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ELGAMBRISINOGem Crafters & Explorer's Club Bulletin, Las Cruces, NM

Affiliated with the AFMS and the RMFMS

August 2010 - Volume 52 - Issue 7

Previous Meeting: June 18, 2010

President Dave Smith called the meeting to order at 7 PM.

Refreshments were hosted by Kathy Fuller & Joan Smith.There were no guests.

Don Saathoff met with Nancy McMillan, who heads theGeology Dept. at NMSU. She has provided a new meetingroom for us in their new location - Gardiner Hall, Room 118.She was also there to introduce herself and see that wesettled in okay. The dept. move is still in process and there isno janitorial service yet so we must clean up after ourselvesand haul our trash out. For the time being the open doormust be attended at all times and be locked at 7 PM as they

do not want anyone wandering in. This will probably changewhen the move is complete and the new school term starts.The room is somewhat smaller than the old one but will dofine.

Eric Fuller announced that they will have a Pot Luck PoolParty at their home sometime in July. He also plans onscheduling a campout. The dates are yet to be determinedand will be announced later via email.

Don Saathoff announced the Mineral Meeting will be heldWednesday June 23rd and that we are to bring a Silicate withus. There will be no mineral meeting held in July.

Show and Tell was a big hit this month as many people

brought samples of material collected at the Apache Creekcampout.

Brecken Uhlgave a report of the campout experiencesand thinks he may have found another campsite nearer toLuna. He thanked Rob Kosnick for his help finding the agate.He also brought samples of the Luna Blue and Luna Goldagates.

Al Spenser brought many pieces of agate and rhyolitethat he had cut and polished. He thanked Rob for taking himsomeplace that actually had rocks.

Rob Kosnick brought some nice pieces, several cut andpolished. He had agate and casts which he said had to becut to see what is inside them. Thanks to Rob and his ATV alot of backs were saved as he shuttled people and "rocks" toand fro at the campout.

Valerie Peebles brought a very nice piece of the Bluewith quartz crystals.

Ed Leake had a story for us. Nelly found a large pieceof the Luna Blue. Its size varied from 15 to 24 feet in lengthas the story was repeated. With the help of several others itwas almost dug up. Looks like this is going to remain a"mystery" as there was no proof, ie: witnesses, pictures, etc.

Treasurer's Report: Cookie Saathoff reported we have abalance of $1,887.59 in our checking account as of May1st.

Secretary's Report: Maxine Wyman stated that the minuteshad been emailed to the officers. A thank you was emailedto Alan Gadberry, our May speaker.

Editor's Report: Maxine Wyman thanked Brecken Uhl forthe campout report he wrote for the June El Gambrisino andalso to the people who sent in the many good photographs.It was too bad that all couldn't have been used. She alsoannounced that Don Saathoff has volunteered to do the writeup of the Mineral Meeting from now on. The Bayard HistoricMine Tour was brought up and a sign up sheet was passedaround.

Blue Ribbon Coalition membership fee of $100 is due onceagain. There was a short discussion about the good that

they do for all outdoor types, that they cover multiple uses ofpublic lands for everyone. A motion was made to renew andwas passed unanimously. The Treasurer was told to pay thedues.

Dave stated that come August (remember no meeting inJuly) he will have to appoint a nominating committee forofficers for the coming year. He would like to see some newvolunteers for this job this year.

Eric Fuller passed out some copies of "Forever Frontier".This is a magazine covering the southwestern side of thestate with short articles on the many small towns andattractions therein, even some rockhounding sites.

Kristine Kitchen said that she had talked to Nancy McMillanabout the lack of response on the part of the university to ourrequest for an update on the scholarship. It seems thatNancy was unaware that it had not been taken care of andshe said that she would look into it. Kristine will follow up.

Tom Stramiello gave us an update on the Munson Center.The classes will start July 1st. They are still waiting fordelivery on some $8,000 worth of equipment which should beinstalled by the lst. They are having a problem withpurchasing oil for the saws however. The oil is no longerbeing packaged in five gallon containers; they now have topurchase a 50 gallon drum which costs some $400. He saidthat the lab fees would probably be raised. It has been $5 forten weeks for many years. Also the Jewelry class fees willbe raised as the price of silver has skyrocketed. The kit waspriced some twenty years age when the price of silver was$2 an ounce. It is now in the $20 range. The Jewelry Kitmakes a ring and a pendent and uses quite a bit of silver.

