El Gambrisino 2010-06

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

1/11

EL GAMBRISINOGem Crafters & Explorer's Club Bulletin, Las Cruces, NM

Affiliated with the AFMS and the RMFMSJune 2010 - Volume 52 - Issue 6

Meeting Notes, Man 21, 2010President Dave Smith called the meeting to order. Therewere no guests. Thanks were given to Susie Gemoets andJulie Uhl for the refreshments. Our speaker will be AlanGadberry, one of our own, who will give a talk titled"Everything We Have Came Out of the Ground".

The Geology Dept. is in the process of moving to anotherbuilding. Our usual room was full of boxes ready to bemoved so we borrowed another room for the meeting. DonSaathoff will inquire as to where we are to meet in the future.

Treasurer's Report : Treasurer Cookie Saathoff stated thatas of April 30th there was $1,897.59 in the bank. There were

no expenses paid out.

Secretary's Report : There was nothing to report.

Program Chair Eric Fuller gave a report on the Cook's Peakcampout. The campers received a special Caravan rate of$15 per night with full hook ups from the Hidden Valley RVResort. This included hot showers. They basically exploredonly one small are. Found was an old WW1 Camp Codyfiring range, carnelian, candy rock, rhyolite and fluorite. Theygot rained on one day but weather was good the rest of thetime.

Brecken Uhl who will lead the Memorial weekend campoutgave us information on Apache Creek and what we canexpect to find there. He and Julie will be going up Fridaymorning to pick out an area and set up the Happy Hour area.It is easy to find, maps and information have been emailedout to everyone.

Mineral Meeting : The meeting will be on Wednesday the26th at the Saathoffs at 6:30 pm. The topic will be "LearnHow to Use the Microscope".

The meeting was then adjourned with more time forsocializing and munching.

Mineral Meeting NotesBy Don Saathoff :

The May Mineral Group Meeting had a good turnout. Thetopic of discussion was the microscope and, specifically, theStereoscopic Microscope being able to see those verysmall perfect crystals in three dimensions! Everyone had theopportunity to view either something of their own orsomething from the collection and, thereby, learn to use thestereo microscope. Its becoming increasingly difficult tocollect mineral specimens with large well-formed crystals butalmost any mine dump can yield beautiful micro specimensand its really a new adventure to walk around on a chunk

of rock and fall into a 1/8 hole full of beautifully colored,perfectly formed and undamaged crystals of even socommon a mineral as malachite!! For the cost of just a fewtrips to the movie theater you, too, can have such anadventure!!

Reminders & General Information:

There is no meeting in July. The next meeting will be on the3rd Friday of August, the 20th at Room 189, Breland Hall onthe MNSU campus at 6:30 pm for social and 7 pm for themeeting. Refreshments will be hosted by Kathy Fuller andJoan Smith. The speaker will be Jaime Chavez, the policechief of the NMSU campus. He is also a firearms instructorand will speak on concealed carry, why it is necessary andfirearms in general.

There may be a change in our meeting place as the GeologyDept. is being moved to another building. There will be anotification sent out as this happens.

Has everyone received the email regarding the BayardHistoric Mines Tour? Please respond if you are interested ingoing. I attended two years ago and plan on doing it againas it was so informative. The tour leader, Terry Humble, is aretired hard rock miner and a very interesting speaker. Let'shave a great turn out.

In case you haven't noticed it's sunny and hot outside. When

venturing outside please remember your sunscreen and drinkplenty of water and to wear a hat. The rattlers are trying tofind shade to so be careful of where you put your hands whilelooking for those rocks.

Believe It or NotCrocodiles swallow stones to correct an error that naturemade in designing the big lizards. Theyre unstable in thewater without artificial ballast. Every one of some 100 Africancrocodiles dissected by a scientist had rocks in the belly. Aphenomenon never adequately explained until the scientistcompleted careful measurements and weighing.

The stone loads ranged from one to two pounds in juveniles,to seven pounds in 15-foot long oldsters. The weights, lyinglow in the forward places of the stomach, nicely counter-balance the tail heaviness and rolling, two defects seen ininfant crocodiles, which have to move in the water at a slantand make limb movements to keep from turning over.Properly stoned, the maturing crocodile can glide level andsteady at the surface with only nostrils, eyes, and a few backscales showing. A ballasted crocodile is perhaps the onlycreature except man that artificially alters its design to fit theenvironment.

