Strata Gem

March 2004

 

The Presidents Message

 

We had about 25 people there at our meeting, so nice to see everyone.

 

Donna told us she decided to be Show Chairman again for the Pow-Wow. That was good news to hear. I do think we have a bigger and better Rock Show when we have all the entertainment around our show.

 

When it gets warmer we will have to go on a field trip, somewhere close by.

 

We closed the meeting and had treats brought be Donna Chavez. Thanks a lot Donna. Don showed a few slides of old rock trips.

 

Thanks for everyone supporting the club.

 

Good Luck and Good Health to Everyone.

 

Your President,

Ruth S. Smith

 

Tooele Gem And Mineral

Tooele Senior Citizens Center

February 10, 2004 7:30 PM.

 

The meeting was called to order by president Ruth Smith everyone was welcomed. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved, the treasurers report was read and approved. It was mentioned that we need to make our contribution to the Senior Citizens Center we usually give two hundred dollars each year for our use of this building, the treasurer was asked to write them a check for this amount. No one has been reported ill so all our members must be at least half well.

 

Henry Chavez has reserved the pavilion for our steak fry, and the Dow James building for our show. Donna Chavez will be the chairperson for the Indian pow-wow again this year. It was decided to schedule our rock bag fill for June 26^th at Jay Woods house. Robbin Saull came to visit our club, she brought a box of interesting rocks for us to look at. Bob Titus won the door prize, and the meeting was adjourned. Then we had treats and a slide show. Jay and Erla will bring the treats next month.

 

Minutes submitted by

Larry Wilson

Secretary

 

Gemstone Inclusions

 

Almost all gemstones have some type of inclusion, which a lot of people look at as a flaw. This flaw is an important characteristic of the gem material as it often proves to be an indicator of the type of gem that you are looking at as well as the genuineness and sometimes even the country of origin of the particular stone. A jeweler’s loupe or a microscope is needed to view the internal world of the gemstone.

 

·    Lily-pad Inclusion looks like a lily pad and is found in peridot.

·    Halo or Disk-like Inclusion looks like a flat disk-like shape and resembles a halo. Very often this inclusion will contain a black mark in the center, which could be a zircon crystal. This inclusion is found in Ceylon sapphires.

·       Fingerprints are small crystal inclusions that are arranged in curved rows and look like a fingerprint.

·    Horsetail Inclusions consist of hair-like fibers arranged together and resemble a horse’s tail. This is indicative of demantoid garnet.

·    Needle Inclusions resemble fine needles and are found in garnet, sapphires, aquamarine, andalusite, and Burmese rubies.

·    Two-phase Inclusions resemble a frankfurter in outline that has a bubble enclosure. This bubble may or may not move when the stone is tilted. Topaz, quartz, some tourmaline, and synthetic and genuine emeralds exhibit this inclusion.

·    Three-phase Inclusions look like irregularly shaped pea pods and contain a bubble, curve shape or rhomboid solid next to the bubble. These inclusions may be solid, liquid, or gas. Found in emeralds from Columbia.

·    Bubbles look just like what you would think. This type of inclusion indicates a synthetic material, glass or a piece of genuine amber.

·    Dark, Ball-like Inclusions look like a dark opaque ball surrounded by irregularly shaped, wispy brown cloud-like formations. These inclusions are exclusive to Thai rubies.

·    Feather is actually a crack in a gemstone that looks like a feather. This inclusion is observed in sapphires, rubies, and diamonds.

·    Zebra Stripes look just like a zebra’s stripes and are indicative of quartz.

·    Swirl Marks look like serpentine, curved shapes or curlicues and usually appear as a darker shade of color than the material that you are looking at. This indicates that you are looking at a piece of glass.

·    Veils look like bubble-inclusions arranged in layers and resemble a wispy veil. This is common in synthetic emeralds and synthetic rubies.

·    Color Banding looks like concentrated color resembling bands in a gem material. This is caused by changes in temperature, pressure, and chemicals during the growth period. Straight color banding indicates a genuine stone, and curved color banding indicates a synthetic stone gem material.

 

(From Moroks, Monro vial Rockhounds Newsletter 9/02

via GEM CITY ROCK NEWS 11/03)

Via T-Town Rockhound 2/04

 

The American Rockhounds

 

We try to imagine when rockhounding first became popular, the 20’s, 40’s, 50’s... or when. We know it peaked in the 50’s ad 60’s, the golden age. What we don’t realize is that rockhounding began a lot longer time ago than even the early 20th century, thousands of years, in fact. What is currently thought to be the first American, Clovis Hunters, approximately 11,000 years ago wandered across the Bering Straits to become our first rockhounds. Their first points, the ones they brought with them, may have been bone, ivory or struck flint blades. Somewhere here in the USA they developed their characteristic leaf-shaped point with large thinning scars very prominent in the base and running 1/3 to 1/2 of the length of the point. These points are among the finest points made by American Indian hunters. We conjure up pictures of Clovis hunters killing mammoth, but the truth is they hunted anything that moved and any size at all, down to rabbits and armadillos.