A motion to adjourn was made and was seconded.

Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll havethousands of old ladies running around with tattoos?

(And rap music will be the Golden Oldies!)

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PROGRAM NOTES - JUNE 18, 2010

Our speaker was Jamie Chavezwho is the Chief of Police atNMSU, a position he has held for28 years

His topic was Concealed Carryand other things related toweapons. Jamie has been a

firearms trainer for twenty-fiveyears and he is a Use of Forceinstructor and also testifies incourt as an expert in the use offorce. He has worked in fourcountries and four states.

New Mexico is quite liberal in itsfirearms law. Open carry is legaland concealed carry, unloaded, islegal. It is also legal to have yourweapon unloaded in your vehicleon campus. You may also carry aloaded weapon in your glove box.

However to carry a loadedconcealed weapon you musthave a license. This requiressome 15 hours of class room andlive fire training with a qualifiedinstructor. To qualify you must bea US citizen, a NM resident andNOT a felon. Qualify with thelargest caliber gun you want touse and you can then carry anycaliber that size or smaller.

A CC license is good for four

years and every two years youmust have another two hours oflive fire training. The licensecosts $100 plus a $10 fingerprinting fee. Cost of the classvaries from $125 to $200depending on the instructor.

Some of the reasons for CC arethe training received so that youunderstand the responsibility that

goes with carrying a weapon andso that you are better prepared todeal with bad situations. Thesouthwest (Arizona and NewMexico) have some of the besttraining and trainers in thecountry. In class you will learn

these three basics. Is there

1. Ability to hurt you (Power toKill)

2. Opportunity - proximity3. Jeopardy - words or action

If you consider yourself safe ifsomeone has a knife on you atsay 10 feet, think again. Theremust be 21 to 33 feet betweenyou which would give you time toreact with your firearm. Anythingcloser and he can reach youbefore you can react as it takes1.5 seconds for a normal man totravel that distance. If that knife isa rock the same distance applies.A rock can be as dangerous as aknife - slash or bash.

Men have 4X the upper bodystrength of women who will losemost physical encounters.

Tasers are being over used bythe law. They are very expensive

for personal use but Pepper sprayis a good alternative. Have youever seen a news story aboutsomeone being pepper sprayed?

If someone breaks into your homegrab your gun first, then dial 911and then fortify yourself. Try tolock yourself in a room, getbehind something, etc. If ever ina situation where you have toshoot an intruder you should tellthe police that "I shot to stop the

threat". Personal protectionammo varies widely, the policeuse hollow points.

In a threatening situation six feetis the minimum distance betweenyou and the "threat" before youshould act.

Jamie talked about a lot of lawsuits when deadly force was

used. I'm not going to go intodetail about them here but it wasinteresting to say the least. Thelatest was Scott vs. Harris whichcan be googled for details. TheSupreme Court ruled for the lawofficers and their opinion has

opened the door for the law to do"what is reasonable" when inpursuit. In his opinion Scalia saidthat "You can't put the police in abox". (Once in a while theSupreme Court gets it right).editors note.

He talked at length about thebrain (cognitive and lizard) andhow it sees things. The ForceScience Institute is doing a lot ofresearch on this subject andinstead of going into detail hereyou can check it out at their website.

Make sure your CC weapon issmall and light as they are a painto carry on your body but also acomfort. Jamie demonstratedsome clothing and holsters. Whenasked about where to purchasethese specialized items hesuggested both 511 andBlackhawk (follow links) who areboth suppliers of police

equipment.

There are a lot of crazies outthere. You carry a gun so youcan control your environment.Our world is changing so beprepared.

For Further Information:

Force Science Institutewww.forcescience.org/www.forcescience.org/fsinews/2010/0

3/force-science-news-145-do-head-cameras-always-see-what-you-see-in-a-force-encounter/

Jamie's talk was very informativeand full of helpful instructions foreveryone. He did an outstanding

job explaining his topic and wethank him for it.

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Mineral Meeting News:by Don Saathoff

Once again, we had a goodturnout to discuss the MineralClass, Silicates. These are themost abundant minerals on theplanet with AT LEAST one-third of

all species falling into this Class.

In the hierarchical schemerecently (2009) approved by theIMA-CNMNC for groupingminerals the first (highest) level isClass and is based on a commonanion (O

-2, S

-2, etc) or anionic

complex (OH-, SO4

2-, SixOy

z-, etc).