Author unknown, source: via The Rock Collector 11/04

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

2/11

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club "EL Gambrisino" Volume 52, Issue 6, June 2010 - 2 -

Program Notes: May 21, 2010

Everything We Have Came Out of the Ground

I was sure surprised at the above facts, are you? Ourspeaker Alan "Rockaholic" Gadberry has outstandingcredentials having achieved his BS & Master's degrees in

mining has worked all over the world in many different minesand venues. At present he is the manager of the Toro RockQuarry. He also speaks to various Chamber of Commercegroups and to schools on this topic.

Many samples of rocks and minerals (used interchangeablyhere) were set out and he said questions would be answeredafter the talk. Industrial minerals, being for the most part onthe low end of the mineral scale cost wise basically being inthe $2 to $30 a ton range, are used in everything we use andeven eat. They are for the most part drab and nonmetallicand very important. A diagram was drawn showing fromResources: Mines, Petro & Water and from Agriculture:Farming, Ranching & Forests.

Alan, using a house as an example, went thru it showingwhere these industrial minerals and rocks are used. On theoutside itself there is pipe, wiring, aluminum siding, garagedoor opener and door, all metals, cement, glass, etc. allderived from mining.

Cement , for example, consists of limestone, silica, iron,gypsum, sand and is 75% recycled.

Asphalt consists of rock, lime and petrol and can be 85% recycled.

Glass consists of silica, soda ash, borax, feldspar and isused in curtains, carpet and insulation besides the obviousglass.

Stee l which uses Fluorite as a flux.Shingles use Rhyolite.

The interior of the house has many minerals in it, ie:Wallboar d which consists of gypsum of which there are

25 million tons mined in the US every year.Mineral wool is used in insulation, carpet and curtains.Clay & Talc is used in brick, tile, pots, paints, linoleum,

porcelain, paper (wallpaper, toilet paper, towels, andnapkins) and glazes.

Talc for face powder, cosmetics.Marble, travertine, Granite, Quartz for countertops.Mica used as an insulator stops ultra violet rays so is used

in exterior paints and in the windows of space ships.

Phosphates used in detergents, salt, soaps, baking sodaand pills. A lot of limestone and talc is used in the making ofpills also.

A phone has about 40 minerals in it.Perlite used in filters, fertilizers, fire proofing, soil

conditioner. NM is the largest producer in the US.

Food processing uses a lot of Food Grade Limestone (calcium) and marble in milk processing, chicken food, salt

and to clean up air. Also used are talc, bentonite clay andgypsum .

Zeolites are in the $200/300 a ton category but because of itsopen structure can be cleaned and reused. It is used insewage plants, cattle yards, etc. to filter out ammonia.Potash for making fertilizers.

Fact: It takes 500 to 700 tons of rock to make a house.

New Mexico has 240 operating mines at present andemploys 20,000 people who get paid some 68% higherwages than the normal NM employee. Mining is beingpushed out of the US by other countries that use low pricedlabor, child labor and slave labor. It's hard to compete with

that. But because we want clean air and a greenenvironment this is the price we have to pay.

This is just a bare outline of the information that Alan passedon to us. I had no idea and was amazed at some of theminerals and rocks that are used in the making of everydayitems and especially food products. It was a most fascinatingand informative talk. And finally one of his favorite sayings:

You Live in a Rock. You drive a rock

Here's a web site for further reading and information :www.mii.org

Alan Gadberry at work and at play.

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

3/11


Trips & Such:

Los Gambrisinos MemorialWeekend Campout at

Apache Creek, NMBy Brecken Uhl

Agate ! If there is a local region thatabounds in this rockhound favoritemore than the Apache Creek, NMarea, then someone needs to clue mein to the secret location. Thecollecting this year was so prolific,that members Al Spencer and RobKosnick almost got their fill,almost.........

But, putting the horse back in frontof the cart, Ill first describe the campsite and logistics of what turned out tobe a very fun Club trip. Theinstructions provided to this yearsadventurers provided two almostequivalent routes by which to reachthe site from Las Cruces: one throughSocorro and out across the Plains ofSan Augustin, and the other throughSilver City and up the Gila Riverdrainage. Either route was apleasurable 4 hour drive, give or take,through some of the most strikingterrain that southern New Mexico hasto offer. Many campers made a loopof the journey, making for an almosteffortless and incomparable drive.