 

Where did rockhounding come in? Clovis hunters prized the best flints, cherts, petrified wood, agates, chalcedonies, obsidian and jaspers they could lay hands on. Think of the opportunities they had as they were the first to nearly every major occurrence imaginable of fine materials and they were willing to haul these materials away as blanks and tools for hundreds and possibly a thousand miles or more.

 

A Clovis point found near Uvalde, Texas was made of obsidian from 125 miles north of Mexico City. Another Clovis point found at Blackwater Draw of obsidian came from the Mineral Range in Utah. Two Clovis points of knives found near St. Louis were of Knife River flint from South Dakota. A Clovis point found in a cache in western New York is possible also off the same Knife River flint, a silicified lignite, with rich translucent amber colors. From the same cache was one point of famous Flint Ridge flint (Ohio) and a fluted knife of Indiana hornstone, both a considerably distant source away.

 

At Wenatchee, Washington a cache of incredibly beautiful Clovis blades and points were made of agate varieties from a nearby source. The points were dendritic chalcedony, banded agate and a large Clovis blade found nearby, of obsidian. They were the first to exploit this agate source, but not the last, being quarried up until late prehistoric times. A number of agate points were found in Utah and Nevada.

 

Probably the most striking Clovis blade, 12” x 3” was found near an old lake in northern Mexico and made of beautiful red banded Laguna agate. A Clovis point found near Dickens, Texas is made of beautiful variegated Tecouas jasper in yellows, reds and pink.

 

The list of beautiful material would go on an on. The fact is Clovis hunters had an eye for beautiful rock and were willing to go where roads didn’t go; in their spread across the lower 48 states, much of Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and possibly clear down into Venezuela, they had an eye for beauty combined with wanderlust, all the makings of a first-class rockhound.

 

Author not given

 

(From the RMFMS Newsletter, 02/04

via The Trilobite 12/94, via Pica Pick 12/03

via -TOWN ROCKHOUND 2/04

 

Pyrite Suns

 

Pyrite Suns are found in the coalmines of Sparta, Illinois at the 300-foot level in a very narrow seam lying on top of the coal vein. Miners in four mines bring them out in their lunch buckets, thus preserving what would otherwise be destroyed in the mines. Originally thought to be marcasite, research by the Smithsonian institution has proven them to be pyrite and, therefore, very durable. Surrounded by black shale and coal, a very difficult cleaning process unveils their hidden beauty Dating in age to 35 million years, one of the present theories of origin has them as pyritized fossil replacement of a lily pad. Their natural beauty lends them to a variety of jewelry making ideas.

 

(From The Lithnics 4/99 via The Glacial Drifter 4/01)

via T-Town Rockhounds 8/02

 

SAFETY

Tips for Field Trips

 

Realizing many of you already know these rules, there are many, many new Rockhounds who have not yet seen them, so I am reprinting... from AFMS Safety Manual

 

1.    Never go on a Field Trip alone. Have some one along who can help, or summon help, if necessary.

2.    Should there be children, have the child within seeing and talking distance. A child not only could get lost, but could encounter a snake, scorpion, etc., or have an accident of some sort.

3.    Do not collect directly above or underneath people where there might be danger of falling rock.

4.    Park so that all the cars can get out. Do not block the roadway.

5.    Should you leave the Field Trip early, notify the person in charge.

6.    Make sure all fires are out and wet down with water or smothered with dirt completely.

7.    Break all matches with fingers before discarding, and be careful where they are thrown.

8.    Do not throw rocks, and do not allow children to do so.

9.    Avoid old mine tunnels. Never go into a mine alone. Carry a flashlight and a lighted candle, and if the flame of the candle begins to decrease, GET OUT! Carbon dioxide or other gases may be present. There is not enough oxygen for survival! Unless you know the mine is safe, ask yourself, “Is that rock or mineral I might find inside worth the chance taken if I’m not around to enjoy it.”

10.  Respect property rights and signs. Obtain permission to enter property if owned by private persons or company owned.

·    Inquire if there are vicious animals in the fields.

·    Never walk on newly planted or cultivated fields without special permission.

·    Be extremely cautious in hunting near abandoned buildings. You may stumble into a deep well not properly covered.