This last complex, SixOyz-,

characterizes the Silicate Class ofminerals with the values of x, yand z varying with species. All of

the minerals of the Class arebased on the silicate tetrahedronwhere a single atom of silica issurrounded by four equallyspaced oxygen atoms. In itssimplest form this gives thetetrahedron a negative bondingcharge of 4-. This makes for aneasy life an attractive force of 4(sorta like a Brad Pitt or AvaGardner) with lots of metalCATions available for bonding.

This is really only thebeginning of the silicate story.There six Subclasses of silicatesgrouped according to how thetetrahedrons bond together.Then there are Families which aregrouped according to similarstructural and/or chemicalfeatures. Next down in thehierarchy are the Supergroupsconsisting of two or more groupshaving essentially the samestructure and chemically similarelements. And, if there are

Supergroups there must beGroups. This is where I have aproblem.a group is defined asconsisting of two or moreMINERALS (caps mine) with thesame or essentially the samestructure and composed ofchemically similar elements..sound familiar or have I put you tosleep.

We didnt really go into thesix Subclasses of the silicates butthe tetrahedra (remember them?)can bond into sheets, spiralchains, frameworks, etc, andeach of these structures has itsown name. Some minerals whichyou are familiar with are quartz,

having a spiral chain; mica,having a sheet structure; thefeldspars, having a framework;and beryl, having a ring structure.There are many more and, ifinterested, get into it!!

Reminders & General

Info:

Next meeting will be, as usual,the third Friday of the month, Aug.20th, Room 118, Gardiner Hallon the NMSU campus at 6:30 forsocial and 7 PM for the meeting.Please be on time as the outsidedoor will be locked at 7 PM.LeRoy Unglaub will give hisprogram Desert Critters. This isa greatly revised and expandedshow from the one he gave usseveral years ago. As you knowLeRoy is an excellentphotographer and this ought to bea program you wont want to

miss. Refreshments will behosted by Patty Pickert andGodfrey Crane.

It's Agate Rendezvous time atApache Creek again. This is aninter-federation field trip and ishosted by the "ChaparralRockhounds" Club. The datesare Aug. 28. thru Sept. 6th. It's agreat time with a rock hunt everyday except the last Saturday andSunday. The flier with all the

information was sent out earlierfor your planning purposes.

Dont forget the Mineral Meetinggroup will be getting together onthe Wednesday following themeeting (8/25). They meet atDon Saathoffs Lab in Organ.Call Don if you need directions.

VOLCANO YIELDS GOLD

Volcanoes ordinarily produce amolten material called magmaand a nasty concoction ofhydrochloric acid, hydrofluoricand other deadly gases. AtGaleras, an active volcano in

Colombia, gold is beingproduced. When its erupting,Galeras also exhales through itsvents a pound of gold into the aireach day. Furthermore, thevolcano formed a vein of quartzcontaining gold. The high-gradevein yields about eight ounces ofgold per ton.

Although gold has been foundin other volcanoes, Galeras yieldsabout 100 times more gold than

any other active volcano.

The gold-bearing vein at thebase of the 14,000 foot volcanowas discovered when a guideshowed it to a scientist. A sampleof the vein was dated and foundto be about 560,000 years old.This suggests Galeras has beenexpelling gold since its beginning.The gold is in solution in thevolcanos gases and cannot becollected.

Galeras is active in 1933 itkilled nine people, six of themearth scientists, during a deadlyeruption. Access has beenrestricted, but geologists continueto study Galeras because theyhave the opportunity to see anactual model of gold ores beingemplaced in rock.

(Original source unknown)Via Richmond Gem & MineralSociety June 2006

They say marriages aremade in heaven. But thenso is thunder and lightning.

Clint Eastwood

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As always the Fullers Pool Party for the Gemcrafters on Friday July 23rd

was a splashing good time and had a verygood turnout. The conversations were good, the food was great and the swimmers sure enjoyed the respite from allthe heat in the valley. Ill not say more but will let the pictures say it instead...................

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Trips & Such:

Campout Report, Lincoln NF,Cloudcroft - July 10, 2010

Because of a problem with myback I didnt camp this trip but Idid drive up for the day Saturday.