The campsite itself was very

accessible, and the Gambrisinos tookearly possession of the prime grouparea complete with piney shade, avery safe fire-pit, plenty of parkingand, and a sturdy bench tablecapable of standing up to the rigors ofthe nightly Happy Hour potluck feast.Some stayed in tents, some stayed intruck campers, some in pop-ups, andothers in well-equipped hard-sidedRVs. All were equallyaccommodated, and few complaintswere heard as the weather was bothtolerably frigid at night and essentiallybug-free the two being related and

well worth the trade. The daytimetemperatures were pleasantly warm,with some afternoon winds.

The bounty of nature was engagedearly and often, with the eager firstcrowd (Thursday) goading the latercrowd (Friday) into action almostimmediately upon arrival. In fact, theearly crowd had already venturedforth with great success to the TurkeyFlat collecting area well before I, thenovice trip leader showed up. The

Turkey Flat material wasrepresentative of the Blue type oflocal agate, and exhibited excellentbanding as well as interestingcrystallization and the signs ofreplacement formation.

Friday night Happy Hour was a bitdelayed, but nevertheless a

resounding success. Some of thedelay was due to a wayward ATVrider who got a little too engaged inpicking up agates just in back of thecamp area alongside the dirt roadthat led all the way South and East toBeaverhead, NM. Indian pit housesand petroglyphs were also reported tobe at the end of the East road out ofcamp nestled in a small canyon.Around the camp fire, the BBQbrisket, whiskey chicken, green chile,and many other delights fortified thegroup for the exciting day to come.

Saturday morning started with onlya slight delay, and a grand caravan ofnine vehicles was formed. In fact, theofficial count for the campout itselfwas ten families, three children, andfive canines. The newest canine inthe group was Snowball, who slowlybecame known as Dirt Ball as hiscoat went from white to grey as thedays progressed. As for Saturdaystrip, the group used a combination ofa handful of Erics VHF radios as wellas a larger number of FRS radiostuned to channel 8 to keep in contactfor the day.

The Saturday caravan started fromcamp at about 8 am, and made fuelstop in Reserve about 15 miles to thesouth. After fueling up and grabbingsome coffee, the group proceededWest through the scenic canyon justoutside Reserve and then topped outon the mesa and took the turnoff toLuna. Winding up through the steep-sided and tree-lined canyons of theSan Francisco mountains, the grouppulled off at a scenic vistaoverlooking the spectacular up-slopeof the San Franciscos whiledirections and GPS coordinateswhere checked. Several dryexcursions later exploring only ahandful of the many local forestroads, it was decided to turn our fateover to Rob so that victory would beassured for the day and what afruitful decision that was!

Changing trajectories to take thegroup even farther West on a route ofredemption, Rob led the group to

Luna. Turning North from Luna, thegroup was subjected to a series oftwists, turns, and meanders thatcould only have been designed tocompletely obscure the route to theprecious and secret resting place ofthe much-lauded Luna Gold agate.The high meadows and narrowcanyons still lush with vegetation from

the spring melt, the group turned East just short of the Lion Hunters ranchand dropped down a series of treedmesas, past several herds of majesticelk, to a truly picturesque and hiddenvalley. The rough road to the valleywas bisected by a gate along a fenceline, the first in the trip so far.Stopping just after the gate, the eagerGambrisinos were surprised to findthemselves already smack dab on topof an anomalous deposition of theLuna Gold agate. The still early angleof the sun, shining forth from a crystalclear and cloudless sky, indeed

illuminated a seemingly endlessscattering of the gold, amber, orange,red, and yellow translucent agatesbeneath our very feet!

The next peaceful hours were filledwith an almost giddy Easter-like huntfor the prolific agates spread insurprisingly compact zonesthroughout the small and beautifulhigh mountain valley. An ancientcorral resided on the crest of the onesmall rise in the valley, and in placesthe water in the meandering creekflowed and pooled in an obvioustestament to only recently-departedsummer snow. As Gambrisinospicked their fill of the spectacularagates, they slowly trickled backtoward camp until only the mostdedicated and awe-struck of thegroup finally admitted defeat in theface of an inexhaustible supply andformed the rear guard that eventuallystumbled into camp and triggeredHappy Hour!

