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

Affiliated with the AFMS and the RMFMS

EL GAMBRISINO

December 2010 - Volume 52 - Issue 11

GEMCRAFTERS & EXPLORERS CLUB Meeting Notes, Nov. 19, 2010

President Dave Smith brought the meeting to order promptly at 7 PM. There were 37 members present. He announced that there would be no program this month, that this would be a business meeting with a Show and Tell before adjournment. Dave asked any guests present to introduce themselves. There was one Donna Andretti. The refreshments were provided by Jannette Hale & Rosemary LaPlante who were applauded for their efforts. An announcement was made that there would be no Mineral Meeting this month as the normal meeting day would be the day before Thanksgiving. Details of the Christmas Party were read by Dave Smith. It will be on December 3rd at Pat Grace and Tony Nunezs home. Fliers had been emailed to the club prior to the meeting and there were copies for those who needed them. The El Paso Club has sent postcards for free admission to their Show to all our club members. There were also tickets for free admission available to anyone who wanted them. This show will be held on December 3-5. Treasurers Report Cookie Saathoff stated that we had $1,215.21 in the bank. There were two checks written last month, one to the Fullers for the new Ezy Up and one to Maxine Wyman for stamps. She mentioned that the 2011 dues would be due January 1st. Dave said that our one and only annual fund raiser Raffle would be held in January so everyone should start amassing treasures to bring and, of course, plenty of dollar bills for tickets. Ed Leakey and his committee, Alan Gadberry and Al Spencer, were thanked for their efforts in finding people willing to serve as officers for 2011. They nominated: President Kathy Fuller Vice President Al Spencer Treasurer Pat Grace Secretary Brenda Gadberry

As there were no nominations made from the floor the slate was complete. Mitch Mauer made a motion that the nominations be accepted, Russell Franz seconded it and it passed unanimously by voice vote. Dave then thanked the volunteer chairs for their efforts and work during the year and for staying on for another year. Program/Field Trips - Eric Fuller Refreshments - Pat Mauer Historian/Minerals - Don Saathoff Editor - Maxine Wyman Dave asked if anyone had anything for Show and Tell and there were quite a few this month: Pat Mauer had a big rock from Orogrande which she had found and couldnt cart down the mountain because of the heavy load she had already picked up. Joan Smith volunteered to carry it for her. Mitch sliced it in half and Pat presented half of it to Joan. Marie Mathewson brought a good sampling of rocks collected from Orogrande that she had cut and polished. She had some of the Christmas rock, Chrysocolla, Garnett and so on. Al Spencer brought a very nice piece of garnet that he had collected also from Orogrande and some pieces of rosy quartz from the Palm Park area. Dave Smith brought his microscope and some of the micros he had collected Alan Gadberry brought some Orogrande Garnett and some micros for us to look at under the microscope. . The meeting was then adjourned.

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club Reminders & Gen. Info

As there is no meeting in December our next meeting will be as held on the third Friday of the month, Jan. 21st, 2011, Room 118, Gardiner Hall on the NMSU campus, 6:30 PM for socializing and 7 PM for the meeting. Refreshments will be hosted by the Uhls and the Gadberrys. As you know a new slate of officers was elected in November so lets all give them a hand and help out however we can while they are learning the routines and such.

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health and good rock hounding and exploration. LeRoy sent in this announcement The Doa Ana Archaeological Society will meet at 7 PM Tue., 14 December 2010, at the Good Samaritan Auditorium, 3011 Buena Vida Circle, Las Cruces. David Greenwald, Four Corners Research, will give a presentation on the effort to locate and disinter sixty five individuals from the Fort Craig cemetery for reburial in the Santa Fe National Cemetery. He will discuss the effort to untangle archival documentation, field methods to examine each grave, and document looted graves in the complete excavation of the post cemetery. The meeting is free and open to the public. Info 575-524-9497.

As always, the talks were on a variety of mineral subjects, all very informative and most very interesting. The mining artifacts people were there and gave two good talks. They were also well represented in the tail gate sessions. After hearing the talks the things they had to sell had a lot more meaning to me. I might mention that some of those artifacts come at a very dear price.

