had about the same goods, and prices that I didn’t want to pay. I am sure if things were free we would still complain.
C.P. really took his time examining the goods offered by each dealer, while I went speedily from dealer to dealer. After about four hours at the show we headed home.
reports from the field
April 23rd, Santa Monica Mountains
About forty rock hounds - from Pasadena Lapidary, the Searchers, Whittier, South Bay, and Palos Verdes clubs, and Delvers members Andrew and Chuck, with Chuck’s grandson - gathered in Agoura. The terrain just off Kanan Road was steep and shrubby. Led by Jason Badgley, the group searched the area for agates, all finding plentiful amygdules and chalcedony veins, and a lucky few found large showy crystal-filled vugs.
Most of the group headed to Woodland Hills and after lunch Andrew led them to the fossils. Here everyone, including the many juniors, found plenty of Turritella and other marine snails, clams, and oyster fossils.
From the Delvers G&MS archives…
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 5
From the Crack ‘N Cab, Volume 46, Issue 3 March 2016, Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse
It’s a Fossil–It’s a Mineral
It’s Ammolite!
By Shannon Phillips
Ammolite is my current obsession. I first learned about it less than a year ago and since then, I have
been fascinated with the gorgeous iridescence and the textured surface of this fossil turned gemstone.
Although ammolite is classified as a mineral by the province of Alberta to prevent export complications,
it is not a mineral. It belongs to a family of materials called mineraloids, naturally formed or
transformed substances that resemble minerals, but lack crystal structure. Some of the world’s most
beautiful and prized gems, including opal, amber, jet, pearl, obsidian and, of course, ammolite, fall into
this category. Each has an interesting story, but let’s focus on the lively colors and unusual origins of
ammolite. Ammolite was welcomed into the gemstone family in 1981 by the World Jewelery
Confederation and is one of only three stones given this designation in the past 50 years.
Commercial mining of ammolite began in Canada that same year and continues to this day. Ammolite
was formed in marine shale on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. As ammonites inhabiting the
shallow sea that covered the region died, their shells settled at the bottom of the seaway where they
were covered with sediment, mostly layers of ash from the volcanic activity in the area. The primary
distinction between these ammonite shells and others found worldwide is that the iridescent surface of
the preserved Canadian varieties is thick enough to be cut and polished. While iridescent ammonite
shells can be found at multiple locales, the fossilized shell commercially mined and marketed as
ammolite is restricted to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. In this location and only a handful of others on a
smaller scale, the ammonite shells were sealed in mineral rich sediment, which prevented the outer
layer (nacre) of the ammonite shell, composed primarily of aragonite, from converting to calcite. Gem
quality ammolite is found in two stratigraphic zones, one thirty meters deep and the other 65 meters
deep, which makes pit mining the most viable large scale mining method. One company, Korite,
produces most of the ammolite on the market (around 90%). A handful of other claims exist in the
area and are worked on a small scale. There are no commercial occurrences outside of Alberta.
Ammolite’s value is based on several factors. One is its iridescence, which is caused by the diffraction of
light from tightly packed plates of aragonite crystals. This diffraction means that every color of the
spectrum is possible in ammolite, although the most common colors are red, green, and, to a lesser
extent, gold. The most desirable pieces have vibrant colors that display changing colors as the angle of
light changes. Chromatic shift and rotational range are the other two factors when considering the
quality of a piece. Chromatic shift is the change from one color to another depending on the angle of
light and the viewer’s position. Dramatic changes of color are the most desirable. Rotational range
indicates that strong colors can be seen throughout a 360 degree range of motion, which is not the case
with many pieces of ammolite.
The nacreous layer is so thin, usually between .5 and .8 mm, that ammolite is often sold as a doublet,
attached to a backing of shale, or as a triplet with a backing and a dome of quartz or synthetic spinel.
The material is so fragile that in all but the most remarkable pieces, it must be stabilized with epoxy
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 6
resin or another treatment in order to be worked. The gem is especially popular in Japan and with
tourists to the Alberta province.
Ammolite is fossil, mineral, and gemstone all in one which makes it special, a rare natural occurrence.
With its range of rainbow colors and spectacular patterning, ammolite makes an interesting collector
specimen and an alluring set stone. While it is widely available now, the supply won’t last forever,
which, for me, is as good a reason as any to stock up on as much ammolite as I can.