Again, excellent food was in suchabundance that any backyardbarbeque in the state that sameweekend would have been hard-pressed to produce the equal of themagnificent spread laid before thedeserving, and muddy, Gambrisinos.Some delights of the eveningincluded Cathy Spencer's excellentshrimp and vegetable tempura, freshcheese and cold cuts supplied byDorian Rudin and his friend Sandy,as well as a selection of traditionalcamp sausages and vegetables.

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

4/11


The paved portion of the Sundayroute was much the same as thattraversed on Saturday, except nowan even greater total of elevenvehicles made the rendezvous atReserve and subsequently passedthrough Luna. If the weather wasbetter or more spectacular onSaturday or Sunday, there was no

way to prove. This time proceedingpast Luna to the West, a forest roadturnoff was taken to the North that ledthrough wide pine-forested canyonsand across step-mesa flats until Robsignaled for the group to stop not fardown from the head of an otherwiseunassuming, gently-sloping canyon.Orienting to the depressed terrain,the company spread out through theforest in search this time for LunaBlue agates.

After a short recon, I gave the callon the radio that an outcrop was

presenting itself uphill from thevehicles indeed convenientlylocated on a spur road bisected by asmall downed tree. Playing shuttle,Rob brought scouts to the locale onthe ATV while others rallied back atthe vehicles awaiting word of the roadcondition. After the small tree washauled aside, the all-clear was givenand the main force moved up thespur road to the mesa-top. Again,amazingly, an almost unfairabundance of milky, banded, andvuggie Luna Blue agate awaited the

eager Gambrisinos all along a distinctzone located just down from thecrown of the mesa. Numerousspectacular specimens were rescuedfrom almost certain destruction at theinevitable hands of weathering, someapproaching the size of a football. Infact, a possible sheet of agate thesize of kitchen table was located by

Nelly and the humongous prizeremains there still, as there was nonon-destructive means of removalthat could be identified even bysuch a crafty and motivated group asthe Las Cruces Gambrisinos!

Vehicles laden with an abundanceof unique specimens, the group madea somewhat earlier retreat back tocamp for the day. A nice camp site

just West of Luna, being a longerinitial drive but representing a muchshorter daily trip, was scouted thatmay be of interest for future

excursions to the area. Back at camp,the kids and Julie headed to a clear-running portion of Apache Creek forsome wet fun, others enjoying a rusticshower, and still others just relaxedand took in the peaceful setting.

The Sunday mealtime againbrought out the best that the grouphad to offer, with two selections ofmeat chile as well as posole, brisket,and even fancy desserts. Doug Hallsupplied ATV rides, and the girlswere taught the basics of paper

airplane aerodynamics. Quite poopedfrom two (three for some!) days ofnon-stop collecting, the conversationswere nonetheless just as lively andanimated on the first night. Certainly,at least one or two truths werestretched to the next size, to includenumerous macabre stories of terrorby the most junior members of the

crew.On Monday morning, the most

dedicated of the group were up evenearlier; with one more pass at TurkeyFlats on the agenda. While most ofthe camp took a reluctantly slow timebreaking camp for the inevitablereturn to the hustle and bustle of thecity heat-wave, Rob and Al madesure that none of the surface localmaterial would have a chance to bere-covered in this summersmonsoons.

For at least the Author, the trip backwas the completion of an enjoyableloop through some of the more scenicareas in this half of the state viewablefrom a paved road. Traffic on the roadwas light, telling me that there wasplenty of room out there for evenmore of the club to join in the mainannual excursion event of the clubnext year!

Some of the group checking over the day's finds . A beautiful piece of the red/gold agate found at Luna

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

5/11

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club "EL Gambrisino" Volume 52, Issue 6, June 2010 5

Rob Kosnick with a prize piece of red agate

Alana Spencer with her dog "Snowball"(New name "Dirtball")

Photos by Al Spencer

Group Photos by Brecken Uhl

The Luna Gold and Red site - Dorian Rudin photos Could you ask for a better camp site?

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

6/11


QUEST FORCORUNDUM ,

By Maxine Wyman 5/26/10

Id been visiting my daughterJackie in Alpharetta, GA when we

decided it might be fun to drive upto Franklin, NC to the SheffieldMine to look for Corundum;varieties Rubies and Sapphires.As it is about a three and a halfhour drive it meant an early wakeup call for us. The drive was thetypical mountain drive with lots oftwists and turns, very beautiful butslow going and we were anxiousto get looking for those treasures.