Brecken Uhl, Eric Fuller & Bob Evelyth deep in discussion

Saturday noon break was spent at the Mineral Museum on campus by a lot of the two hundred plus attendees. Its a wonderful museum and if you havent had an opportunity to visit it, its well worth the trip to see. I didnt attend the dinner Saturday night as I had other plans but heard it was nice and the auction was as much fun as ever. Then there was the Sunday afternoon Silent Auction put on by the Albuquerque Club for the benefit of the school. It was a blast as usual. This is where you find out who is your friend and who is not as they start bidding against you. I came away with one of the pieces I wanted and most came away with several. It seems that everyone wanted the two pices I did and so had to give up on. Good fun and good prices. And so another Symposium came to an end. I look forward to it every year and for those of you who havent attended you should try it. Where else can you have such a good time while learning more about minerals and meeting like minded people?

31st ANNUAL NM MINERAL SYMPOSIUM, Nov. 13-14, 2010 Its that time of the year again the 2011 dues are due in January. The membership form, which must be filled out and returned with your check or cash, has been attached along with the Bulletin. Please fill it out as it is the only way we have of keeping up with changes and, of course, keeping the bank and IRA happy. There were no field trips or campouts scheduled in Nov. The Christmas Party will be written up in the January issue. If any field trips come up notification will be emailed to you. Now that everyone has had a chance to stuff themselves with turkey we can get ready to do it all again for Christmas. I hope that everyone has a joyous holiday this year and can look forward to a new year of good
Our club was well represented this year. The Fullers, the Uhls, the Gadberrys, the Saathoffs, Lee Attaway, Kay Walker and me were all there. (Sorrry if I missed anyone). The tail gate session was as much fun as ever. The minerals for sale ranged from average specimens to real show stoppers with bargains to be had. Seeing old friends again and meeting new ones was the best part for me.

Morning Breaksfast time Julie Uhl & Alan & Brenda Gadberry at the table.

See you there next year!

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club Wire Wrapping By Don Shore

Ancient Phoenicians are credited with the creation of Wire Wrap Jewelry, but the art form goes back nearly 1000 years earlier. In the Bible detailed instructions were given to Moses to construct the tabernacle and priestly garments and attire. The design for the breastplate of Aaron, the High Priest, is found in Exodus 28, beginning at verse 15. It was to have 12 gems, all set in gold filigree. Filigree was Gold or Silver hammered into thin sheets, then cut into thin sheets, and the edges filed smooth, thus making wire. The wire was woven into a basket of filigree and set into the breastplate. Biblical scholars have placed this even near 1446 BC, nearly 1000 years before the Phoenicians. In Egypt, a Sarcophagus was layered with fine sheets of Gold. About 1900 to 1800 BC, the Sarcophagus changed to include woven strands of Gold and Silver, hinting that the Hebrew artists bought this art form to their new homeland. The earliest reference to drawn wire was in the 8th century of France and the first commercial wire operation was in 1270 AD in France. During the Medieval period, knights brought back wire to England to make chains and mail for their armor. The earliest mention of wire production in England was in 1465. Wire wrapping was limited to fastening Crucifix and other religious symbols to lanyards. During the late 1800s the Bohemian culture used wire to string chips of polished glass and stone beads to make necklaces and bracelets. This was popular among the European aristocracies for nearly 50 years. Wire arts from the Victorian Age, 1837 to 1901, combine Wire Sculpture and Cameos to

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produce some of the most popular pieces of the period. Only recently have we seen the truest form of Wire Art Sculpting. Hundreds of artists create all forms of wearable art and jewelry such as rings, pendants, pins, hair barrettes, broaches, bracelets, and stick pins by combining gemstones, beads, antiques, family heirlooms, mineral specimens, and even fossils with gold, silver, gold filled, copper, and brass wire. Wires come in many shapes and sizes, such as round, square, half round, triangular, flat or patterned. Although square wire is used for many items, half round is used for wrapping ring shanks. Round wire is used for earring findings and bead rings. Some of the basic techniques include twisting the wire, wrapping a wire bundle, crimping or flattening the wrap, scrolling, and shaping. Simple tools, such as various styles of pliers, pin vise, files, wire cutters, ring mandrel, and a scale are used to bind and twist wires together. It does not involve the use of solder, fire, chemicals, or complicated tools. Advantages of this technique are unlimited design possibilities, a fast turn around from the design inception to jewelry completion, and the ability to incorporate any shape or finish from any material.
Besides using the Bible, the following web sites were used in preparing this article: www.pelebeads.com/faqs.htm www.members.aol.com/cutstones/hist ory/history.htm www.costumes.org/pages/jewelink.ht m Source Osage Hills Gems 04/03 via the Rock Collector 09/04