·    Refill any holes you dig, so people or animals might not fall in.

11.  Respect another’s diggings. If a person has left for lunch or for any reason with the intention of returning, and has left a pick, coat, or definite marker, find another place.

12.  Leave any place in good condition. Don’t leave papers, cans, etc., lying around to mar the beauty of the place, and to tell others you have been there.

13.  Close all gates you may have opened.

14.  Never eat wild berries unless you are absolutely sure they are safe.

15.  Be able to recognize Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, etc. Should there be any doubt, Don’t Touch!

16.  Always be alert for snakes, scorpions, etc. Be very cautious where you put your feet and hands.

 

via Rock Chips, March 2003

Via T-Town Rockhound 2/04

 

How “Mohs Hardness Scale” Originated

 

In 1824, Frederich Mohs, an Austrian mineralogist, devised a simple scale to estimate the hardness of minerals. He selected a series often common miner­als, determined their relative hardness, and arranged them in an increasing scale to be used in estimating the hardness of any other mineral. It is not a precise scale but is widely used because it is so convenient..

 

The determination of the hardness of a mineral can be an important step towards its identification.

 

Mohs Hardness Scale

1. Talc             
2. Gypsum       
3. Calcite          
4. Fluorite

5. Apatite         

6. Feldspar       

7. Quartz

8. Topaz

9. Corundum

10. Diamond

 

Have Some Fun

With Moh‘s Hardness Scale

   

As a way to help memorize the Moh’s Hardness Scale, some of the Midland Gem & Mineral Society’s recent Lapidary class students were encouraged to think up their own mnemonic devices. Here are some of the results:

 

Two Golden Coyotes Flushed A Fat Quail Then Chowed Down.

—Lyn Yater

 

The Girls Cat Flew Across Fields Of Quartz And Topaz, While Chasing Dogs.

—Aaron Ruiz

 

Tall Gods Created Floral Appearance For Queens To Call Decorative.

 

Temple Guards Called For Assistance For Queen To Carry Daughters.

 

The Gauntlet Catfish Flaked After Falling Qui­etly; The Catfish Died.

 

Trumpets Gave Cornets Four Attempts For Queen’s Totally Cool Dance.

—Chris Dunham

 

Now Let’s See What You Come Up With!

 

Source: Midland Gem & Mineral Society, S/03

Via Rock Chips 5/03

 

Iron From

Heaven And Earth

 

Stars fell from heaven and provided early man with iron. This was probably the only (iron) known to man for countless years. For iron, unlike copper, gold and silver, is rarely found in nature as a metal, usually being combined with one or more other elements in the form of ore. Its occurrence in metallic form is entirely restricted to fallen stars or meteorites.

 

Meteoric iron frequently contains a small amount of nickel, which preserves it from corrosion. It is often malleable and can be cut and pounded into shape with the crudest tools. This was done in prehistoric America, whose inhabitants had no knowledge of the smelting of iron ore. Ancient mounds unearthed in Ohio contained masses of meteoric iron, together with various implements and ornaments made from the metal. It was found with a broken copper chisel wedged in a gap of 3½ inches apparently left by a primitive workman.

 

In the earliest civilizations of the Mediterranean basin and Near East, evidence indicated that in the Old World as well as the New, the first iron used was meteoric in origin. Not only were there occurrences of iron among the most ancient remains of these people; but they also consisted of articles of the highest value.

 

The oldest iron artifacts unearthed in Egypt are the rusted remains of beads found in a cemetery that dates back to 4,000 B.C. These were discovered on a string around the neck of a skeleton and were mixed with crude beads of gold, carnelian, and agate. The ancient Greeks knew the metal and considered it rare and precious. In early Rome, the wedding ring, the most prized of all forms of jewelry, was made of iron. The ancient Egyptian name for iron, “be-en-pet”, means “metal from heaven.”

 

No one knows when primitive man first learned to smelt iron and extract it from the ore. Until the 15th century, the smelting methods in Europe were so crude that the iron never completely melted. Only a few pounds a day came from the forge. Later, the blast furnace was invented and then coke was substituted for charcoal as fuel. In the 19th century, modern methods had been discovered and rapid improvements made. Today, iron is one of the world’s more important metals and modern smelters and mills use tremendous amounts of iron ore yearly. Iron ore is mined in almost the same way as copper. Iron is essential for manufacturing, transportation, housing and communications. Just as it was to the ancients, iron is our most important resource.