It was about 10:30 am or sowhen we arrived in Franklin so wedecided to head straight for themine and do the Franklin Museumand rock shops later. My directionswere good and we soon arrived atthe mine entrance to find thatthere were already quite a fewpeople standing at the flume goingthru their rich North Caroline reddirt. This particular mine had beenfeatured on the Treasure HuntersShow on the Travel Channel butwe discovered that this was butone of many fee mines in thearea.

The shop was neat, had a lot ofsamples of what to look for alongwith other minerals, equipmentand cold drinks. Warren, themanager (pictured below) greeted

us and gave us a ten (?) minuteintroduction on procedures andshowed us samples of what tolook for and so on. He alsoexplained their rating system:Squeakers are from 15 to 29carets Honkers 30 to 100 caretswith Super Honkers anything over100. Ookay....... We were thentaken outside, each given a wood

framed screen; a tuna sized canand a film canister, the can beingfor stones we had questions aboutand the canister for the gems wefound. Oh yes, two buckets of dirtcame with the price of admissionwith extra buckets being two for$5.

The flume was covered by aclear roofing material which helpedshield the sun and keep off therain. We had a cloudy, warm andpleasant day. At the flume werethree workers, Richard, Mike andAdele who spent the day walkingup and down the flume gettingpeople started, offering advice,helping those who needed it andidentifying the treasures found.Very nice group and we not onlylearned a lot from them but hadfun to.

Not wanting to get my daintyhands all dirty from that good reddirt I donned my latex gloves anddug in. The gloves were prettyannoying and it wasnt long beforeI had my bare hands playing in thedirt. Of course now I have yellowtinged nails and hands which itseems at this time may bepermanent.

Adele, Mike and Jackie

It wasnt long before I found myfirst ruby and after being toldseveral times to take it up to

Warren to have it weighed I didand found that it was a 15 caret"Squeaker". Warren gave me aSqueaker badge informing me thatI had to wear it for the next 12hours. That was ok but then hegot out his microphone and thesqueaker horn and announced toeveryone what I had found. It wasfun and everyone hooted andhollered. That went on all day asgems were found by others.

Finally the man next to Jackiefound a Honker of 50 carets whichentailed a louder horn and muchhollering plus a free bucket of dirtfor him. He told us he came everyWednesday and went thru many,many buckets of dirt.

Jackie turned out to be reallygood at picking out the smallpieces of gem (eyes of an eagle)but didnt find anything of size. Iwas really on a roll as I found avery nice piece of Corundum. Itweighed in at 60 carets, thelargest one found that day.Warren told me how to clean it upand then I had to go thru the ritual- Honk of the horn and lots ofHooting & Hollering fromeveryone. I also got a certificate,a card and a free bucket of dirt.

Of course we stayed until closingwhich would give us just enoughtime to get into Franklin to theMuseum but because of a roadwork stoppage we didnt hit townuntil after 5 so we missed visitingthe museum and rock shops

All in all it was a fun experience,we met a lot of interesting folksand got to play in the dirt too - myidea of a good day. Next trip Iwould allow more time to explorethe Museum and other mines inthe area though they couldn't beany more fun than the Sheffield.You can check it out for yourselfat:www.sheffieldmine.com &

www.franklin-chamber.com/visitorinformation/gemmining.asp

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

7/11


Articles of Interest:

June Birthstone, Pearl

Compiled by Roger K. Pabian, Research Geologist,Emeritus School of Natural Resources, UNL

Pearl is unique among the birthstones inasmuch as it is oforganic origin. All other birthstones are minerals, inorganicsolid substances with crystalline structures and fixedchemical compositions that vary only within rigid limits. Pearlare made up of little overlapping platelets of the mineralaragonite, a calcium carbonate that crystallizes in theorthorhombic system. Although the pearl itself is made up ofa mineral, its organic origin excludes it from being includedwith minerals. Pearls have a fairly long geologic history---theoldest examples have been recorded from rocks of Triassicage in Hungary and the Cretaceous age in California but all

had lost their luster. The oldest pearls with luster have beenrecorded from rocks of Eocene age in southern England.