Cloudcroft was having an Artsand Craft Fair so, of course, I hadto check that out. The rain wasthreatening and it was cool butthere were a lot of interestingitems to look at. After that I droveon out to the camp site to find thatthe only campers were Eric &Kathy Fuller and Doug & AliceHall, along with the three dogs. Itwas lunch time when upon myarrival so I joined them. My downvest came in handy as it was

pretty cool. A big campfire wasstarted and that felt really good.

Alice & Kathy with their bonfire

The threatening rain finally startedand carried on all afternoon goingfrom misty to pouring. Eric andDoug spent some intense timeworking on Dougs GPS unit.

They later had to dig trenches todrain the water away from the

canopy area. Doug got out histeepee contraption to keep therain off the fire works great.

Thats Eric with the umbrella

.Kathy said that the morning hadbeen fine and they had ridden theATVs for miles on one of themany trails in the forest. TheATVs were tarped and waiting forthe rain to stop while I was there.A little later in the afternoonAlices sister and hubby showedup with their two miniatureSchnauzers, one being only threemonths old and cute as a button.We sat around the table, out of

the rain, and visited and snacked.

In between the rain drops the firepit was reloaded. I had to get apicture of that one. Bet that wasstill smoldering in the morning.

The damp cold finally got to myback so decided not to wait forHappy Hour (boo hoo) but insteadto head back to the desert, homeand the heating pad. It waspouring when I left but by the timeI reached Cloudcroft there wasblue sky and puffy white clouds.The temp was in the 50s at the

camp and was 85 at home quitea change.

In talking to Kathy later on shetold me that they had riddenmany miles of trails and seenmuch beautiful country. Theyalso had a bull elk cross in front of

them and seen a wild turkey andsquirrels. Some other friends ofthe Halls joined them Saturdayafter I had left also. Not everyonewas afraid of the rainy forecast.....

BAYARD HISTORIC MINETOUR - July 13, 2010

It was another beautiful day inNew Mexico, fluffy white clouds,

blue sky and warm (not hot) inBayard. It was a pretty fairturnout with 11 members showingup especially considering thatwhen I had called ourreservations in last week therewere only 7 signed up. Everyonefound the City Hall with littletrouble and we all signed in andpaid our $5 fee.

Terry Humble, our tour leader,

came in and passed outinformation about the tour and theSanta Rita Mine. This tourcovered the Central MiningDistrict which mined Zinc andLead. Terry was born in SantaRita and comes from a miningfamily, his father having workedunderground most of his life.Terry also worked undergroundfor six years before becoming adiesel mechanic at the mines. Ofcourse the town of Santa Rita nolonger exists as the open pit mineswallowed it up back in the latesixties. Those who were born inSanta Rita before then (this

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includes former astronautHarrison Schmidt and baseballHall of Famer Ralph Kiner) referto themselves as being born inspace.

We boarded the bus and as wedrove along the road from Bayardto Fierro Terry pointed that thisroad runs along what was onceknown as the Janos Copper Trailback in the 1800s. He pointed

out to us the many head frames,or what was left of them, from theold closed mines. All of these areon private property and most areposted so getting out and lookingaround was not an option.

The Hobo Mine head frame wasinteresting as it is the onlywooden head frame left. He toldus many interesting tidbits aboutthe different mines and how therewere so many mines and tunnelsone would break into anothersworkings with the result you couldwalk for miles underground.

We passed the pretty much ghosttown of Vanadium and its GoldGulch with their many stories. In1950 the Hispanic miners at theEmpire Zinc Mine went on strikefor wages and benefits equal tothose that the white minersreceived. They struck for sevenmonths before a Judge in SilverCity ordered the men off thepicket line. At this point thewives, daughters and mothers of

the strikers took over and walkedthe lines for another eight monthsbefore the mine gave in. Thewomen were beaten, shot at andtreated as bad as the men hadbeen, maybe worse. Theyreceived a raise of .47 Cents butno benefits. A movie called Saltof the Earth was made of thisordeal. No mine owner but onewould co operate with the moviepeople and so it was filmed at

Gold Gulch instead of the Empire.This all happened in the days ofMcCarthyism and there were, andstill are, a lot of hard feelings inthe area. The movie is a goodone made with mostly localpeople as actors. It gives a goodlook at how things were back inthe 50s. Amazon.com has it.