 

Northwest Newsletter via Rock Buster News 10/02

Via Golden Spike News Dec 2002/Jan 2003

 

Every American Born In 2004 Will Need

Wise Old Farmer

 

A wise old farmer went to town to buy a pickup truck that he saw advertised in the paper for a certain price. After telling the salesman which truck he wanted, they sat down to do the paperwork. The salesman handed the farmer the bill, and the farmer declared, This isn’t the price I saw!”

 

The salesman went on to tell the wise old farmer how he was getting extras such as power brakes, power windows, special tires etc. and that was what took the price up. The farmer needed the truck badly, paid the price and went home.

 

A few months later, the salesman called up the farmer and said. My son is in 4-H and he needs a cow for a project. Do you have any for sale?” The farmer said, Yes, I have a few cows, and I would sell for $500.00 apiece. Come took at them and take your pick.”

 

The salesman said he and his son would be right out. After spending a few hours in the field checking out all the farmer’s cows, the two decided on one and the salesman proceeded to write out a check for $500.00.

 

The farmer said----”Now, wait a minute, that’s not the final price of the cow. You’re getting extras with it and you have to pay for that too.”

 

“What extras?” asked the salesman.

 

Below is the list the farmer gave the salesman for the final price of the cow.

BASIC COW............ $500.00
Two tone exterior $45.00
Extra stomach.............. $75.00
Product storing equipment.............. $60.00
Straw compartment............ $120.00
4 Spigots @ $10 ea.......... $40.00
Leather upholstery............. $125.00

Dual horns........ $45.00
Automatic fly swatter $38.00
fertilizer attachment $185 00

GRAND TOTAL........ $1,233.00

 

Author unknown, source unknown

Via Quarry Quips 8/03

 

Making Cabochons

By Homer Whitlock

Member of the Wasatch Gem Society

 

A cab can be a high or a low dome. A cab is any stone that has been cut with a smoothly rounded polished top. Most have a flat back, although two-sided cabs are sometimes cut for special purposes. Most cabs are more or less oval because that is an easy shape to work with. It is ideal to work with highlighting the colors and the patterns of many popular lapidary materials. Cabochons don’t have to be just oval they can be hearts, stars, teardrops, or any other shapes. Then there is the free form. They can be any’ shape you want, when you have decided what you want to make. You need to choose a material that will make a good cabochon. There are many different kinds, you should know the ones that will work for you.

 

The Agate is a good one to start with, also Jasper, as they’ are hard and you won t cut to fast. There are many different colors and lots of different designs in the material. Now take you template and mark out the size you want to make. This should be a 30 X 40 to start with; as it will be easier to hold and you will have a better chance to have a nice design in it.

 

There are such things you should have when making a cab, such as an apron to protect you from getting wet. You will have moisture going on your cutting wheels or if you are using a diamond padsm use a diamond lube to help keep the dust down, as too much dust will cause you to have Silicoses.

 

You should have a pair of safety glasses as the will keep the small particles out of your eyes.

 

Now after you have picked out the slab and studied it for the best design; then take your template, or the decal that you have, and mark your design. You are now ready to cut it on the trim saw. After you have cut it to the size you want, then go to you grinding wheel. You may hold the stone between your fingers to do the rough grinding, you can put it on a drop holder using the wax, or you can use two sided carpet tape. Be sure to use one that has the foam on it, as some of them are not thick enough to do any good. I like to use an epoxy around the tape as it seals out the moisture and will hold the cab on better. You can get it off real easy by inserting a thin blade between the slab and the holder.

 

There are many crystals that are very heat sensitive and will crack real easy. It will take only a little heat from the grinding to crack the piece that is about finished, and that is very disappointing.

 

As you start on your cab, you will be using your coarse. Use either the 100 or 180 grit to start roughing in the shape of your cab. When it begins to take shape you want, then you can go to a finer grit.

 

The rough grinding can be done by holding the cab in your fingers. After that you should put it on a dop stick, or hold, so that you can go to the finer grit (220). You can go up or down, but notice the way your scratches are on the cab. See that you have all the more coarse ones out before you go to far. Now you will probably be ready to go to the 600 grit. You might want to go in a circular motion with the 600 so that you can tell if you have all the other scratches off the cab. If you have, then it will start to take on a sheen. You can then go to the polish and see how it comes out. If it does not take a nice polish then use a 1200 grit pad. Follow up with a 3000 or even 8000 grit. If you have for the final polish you can use a 14000 tin oxide, or cerium oxide.

 

There are many other polishing compounds to use. Be sure and keep your cab moving. If you hold it too long in one place it will be sure to have a flat spot on it. I like to clean my cabs with a toothbrush in soapy water. Sunlight or White King dishwasher detergents are good to use. It only takes one coarse grit to ruin a good polish.