Pearl is also unique inasmuch as it is probably the only gemmaterial that can be utilized in jewelry immediately uponfinding one. All other gems need to be fashioned andpolished, however crudely, before they are set in jewelry.Pearls were exceedingly popular in Roman times and werecherished by Byzantine royalty. Robes and cloaks of theroyalty may have been studded with thousands of pearls.

Pearls form in either salt or fresh water environments inseveral species of bivalves (clams) that are members of thePhylum Mollusca. The mollusk body plan involves a head, a

foot, a visceral mass and mantle lobes that are carried aboutin a hard, calcium carbonate (calcite or aragonite) shell.Historically most of the pearls that were used in the jewelrytrade came from the marine bivalves Pinctada vulgaris andP. margaratifera that were abundant in the Persian Gulf. Theenvironmental conditions for these bivalves were ideal---thebasin is about 15 - 20 m deep except for in its center. Diverswho worked with small crews from small boats recovered theclams. When the pearl was recovered it was cleaned of mudand any organic matter. The pearl divers sold their harvest todealers who delivered them to brokers in India who thenbleached them of any stains with hydrogen peroxide. Thepearls were size-sorted and graded and most were sold todealers in Western Europe, mostly in Paris.

Fresh water pearls have been found in several species ofclams that inhabit rivers in the United States. Most of thesehave been related to species of Unio and these are nowbecoming the basis of a fresh water cultured pearl industry inparts of the United States. Pearls form when an irritantbecomes lodged between the mantle lobe and shell of thebivalve. The bivalve secretes layers of aragonite plateletsaround the irritant and this forms the pearl. If everything goesperfectly, the pearl nucleus will become separated from theshell and become completely surrounded by the mantle andthe resultant growth will be a loose and spherical pearl. In

some cases the nucleus does not become separated fromthe shell and the result is pearly blister on the inside of theshell. In cross section a pearl will appear to have concentric,smooth layers, but magnification will show these layers havean imbricate (brick wall-like) structure. These tiny plates areheld together by an organic cementing agent calledconchiolin. Magnification of the surface will show irregularlines that resemble topographic contours. The pearl derivesits iridescence from the diffraction and interference of whitelight that is caused by the tiny overlapping platelets ofcalcium carbonate. The iridescence or orient of the pearl is afunction of the numbers and thickness of these platelets.Mother of pearl or nacre forms on the inner walls or innersurfaces of the mollusk shell. Mother of pearl differs frompearl inasmuch as it is part of the mollusk shell whereas thepearl has become a separate entity from the shell.

Several factors influence the value of pearl and these includecolor, luster, iridescence, shape, and size.

Large, spherical pearls are the most desired and fineexamples can command very high prices. Popularity of pearlcolors varies from place to place and culture to culture.Cream rose' and light rose colors are almost universally likedand pure white or pure yellow pearls are almost universallydisliked but the many shades in between enjoy higher orlower status in various places in the world. Oblong, tear dropor flat pearls usually command lower premiums. Semi-translucent pearls with high luster are more desired thanopaque pearls with low luster. Orient or iridescence are alsovery important in grading pearls. Strings of pearls are gradednot only on the above criteria but also how well the colorsand luster of the individual pearls match in the total piece.

Pearl substitutes have been made from various resins andplastics and some are quite attractive though nearlyvalueless. These usually have a much lower specific gravitythan the natural or cultured pearl. The gemologist's problemis usually that of determining whether a pearl or strand ofpearls is natural or cultured.

A cultured pearl is made by inserting a rounded bead of clamshell between the shell and mantle of the oyster. Thesebeads were formerly manufactured in Muscatine, Iowa,where a large pearl button industry once flourished. Thepearl culturing industry was pioneered in Japan whereoysters of the species Pinctada martensii serve as hosts. Thebead is inserted in oysters that are about three years old.The oysters are harvested in one to two years and the pearlsare removed. The oyster secretes calcium carbonate aroundthe bead at a rate ranging from about 0.1 to 0.2 mm per year.Although pearl farming began in Japan, the industry hasspread to parts of Australia and American companies areworking with culturing fresh water pearls.

The only sure way to separate a natural from a cultured pearlis by X-ray. Rubbing the pearls across the teeth, by candlingthem, or using tests such as specific gravity can not makesuch separations.