We stopped at the Santa Ritaopen pit, got out and read theplaques on the history of the mine

which spans from pre Spanish tothe present. The mine has beensold many times in its history andis now owned by the Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold. Therewas no movement at all in the pitas both it and the Cobre Minesare closed down due to the lowprice of copper. This is a prettynormal event for the mines butsure is hard on both the minersand the communities.

The Santa Rita/Chino mines arein the process of reclaiming theold tailing piles at Tyrone andSanta Rita/Chino at present. Thisis a huge economic undertakingand will take years. Here is apicture taken at the Kearney mineshowing some of the reclamationwork going on there. As you cansee the grass is just starting togrow on this pile.

.After the tour we walked over tothe M & A Caf and had lunchwith Terry. There was a lot of talkof mining, metal detecting, rocksand what have you. After eatingmost left for home but a few of usdiehards drove back and tookpictures and looked around. TheGhost Town of Fierro has little toremind one of its lively past but anumber of falling down structures.

The Church members howeverorganized and are in an ongoingfight with the Cobre Mine as theCobre would like to suck thechurch property up. Their openpit is pretty much in the back yardas are some of the minebuildings. I would call itworshipping on the edge. So farthey are holding their own againstthe Cobre.

My riders and I had time to stop

and check out a dry stream bedand so we collected a few piecesof Hematite and other pretties.Lots of fun for me.

I came away, once again, withmuch respect for the miningcommunity. It was and still is arough, tough no nonsense way tomake a living.

On the way home we watched thestorms raging on the horizon but

received only a few drops of rainout of it. It was a good trip and Iplan on going back and doingsome more exploring soon.

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Articles of Interest:

Is You Is, Or Is YouAint, A Quartz Rock?By Art Reed From Crystal Cluster, Nov. 1994

(4th Place AFMS 1995 Adult Article)

Nomenclature is just a fancy word

meaning a system of naming. In anyscientific field of study an accuratesystem of naming is required.

There is confusion betweencommon names and scientificallyprecise names. To some people anyevergreen tree with needle-likeleaves is a pine tree. In theMidwest, a gopher means a smallburrowing rodent. In the Deep South,gopher refers to a burrowing tortoise.

For living things, scientific namesare derived based on such features

as physical structure, reproductivemethods, size, and habitat. Thescientific study of minerals usescharacteristics like chemicalcomposition, atomic crystallinestructure, and specific gravity forexact description and distinction.

This article will take a simplerapproach. Its only an attempt toclarify the jumble of names used andconfused in referring to types ofquartz materials. It will rely heavily onconsensus from many experts.

To keep it simple: quartz is silicondioxide: one atom of silicon plus twoatoms of oxygen. Silicon and oxygenare the two most abundant chemicalelements in the earths crust. Theircompound, usually mixed with othermaterials, makes up by weight aboutone-eighth of the earth we known.Quartz is found in some form onevery continent

Its widespread distribution arisesfrom its varied methods of formation.

Some is formed when molten rock,magma, cools. Some fills veins incracks or holes in base rock. Strangeas it seems, quartz is in somecondition soluble in water, and thesolution, silica, leads to secondary

deposition in vacancies in basalt,shale, limestone, sandstone, etc.

Quartz analysis starts with adivision of types according to crystalsize. The forms with large crystals willbe considered first. They are formedby relatively rapid cooling and areoften mostly transparent even whencolored by tiny amounts of mineralimpurities.

Absolutely clear quartz is colorless,often called rock crystal, rather rarealthough it has been found in large

masses in Europe, Brazil, and theU.S. It has been prized sinceprehistoric times, and was a favoredcarving material of the Romans.Herkimer diamonds and Pecosdiamonds are examples of clearquartz found in our country.

Well-known colored transparentquartzes are amethyst, citrine, andsmoky. In amethyst the shades oflavender and purple, and the yellowof citrine are colored by ironcompounds. True citrine is rare. Mostcommercial citrine is heat-treatedamethyst. Smoky quartzs color, lightbrown to gray to black, is due toaluminum or silicon inclusions.Cairngorms and morion are namesgiven to smoky quartz types. Heatedamethyst can produce colorsresembling precious topaz. Suchnames as citrine topaz andMadiera topaz are used, but thematerial is quartz, not the morevaluable topaz.

Some colorless quartz containsvisible straw-like fibers of golden

rutile or black tourmaline, producingstriking patterns.