Jewelry Cleaning Solution:

It consists of mixing a household cleaning detergent (Top Job, Mr. Clean, etc.) with equal amounts of dish washing liquid and ammonia and water to fill up your mixing container. Warm it on the stove or in a microwave then put your gold or silver jewelry in the mixture for about 10 minutes. Remove, rinse, dry, and you are done. The Web site cautions you to keep the kids and pets away from this solution.
from Backbenders Gazette, 9/04 via The Rock Collector, ll/04 www.jewelrymaking.about.com/cs/allproje cts/a041804 updated site and this tip is no longer there but for anyone interested in making jewelry this is a good site.

MAKE A SET OF COASTERS

Get out that box of slabs you plan to use someday and blow off the dust. Pick out six that you can trim to four inch squares. Then, round the corners and bevel the edges so that the squares will have smooth edges. Polish the best side either on your equipment or by spraying with a waterproof acrylic. Back the other side with selfsticking felt. The thickness of the squares does not have to match. Finished? You now have a set of six unique coasters in a variety of colors and patterns. Of course if you have a huge supply of slabs and want a matched set of coasters, go for it. They make nice gifts.
Author unknown, via The Coral Geode 10/05. via Breccia 12/05

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December Birthstone, Turquoise

Compiled by Roger K. Pabian, Research Geologist, Emeritus School of Natural Resources, UNL Turquoise or Zircon, December's Alternate Birthstones
If you were born in December, you have the choice of at least two different birth stones. Turquois is on of the choices and zircon is the other. Historically, turquois has been a very important and long used stone. It has been found among Egyptian artifacts including jewelry and decoration on tombs. The term turquois is probably derived from the French pierre turquois (Turkish stone). The name appears both with a final "e" (turquoise) and without the final "e" (turquois). Mineralogists have preferred the latter spelling and it is the custom of the jewelry industry to apply the names and spellings as do the mineralogists since mineral names are generally universal throughout the scientific world. In the old world, the Egyptians and Persians and Mongols valued turquois highly. Turquois is a very popular stone in Tibet. The Persians were extremely fond of fine, sky blue turquois and the name "Persian Turquois" is now applied to these stones as a color grade rather than as an indication of source area. In the New World, the Aztecs and Incas utilized turquois but the American Indians of the Southwest have probably brought more attention to this stone in recent years than any other culture. Visits to jewelry stores, art and craft shows and gem and mineral shows will usually provide many examples of squash blossom necklaces and thunderbird motifs. Turquois is a hydrous phosphate of aluminum and copper CuO.3Al2O3.2P2O5.9H2O. Most turquoise has been found in deeply weathered and altered rhyolitic volcanic rocks. Turquois may be a weathering product of the mineral apatite, or it may even include some organic phosphate. Turquois forms triclinic crystals---three unequal axes, none of which intersect at right angles. Only micro- or very minute crystals if turquois are known. Strangely, the most common occurrence of turquois crystals has been in Virginia, an area from which little, if any, gem turquois has been produced. Turquois is fairly hard, 5-6 on a scale of 10. It may be chalky to brittle, the latter showing a conchoidal fracture. Better rough grades may have a waxy luster whereas lower grades are dull. The chalky material is often impregnated with a resin to make it more durable and more lustrous. The resin-treated turquois can usually be detected by odor. The specific gravity ranges from about 2.60 to 2.83. Turquois is almost always opaque but rare, translucent stones are known to exist. The refractive indexes range from 1.61 on the low end to 1.62 in the middle and 1.65 on the high side of the scale. It is biaxial positive and has a fairly high dispersion. Optical tests are usually not needed to determine if a stone is turquois as physical tests will almost always suffice. Turquois may form as chalky coatings or finely disseminated crystals in small cavities and crystal interstices in the host rock. This fact has led to the development of reconstituted turquois. The rock that contains turquois is finely pulverized and the turquois is separated from the gangue by a flotation process. The pulverized turquois is placed into a bomb and it