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

8/11

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

9/11


The Munson Senior Center Lapidary LabOpen House - May 12, 2010

It's not open yet and all the new equipment hasn'tarrived but it's a whole new world over there already.That rather dark and dreary room has beentransformed into a light and bright showplace with newequipment, work tables, equipment lockers, a newfloor, lights and more. You have to see it to believe thetransformation and it's thanks to the many hours(modestly estimated at 1,000) put in by the allvolunteer work staff consisting of Tom Stramiello , CarlMcGrew, Jim Wright, Richard Conrad and ElmerRadford. They are to be commended. We all heard ofthe circumstances leading up to this transformationfrom Tom at the April meeting so I won't repeat it here.The lab is expected to be open for business the firstpart of June.

Pat Lawrence who is the stained glass instructorshowed me her area and storage. She is planning on

putting up stained glass panels on the one bare wall.The Open House was well attended but I didn't see

any Gemcrafters other than Tom and Pat. Our lack ofsupport was regretful. There was a lot of talk anddiscussion about the new machines. Someone hadput photos and stats of the incoming equipment wherethey will be placed. Cool! I got there in time to have apiece of Tom's birthday cake before it was sent out tothe billiard players. Tom will be celebrating his 87th onMay 17th. He and Jo will be driving to Florida to visithis sister and maybe get some R&R in after the openhouse.

Volunteers: Jim Wright, Tom Stramiello & Carl McGrewAbsent were Richard Conrad & Elmer Radford

Mural being painted on wall behind the grinders.

Pat Lawrence with her stained glass cutters and a glassof that good punch that was served.

Audrey Worthen, one of the many artists eagerly waitingfor the Lab to reopen.

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

10/11


Upcoming Show Dates:

JUNE 26-27--COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO : Show, "Rock Fair at WMMI"; Colorado Springs MineralogicalSociety; Western Museum of Mining and Industry, 225 N. Gate Blvd.; Sat. 9-4, Sun. 9-3; adults $5, children $2; vendors, rocks,minerals, jewelry, children's area, rock, mineral and fossil identification, speakers, demonstrations, gold panning, metal detecting;contact Ronald "Yam" Yamiolkoski, (719) 488-5526; e-mail: [email protected] ; Web site: www.csms.us JULY 2-4--FARMINGTON, NEW MEXICO : Show; San Juan County Gem & Mineral Club; Farmington Civic Center,

200 W. Arlington St.; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; free admission; door prizes, rocks, gems, minerals, Farmington FreedomDays; contact Mickie Calvert, P.O. Box 1482, Farmington, NM 87499, (505) 632-8288; e-mail: [email protected] JULY 9-11--DURANGO, COLORADO : Show; Four Corners Gem & Mineral Club; La Plata County Fair Grounds, 2500Main Ave.; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; free admission; jewelry, kids' activities, gold panning, jewelry making tools, gems,minerals, fossils, beading supplies, door prizes, mineral displays, raffle, silent auction; contact Bill Birza, P.O. Box 955, Durango,CO 81302, (970) 385-6850; e-mail: [email protected] ; Web site: www.durangorocks.org JULY 17-18--TULSA, OKLAHOMA : Show, "Treasures of the Earth"; Tulsa Rock & Mineral Society; Central ParkHall, Expo Square, Tulsa County Fairgrounds, 21st and Yale; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $6, children under 12 andScouts in uniform free; special Scout and children's areas, club displays, special displays, silent auction, door prizes,classes, lectures, lapidary demonstrations; Wayne Mouser, 1514 S. Carson Ave., Tulsa, OK 74119, (918) 582-8700; e-mail: [email protected] or Finis Riggs, (918) 587-4400; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site:www.ttownrockhound.org AUG. 7--ISHPEMING, MICHIGAN : 35th annual show; Ishpeming Elks Club; 597 Lake Shore Dr.; Sat. 9:30-4:30; freeadmission; mineral displays, dealers, kids' area, silent auction, hourly prizes, raffle, mineral demonstrations, field trips Fri. andSun.; contact Ernest Johnson, 1962 W. Fair, Marquette, MI 49855, (906) 228-9422; e-mail: [email protected] AUG. 12-15--BUENA VISTA, COLORADO : Show, "The Rock Show at Buena Vista: A CONTINental Divide TAILgate";Contin-tail LLC; Rodeo Grounds, Gregory Rd. and Rodeo Rd.; Thu. 9-5, Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-5; free admission; more than120 dealers, rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, beads, jewelry, lapidary equipment, demonstrations (Flint knapping, stone cutting,wire wrapping, beading, precious metal clay), free rock for children, door prizes, fluorescent mineral display; contact CarolynTunnicliff, 1130 Francis #7010, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 938-4194; e-mail: [email protected] ; Web site:www.coloradorocks.org AUG. 20-22--LAKE GEORGE, COLORADO : Outdoor show; Lake George Gem & Mineral Club; U.S. Hwy. 24, next topost office; Fri. 8-5, Sat. 8-5, Sun. 8-5; free admission; 40 dealers, minerals, fossils, jewelry, lapidary, local amazonite, smokyquartz, topaz; contact Becky Blair, (719) 748-3030; e-mail: [email protected] or John Rakowski, (719) 748-3861; e-mail:[email protected] SEPT. 4-6--SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO : 27th annual show; Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Society; Grant CountyBusiness and Conference Center, 3031 Hwy. 180 E, next to ACE Hardware; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-5, Mon. 10-4; freeadmission; more than 55 dealers, daily free field trips, silent auction, wheel of fortune; contact Marcia Andre, 1311Peterson Dr., Silver City, NM 88061, (575) 534-0006; e-mail: [email protected] ; Web site:www.rollingstonesgms.blogspot.com Cistaro, 1162 Wintergreen Dr., Holland, MI 49424, (616) 393-9307; e-mail: [email protected] ; Web site: www.tulipcity.org