Sources:
Dryden, T., & Brown, L. A. (n.d.). Ammolite Value, Price, and Jewelry Information. Retrieved February 29,
2016. https://www.gemsociety.org/article/ammolites-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/
King, H. (n.d.). Ammolite: The Gemstone with Spectacular Color Properties. Retrieved February 28, 2016.
http://geology.com/stories/13/ammolite/
Mychaluk, K. A., Levinson, A. A., & Hall, R. L. (spring 2001). Ammolite: Iridescent Fossilized Ammonite from
Southern Alberta, Canada. Gems & Gemology, 4-25.
http:/www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/spring-2001-fossilized-ammonite-canada-mychaluk
Chuck Pierce’s Method of Broom Casting
As described by Fred Dexling
Chuck’s demonstration at our April meeting,
of random stalactitic sterling silver casting,
was elegant in its simplicity.
For safety reasons the demonstration was carried
out outside with the crowd was at a safe distance
from the demonstration to prevent any mishap.
He placed a two pound coffee tin on the concrete,
filled about 1/3 full of water, placing a tightly bound
water soaked straw bundle into the coffee can.
He placed about an ounce of scrap sterling silver
bits into an insulated long handle melting crucible.
He played a flame over the crucible until the mass
shimmered and then balled up (melted). He then
dropped a smidgen of borax (flux) on the mass
and played the flame over the mass until the melt
reached a super temperature (temperature above
the melting temperature) of about 500F, and then
made some pours on the straw. The liquid sterling
silver disappeared into the straw bundle. Some
water was poured on the straw to cool the casting
to room temperature.
He brought the coffee can inside, and shook the
straw to drop the castings into the water. He
passed the castings, large and small, for everyone
examination. There was applause, and lots of
“ooh’s” and “aah’s”.
Great job Chuck!
Photo by Fred Dexling
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 7
Growth Forms: Split Growth: Artichoke Quartz
By Amir Chossrow Akhavan
From The Quartz Page In a typical artichoke quartz the crystals get subdivided in a way that resembles the arrangement of leaves on an artichoke head (figure). In some cases this involves primarily the rhombohedral faces of the tips and these crystals indeed look a lot like artichokes. In other cases, the subdivisions can also be seen on the prism faces as "daughter crystals", resulting in a sheaf-like look, often with a large central crystal. Transitions between these two extremes are common, while crystals with a "pure" artichoke-like look are rare. The common denominator (and also the difference to sprouting quartz) is that the c-axes (the axis that goes from tip to tip in a double-terminated crystal) of the crystals and "daughter crystals" all point roughly to the same spot at the base. This is an indication that the sub individuals (or "daughter crystals") of an artichoke quartz grew simultaneously, and not as a second generation, as in typical sprouting quartz. This interpretation is further supported by the fact that on many specimens the small "daughter crystals" and "branches" exhibit the same growth patterns and surface structures and look like miniature versions of artichoke quartzes by themselves.
Artichoke growth forms are apparently caused by lattice defects (irregularities in the crystal lattice) that are induced, for example, by quick growth and trace elements and other impurities in the lattice. It often occurs on hydrothermal ore veins (the artichoke quartzes from Romania are a well known example), but it can be found in many different environments, like pockets in sedimentary rocks, skarn zones, alpine-type fissures or pegmatite pockets.
1) Very nice milky artichoke quartz from Seulo, Barbagia, Sardegna, Italy, sits inside a quartz vein. The daughter crystals are arranged in the sheaf-like way shown in the Figure. It is obvious that they all originate from a common point at the base of the crystal.
2) Artichoke quartz that resembles a fir cone sits on a matrix of brass-colored pyrite with a blue tarnish, possibly chalcopyrite. From Baia Sprie, Maramures, Romania. Collection of the Spirifer Geological Society, Poland.
3) This is one of the infamous irradiated Romanian artichoke quartzes, but the fact that they have been artificially turned to smoky quartz helps in photographing their overall shape. It is covered with small dolomite crystals on the back side. From Cavnic, Maramures, Romania. Copyright © 2005-2010, A.C. A k h a v a n Verbatim copying and distribution of the text and code from this entire site are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice , and the copyright notice, are preserved.
Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. - mailing address: 1001 West Lambert Rd. #18, La Habra, CA 90631-1378
Delvers Gem & Mineral Society
DELVINGS, c/o A. Hoekstra, editor
16643 Chicago Ave.
Bellflower, CA 90706
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Regular Meeting of the Delvers Gem and Mineral Society
May 13th, @ 7:00 PM at the Holy Redeemer Church,
14515 Blaine Ave., Bellflower, CA
Program: The Changing Gemstone & Bead Industries
presented by Ken Rogers
Visitors are always welcome!