Other large crystal types are: milkyquartz, opaque to translucent white,owing its color to great quantities ofvery tiny trapped bubbles of air orwater, and rose quartz, usually cloudypink, colored by tiny specks oftitanium or iron compounds.

The other main division of quartztypes is those with exceedingly tinymicroscopic crystals. The term

cryptocrystalline is used: crypto froma Greek root meaning hidden, as incryptography.

The basic type of cryptocrystallinequartz is chalcedony. In pure form it

is somewhat porous, translucent, andhas a waxy pale gray or whiteappearance. When colored by tracesof impurities it is called by manynames. Often names come from thefinders or the location of the chiefoccurrence. If it is translucent withparallel layers or the impurities formpatterns, it is usually called agate.The name comes from the Greekname Akhates for a river in Sicilywhere they were found in greatnumbers.

Some local names are given to

agates. Examples of banded agatesare Lake Superior, Fairburn, andTeepee Canyon from the U.S., andthe vast quantities from Uruguay andBrazil. True onyx is banded gray orblack and white agate. This is not tobe confused with the non-quartzonyx from Mexico or Pakistan,carved into large pieces such asbookends or ash trays. It is a type ofmarble.

If the impurities form spots orpatterns resembling plant material ina clear chalcedony background theymay be called plume or moss agates.Famous varieties of this type occur inTexas, Oregon and Montana. Blackinclusions are often manganesedioxide; reds are oxides of iron.

Because it can be dyed, muchcommercially offered agate hascolors seldom appearing in nature dark blue, orange and bright yellow.

Chalcedony of a uniformtranslucent color may be green as inchrysoprase, reddish orange as in

carnelian, amber to brown as in sard.Aventurine is clear chalcedony withtiny specks of green mica.

When cryptocrystalline quartz hasenough inclusions to be opaque it isusually called jasper, flint or chert.Now the nomenclature gets murky.Nature does not operate like afactory, so many rocks are a blend ormixture of jasper, flint, or non-quartzmaterials. Pure prototypes of anamed type are often difficult to find.There is a multitude of jasper types

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often with mixtures of colors mainlyred, yellow, green or brown.Bloodstone is a dark green jasperwith bright red spots. Certaindistinctive deposits will be given theirown names. Examples of distinctive

jaspers in the U.S. are Bruneau,Morrison Ranch, Willow Creek,Poppy, Owyhee, Biggs, and Wild

Horse Canyon.

The distinction between jasper, flintand chert (also called hornstone) isnot clear-cut. All are opaque, heavywith impure inclusions. As agenerality, flint is considered lesspure than jasper, but more purethan chert. Actually, a givenspecimen, e.g. an aboriginal pointexamined by a dozen experts wouldprobably have one or more call it a

jasper, flint, chert, or even agate. Theprecise application of names is notpossible. Flint, while often dark brown

or black, may be multicolored as inthe spectacular Flint Ridge materialfrom Ohio. Chert may be almost anycolor although the name is most oftenapplied to dark yellow-brown types.

Other specialized forms of quartzare opals, and those arising from thereplacement of minerals or organicmaterials.

Opal may occur in layers insedimentary rock, or in gas cavities involcanic rock. It does not have acrystalline structure. Its play of colors

is due to light being refracted by theclosely packed tiny silica spheres, inthe presence of water.

Replacement of fibrous asbestos bysilica results in parallel bands ofquartz which, when properly oriented,cause a sheen of chatoyant light. Theresulting cats eye, hawks eye, ortigereye, depends upon thebackground color being green, blue,or yellow on brown.

Under the right conditions bothplant and animal materials may bereplaced, cell by cell, by silica.Petrified wood has been found innearly all of the continental states.The amazing colors of agatizedwood from Arizona are well-known.Other less colorful types areabundant in the western U.S.

In other situations, organicreplacement of animal material suchas fossilized bones of dinosaurs,turtles or other reptiles may occur.

An example of mineral replacement isthe fossilized coral skeletons fromTampa Bay.

In summary:

Call it amethyst, flint or agate,Doesnt matter how you tag it,What youre holding is still just

a piece of quartz..its quartz!

References:Arem, J. Gems and Jewelry. New York:The Ridge Press, 1988

Cipriani, C. and Borelli, A. Guide to Gemsand Precious Stones. New York: Simon &Schuster, 1986Owens, V. The Lapidary Journal, June1967, pp.388-400.Woodward, C. and Harding, D.R.Gemstones. New York: Sterling PublishingCo., 1988.