For further information or shows please check: www.rockngem.com this is just a sample of listed shows.Who knows, there just might be a good rock show in the area of your travels .

Thought for the Day:

WHAT IF THERE WERE NO HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS?

Some Interesting Web Sites for you to Check Out: Members occasionally send me web sites topass on plus the ones that I run across. Please send me any of your favorites that you think we might be interested in.

www.arrowheadology.com/ Loads of information, blogs, etc. on arrowheads. Articles on museums & universitiesgetting rid of their native collections.

http://www.arrowheadology.com/cache-of-unexplained-artifacts-good-karma/ Do you like a good mystery?http://metaldetectingworld.com/index.shtml & http://metaldetectingworld.com/conductive_order_metals.shtml

A couple of Metal Detecting Sites for you

8/13/2019 El Gambrisino 2010-06

11/11


Gemcrafters & Explorers Club, P.O. Box 3091, Las Cruces, NM 88003Member of: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies www.amfed.org

Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies www.rmfms.org Blue Ribbon Coalition www.sharetrails.org

2009 OFFICERS & volunteers :President

Dave Smith 521-3103 [email protected] Vice President Kathy Fuller 524-0204 [email protected] Treasurer Cookie Saathoff 382-3464 [email protected] Secretary (temp) Maxine Wyman 649-4900 [email protected] Refreshments - Pat Mauer 526-4939 [email protected] Historian - Don Saathoff 382-3464 [email protected] Program Director - Eric Fuller 524-0204 [email protected] Newsletter Editor- Maxine Wyman 649-4900 [email protected]

We meet on the third Friday of the month at Breland Hall, Room 189, NMSU campus, Las Cruces, NMat 6:30 pm for social and 7 pm for the meeting. There are no meetings in July and December. Duesare $10 per person per year and each additional family member is $2 per year. They are due Jan. 1stof each year. A membership form will be emailed or mailed to you in December to be filled out andreturned with your check BY MAIL to the treasurer.

Our purpose shall be to gather knowledge and provideeducational benefits to members on geological,archaeological, lapidary, and mineralogical topics ofinterest, to include assistance to members in all lapidaryproblems, the study and identification of minerals andgem stones in the rough, the field study of geologicalformations which produce minerals and gem stones, thecollection of minerals and gemstones, and theexploration of any geological or archaeological topic orarea which may be of interest to the membership.

NOTE: All articles and photographs are by theEditor Maxine Wyman unless otherwise noted.

Any address or email changes must be sent to meat: [email protected]

Info for the Newsletter: If you have information, articles, pictures or a website related to gemcrafting, rock collecting or exploring and would like to share please give me a call at 649-4900 or email me [email protected] If you have a good idea or story to tell I will be more than happy to help you write itup. Also if you have minerals, outdoor or camping equipment, etc. that you would like to sell please let meknow for our FREE "Classifieds ." Maxine Wyman, Editor

Documents

El Gambrisino 2010-06