Board Meeting (all members invited) 6:30 PM
The Delvers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization promoting education in the earth sciences, including the study of minerals, gems and fossils and the lapidary arts. Founded in 1948, the club was incorporated in 1954 in the City of Downey, CA. Visitors are always welcome at our monthly meetings. The Delvers support a scholarship for geology students at Cerritos College. https://delversgemclub.wordpress.com/
And we also can be found at facebook
The Delvings newsletter is published monthly. Submissions and suggestions are welcome. Articles and photographs not otherwise credited are the responsibility of the editor. Permission to reproduce original material published herein will generally be granted, provided that the editor is notified and confirms the author's consent, and the sense or meaning of the material is not altered.
Delvings Editor, Andrew Hoekstra: [email protected]
DELVINGS May 2016 Page 9
(This is a supplement to the digital newsletter: this page is not included in the printed and mailed edition of the Delvings)
Afton Canyon Campground Temporarily Closed: http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/info/newsroom/2015/march/CA-CDD-15-17.htm
Minutes of the BLM Desert Advisory Council meeting of March 5th, 2016: click here.
The 1st QTR (January - March Newsletter) ALAA Newsletter is online http://www.amlands.org/68112.html
Mark your Calendars, May 18, 2016: Make an effort to support Collecting in the Mojave Trails National Monument. This is the first step in keeping Rockhounding alive in the Mojave Trails National Monument and making the Rockhound known as a major player in the National Monument Management Plan process. This is the way to meet the other major players in the Management Plan Process. Plan to attend this first meeting and make the Rockhound known.
May 18: Historic Route 66 Association to Host Economic Summit. (BLM Press Release) The BLM California Desert District, in partnership with the California Historic Route 66 Association, will sponsor a Route 66 Economic Development Symposium on May 18, 2016 in Barstow. Experts from the tourism industry also will provide insight on how California communities can develop dynamic tourism portfolios to attract national and international visitors. Discussions also will recommend strategies how to promote Route 66 attractions, including museums, historic buildings and other community attractions to enhance economic tourism development opportunities. This is where you let them know that Rockhounding is a Recreational Activity and supports the local economy! A Thousand mile walk begins with the first step. This is the first step of our thousand mile march to keep Rockhounding alive in the Southern California Deserts! Looking forward to seeing many Rockhounds at the meeting. Thank you for your continued support to keep rock and mineral collecting alive in Southern California.
More Important information and an action Issue to consider: The Rasor Road area may be OHV in nature, but in the hills around the OHV area are some of the only remaining open collecting areas in the Southern California Deserts. Keeping them open is of the utmost importance. During the just completing CFMS Earth Science Studies and Lapidary Art workshop held at the ZZYZX Desert Studies Center, one of the field trips during the week was to the Rasor/Basin Road areas where Jaspers and agates were collected. It is of the utmost importance that the BLM Land Managers hear from the "Rockhounding" community and stress that the area of Rasor OHV area also contains collecting sites and the access roads to these sites remain open to vehicle travel. If we rockhounds do not become involved in these processes we will lose the ability to continue our recreational rockhounding on public lands in the Southern California Deserts. Now is the time to get involved. It is ours to lose! Thank you for your time and consideration on these important issues before us. - American Lands Access Association Take Action Committee
ROCKHOUND SOAPBOX: California’s New National Monuments, What they mean to Rockhounds
John Martin – CFMS PLAC ([email protected]). (From the CFMS April 2016 newsletter) By now the word is out. There are three new national monuments in the deserts of Southern California. These monuments were created by presidential proclamation on February 12, 2016. These monuments include most of the known and favorite collecting areas in the desert. Written into the proclamations are statements which make it unlawful to remove any article from within the boundaries of the monument. Does this mean there is no more Rockhounding in the desert? Not necessarily, although right now according to the law set in the proclamations it is unlawful to remove anything from the monuments. Also written into the proclamations is the requirement for the Secretary of the Interior to formulate and release a Monument Management Plan, which requires participation and inputs from the public. This Management Plan must be released within 3 years of February 12, 2016. This is the time frame and the process that will allow Recreational Rockhounding within these National Monuments. It will only happen if all of the member clubs and societies of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies and all Rockhounds contact their elected officials and let them know that as a voting American you want Recreational Rockhounding written into the National Monument Management Plans. If we do not speak up with a united voice we will surely lose our rights to collect rocks, minerals and fossils on our public desert lands in Southern California. As this process proceeds, information on public meetings and ways you can help to keep your rights to Recreational Rockhounding alive in the Deserts of Southern California will be provided as it becomes available.