From 1995 AFMS Award Winning Articles.

You know thatindestructible black box

that is used on airplanes?Why don't they make thewhole plane out of that

stuff?!

August Birthstone

Peridot

The peridot was regarded sinceancient times as the symbol of thesun. The Greeks believed that itbrought royal dignity upon its wearer.During the Middle Ages, peridot waspierced, then strung on the hair of anass and attached to the left arm toward off evil spirits. The Crusadersthought that peridots were emeralds,and brought them back to Europewhere they were featured asornaments in churches.Peridot is a gem-quality transparentvariety of olivine, a mineral composedof magnesium-iron silicates. Thecolor of olivine ranges from olive tolime green, sometimes with abrownish tinge. The green color isdue to the presence of iron, while the

brownish tinge indicates a higher ironcontent.

Some of the finest peridot stones arecalled evening emeralds becausethey appear greener under artificiallight.

An island in the Red Sea namedZabargad, which means olivine inArabic-has been mined for peridotsince ancient times. It is a smalldesolate island nothing grows,there is no fresh water, and it isscorchingly hot all year round exceptthe middle of winter. In somelocations on the island, fissures arelined with gem crystals ranging frommillimeters to several centimeters.Beaches near the deposits have agreenish hue due to tiny greenperidot crystals.

Peridot crystals are also found in theMogok district of Burma, Norway,Brazil, China, Kenya, Sri Lanka,Australia, and Mexico. In the UnitedStates, small stones can be found inthe San Carlos Indian Reservation inArizona. Peridot has also been foundin some meteorites.

Peridot is among the oldest knowngemstones. The topaz on thebreastplate of Aaron, High Priest ofthe Hebrews in the Old Testament,was believed to actually be peridot.Ancient Egyptians, around 1580 B.C.to 1350 B.C., created beads fromperidot. For Greeks and Romans,peridot was in popular use asintaglios, rings, inlays, and pendants.

Peridots were a prized gem late in theOttoman empire (1300-1918). TurkishSultans collected what is believed tobe the worlds largest collection. Thegold throne in Istanbuls Topkapimuseum is decorated with 955peridot cabochons (gems or beadscut in convex form and highlypolished) up to 1 inch across, and

there are also peridots used asturban ornaments and on jeweledboxes. The largest stone is believedto be a 310 carat gem that belongs tothe Smithsonian. A 192 carat stone offine clear olive-green is part of theRussian crown jewels, in the Kremlin.

Via:www.earthsky.org/earth/birthstones

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Gemcrafters and Explorers Club "EL Gambrisino" Volume 52, Issue 7, August 2010 - 9 -

Upcoming Show Dates:

AUG. 12-15--BUENA VISTA, COLORADO: Show, "The Rock Show at Buena Vista: A CONTINental DivideTAILgate"; Contin-tail LLC; Rodeo Grounds, Gregory Rd. and Rodeo Rd.; Thu. 9-5, Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-5; freeadmission; more than 120 dealers, rocks, minerals, gemstones, fossils, beads, jewelry, lapidary equipment,demonstrations (flintknapping, stone cutting, wire wrapping, beading, precious metal clay), free rock for children, doorprizes, fluorescent mineral display; contact Carolyn Tunnicliff, 1130 Francis #7010, Longmont, CO 80501, (720) 938-