 

If you have any trouble be sure to call a club member or arrange to come out to a meeting. There are a lot of members who will be willing to help you succeed. You can start small and increase your equipment as you become more skilled and know for sure that you want to do this.

 

Homer Whitlock

 

From News & Views 10/01

 

Collecting Rocks

 

I think that there will never be

An ignoramus just like me

Who roams the hills throughout the day

To pick up rocks that do not pay

 

For that’s one thing I have been told

I take the rocks and leave the gold.

O’er deserts wild and mountains blue

I search for rocks of varied hue.

 

A hundred pounds or more I pack

With blistered feet and aching back.

And after all is said and done

I cannot name a single one.

 

I pick up rocks where e’er I go

The reason why I do not know

For rocks are found by fools like me

Where God intended them to be.

 

Author unknown

 

Rock Chip Reporter April ‘03

Via Tips & Chips 2/04

 

Earth Sciences And The Lead Pencil

by Jack Sumrnerson

 

The term pencil in the past did not have the same meaning as it does today. In the past, a pencil could refer to a chunk of raw earth chalk or a charred willow vine or what we would now call a brush. What we now call a pencil did not exist until 1761 when the first pencil factory came into existence. The terms pencil lead or lead pencil are misnomers on a number of counts. The most common explanation is that lead when rubbed on paper leaves a mark similar to that made by the modern pencil. As far back as the Roman Empire, lead was used as a marking device by quarry workers and stone masons to make a mark on stone that would survive through changing weather conditions — charcoal or chalk could be used indoors, but for outdoor use, neither of these would hold up in a rain storm. Modern lapidaries follow a similar practice when they use an aluminum stylus to mark a preform on a rock slab.

 

What we call pencil lead today is really graphite. Like the diamond, it is composed of the element carbon. The ancients had two terms for lead: white lead which is the same as lead today, and black lead which they though was lead so oxidized it would not remelt, which was really graphite. What most people mistake for pencil drawings of the Renaissance masters is really silver point. Artists tried to use lead as a writing implement, but it would bend out of shape due to hand pressure and would not keep a point for any length of time. Silver was the next material chosen, but it tended to scar the surface of vellum and paper. Although it did leave a mark it didn’t bend out of shape and kept a good point. The problem of scarring the surface was solved when Marco Polo returned from the Far East with a form of opaque water color called China White. When vellum or paper was given a coat of China White, it produced a surface with enough tooth to easily remove the silver before damaging the paper or vellum. As silver wire comes in various widths, the Renaissance artist now had the ability to do precise technical drawings. The silver point technique became the first training techniques for apprentices entering the workshop schools. One to two years would be spent on silver point before the student ever used pen and ink, brush and paint.

 

Anton Faber was a carpenter by trade who made use of a rectangular piece of graphite stuck sandwich-style between two pieces of wood crudely bound together. This crude object was used to mark boards for cutting and was the ancestor of the modern car— penters pencil.

 

Kasper Faber was Anton’s son and he became a cabinetmaker. It was Kasper who refined the idea of his father’s and made the first true carpenters pencil as we know it today. By using a round dowel and a piece of rounded graphite rod, he developed the first writing pencil. Realizing he now had a product, he quit building cabinets and in 1761 built the world’s first pencil factory in Nuremberg, Germany.

 

Upon the death of Kasper, Lothar von Faber took over the factory. Not satisfied with the product, he worked to improve it using all means available to him. Lothar added a hexagonal shape to the pencil to prevent it from rolling. It was Lothar’s discovery concerning graphite that developed the modern pencil. He created a grading system for graphite that is still in use today and became one of the first European manufact­urers to mark his product with a brand name. All Faber’s pencils were signed A.W. Faber Pencils. Soon he had factories in China, the Middle East, St. Petersburg, Vienna, Paris, London and Nuremberg.

 

In 1849 he sent his brother Eberhard to the U.S. for the sole purpose of importing pencils to the people of North and South America. When Eberhard entered the U.S., his first deal involved exporting American cedar to European factories. After receiving his American citizenship, Eberhard broke his family ties to Europe. This forced his brother to obtain his wood from South America. It is due to Eberhard that pencils now are available with erasers on them as he discovered rubber could be used to erase graphite.

 

Upon the death of Lothar Faber, Ottalle Von Faber became the heiress to the pencil empire and married Count Alexander Von Castell. At this time, the A.W. Faber pencils were no longer marketed; the name of all companies became Faber Castell and used a new logo based on the count’s coat of antis. The Eberhard Faber pencil company is still doing business and is the leading producer in the United States.

 

from Maplewood News, 3/99

via GEM CUTTERS NEWS 9/03

via Glacial Drifter 1/04