4194; e-mail: ctunnicliff@comcast.net; Web site: www.coloradorocks.orgAUG. 20-21--TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA: Show; Tahlequah Rock & Mineral Society; Tahlequah Community Bldg.,1st St. and College Ave.; Fri. 9-6, Sat. 9-6; free admission; vendors, rocks, minerals, children's activities, fluorescentdisplay, snack bar, museum participation; contact Don Alberty, P.O. Box 932, Tahlequah, OK 74465, (918) 207-9733;e-mail: moody_tuner@yahoo.comAUG. 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,smoky quartz, topaz; contact Becky Blair, (719) 748-3030; e-mail: blairra@hotmail.com; or John Rakowski, (719) 748-3861; e-mail: rakgeologist@yahoo.comSEPT. 4-6--SILVER CITY, NEW MEXICO: 27th annual show; Rolling Stones Gem & Mineral Society; GrantCounty Business and Conference Center, 3031 Hwy. 180 E, next to ACE Hardware; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-5, Mon.10-4; free admission; more than 55 dealers, daily free field trips, silent auction, wheel of fortune; contactMarcia Andre, 1311 Peterson Dr., Silver City, NM 88061, (575) 534-0006; e-mail: marciarandre@gmail.com;Web site: www.rollingstonesgms.blogspot.comSEPT. 10-12--MARIETTA (ATLANTA), GEORGIA: Show; Frank Cox Productions; Cobb County Civic Center, 548 S.Marietta Pkwy.; Fri. 1-5, Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-5; gems, jewelry, beads; contact Frank Cox Productions, 755 S. Palm Ave.#203, Sarasota, FL 34236, (941) 954-0202; e-mail: frankcox@comcast.net; Web site: www.frankcoxproductions.comSEPT. 15-19--DENVER, COLORADO: Show and sale, "Denver Coliseum Mineral Show"; Eons Expositions; DenverColiseum, 1900 44th St.; Wed. 10-6, Thu. 10-6, Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4; free admission; 130 dealers, minerals,fossils, crystals, meteorites, gems, artisan jewelry, gold, services, equipment, displays; contact Lowell Carhart, 7514Antelope Meadows Circle, Peyton, CO 80831, (719) 886-7046; e-mail: lowellcarhart@yahoo.com; Web site:www.ColiseumShow.comSEPT. 17-19--DENVER, COLORADO: 43rd annual show, "Denver Gem and Mineral Show"; Greater Denver AreaGem & Mineral Council; Denver Merchandise Mart, 451 E. 58th Ave. (I-25, Exit 215); Fri. 9-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5;adults $6, seniors and students $4, children free with adult; runs concurrent with the Colorado Fossil Expo, exhibits,dealer displays, minerals, fossils, meteorites, gems, jewelry, demonstrations, speakers, "Minerals of Creede/MineralCounty"; contact Emily Epstein, (303) 233-2516; e-mail: emilye@sprynet.com; Web site:

www.denvermineralshow.comSEPT. 25-26--TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN: Annual show; Grand Traverse Area Rock & Mineral Club; GrandTraverse Heritage Center, 322 Sixth St.; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 11-4; adults $2, children free with adult; dealers, rocks, gems,minerals, jewelry, demonstrations, jewelry making, rock cutting and polishing, kids' area; contact Cynthia Vaughn,(231) 276-6150; e-mail: Maple2b@aol.com

For further information or shows please check: www.rockngem.comWho knows, there just might be a good rock show in the area of your travels.

Thought for the Day: Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

Some Interesting Web Sites for you to CheckOut: Please send me any of your favorites that youthink folks might be interested in and I will pass them along.

GREAT FOR PRE FLIGHT INFO: What the current temperatures and weather conditions are in cities all over the country!http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/zoa/mwmap3.php?map=usaAn interesting read on the logging of the Sacramento Mountains:Interested in Billy the Kid history, then check this article out: www.ruidosonews.com/ruidoso-breaking_news/ci_15527647

Classifieds:

Nancy Galloway has part of her mineral collection for sale. For information on what is available, prices and where to see themplease call her at 202-3581. She has just moved and is trying to downsize due to lack of space to display them.

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Gemcrafters and Explorers Club "EL Gambrisino" Volume 52, Issue 7, August 2010 - 10 -

Gemcrafters & Explorers Club, P.O. Box 3091, Las Cruces, NM 88003

Member of: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies www.amfed.orgRocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies www.rmfms.orgBlue Ribbon Coalition www.sharetrails.org

2009 OFFICERS & volunteers:President

Dave Smith 521-3103 joandaves@msn.comVice President Kathy Fuller 524-0204 truthfinderpoly@gmail.comTreasurer Cookie Saathoff 382-3464 imaginethattoo@comcast.netSecretary(temp) Maxine Wyman 649-4900 gambrisina@gmail.comRefreshments- Pat Mauer 526-4939 patricia.pat.mauer8@gmail.comHistorian- Don Saathoff 382-3464 auagte2@comcast.netProgram Director - Eric Fuller 524-0204 ghosthiker@gmail.comNewsletter Editor- Maxine Wyman 649-4900 gambrisina@gmail.com

We meet on the third Friday of the month at Gardiner Hall, Room 118, 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. 1st

of 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 or

area 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: gambrisina@gmail.com

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 atgambrisina@gmail.com 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