is injected with a resin to form a brick. Pulverized pyrite and other natural appearing inclusions may be added to the mixture to produce a more convincing turquois substitute. Finer grades of turquois are usually blue to blue green and names such as "robin's egg blue" or "sky blue" have been used to describe these stones. Several natural and synthetic things may be confused for turquois. Vivianite is a hydrous ferrous phosphate, Fe3P2O8.8H2O, that may impart a blue color to fossil bones. Some of this material is sometimes offered under the trade name of bone turquois. The bluis tinge shown by many of the fossils in museum exhibits is due to the presence of vivianite. Variscite is a yellow-green to blue-green hydrous phosphate of aluminum, AlPO4.2H2O. It is much softer than turquois and crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. Malachite, a copper carbonate, Cu2(OH)2CO3 is a very deep blue green and usually has a layered structure. Chrysocolla is a hydrous silicate of copper, CuSiO3.2H2O, that is only 2 to 4 hard and has a specific gravity of about 1.46 to 1.57. Chrysocolla may often be impregnated with or suspended in chalcedony and produce a very hard but deep blue green stone. Colored glass is often sold as a turquois substitute and it usually shows swirls, bubbles, and a conchoidal fracture. It may contain some added, pulverized pyrite or bronze foil. Plastic will have a very low specific gravity and often show bubbles. It will melt and emit an odor if a non-conspicuous point of the stone is touched with a hot needle here.

Stabilized turquoise nuggets, Arizona.

Spider web turquoise nugget, China.

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and Gamma Rays are emitted. The Alpha particles have a rather large mass and as they are ejected from the nucleus of the atom, the effect on the crystal lattice is the same as if one was locked in a room and began firing a pistol in random directions. There would be bullet holes all over the walls, floor and ceiling of the room. As the alpha particles move at high velocity through the crystal lattice, the effect is similar. The alpha particles leave their paths of damage or "bullet holes" in the crystal lattice. These paths are called fission tracks. It is the damage to the crystal lattice that is caused by radioactive decay of elements that is the cause of the chipping of the facet junctions. Absolute dates are the numbers in years of the ages of rock samples taken from the earth. Not every rock in the earth is the same age and these fission tracks, as much of a pain they may be to the jeweler or gem fancier, are very useful little clues that help geologists date rock samples. Uranium 235 breaks down at a constant rate, or it has a known halflife, the length of time it takes for half of a given quantity of a radioactive mineral to break down. If a radioactive element has a half-life of one million years, then if you start out with 2 kilograms, in one million years it will break down yield one kilogram. It is also going to fire out a lot of Alpha particles into the surrounding medium. What geologists can do is count the number of fission tracks in a given area or volume. The tracks are very tiny and at first, a thin section of rock must be cut and it must be etched in Hydrofluoric Acid (HF) to enlarge the holes so that they can be seen under low magnification. The tracks are counted and this number is plugged into a formula and an absolute date is arrived at in this way. Fission track dates offer the geologist a much less expensive method for obtaining absolute dates for rock samples. Dates can be obtained from other minerals but the method was originally developed with zircon. December's birthstone still has several things going for it in spite of a tendency to chip out at the facet junctions. It is pretty hard (7.5 on a scale of 10) and fairly tough. It has a fairly high refractive index (ranging from 1.92 to 1.95 on the low end and 1.96-2.02 on the high end), and these numbers measure how much a beam of light is bent and slowed down when it enters the stone. The disturbances and irregularities in the crystal lattice probably cause these variations. Zircon crystallizes in the tetragonal system and is therefore uniaxial. Minerals that crystallize in the tetragonal system have two refractive indexes, one of which remains fixed in value and one of which varies either upward or downward to meet the one of fixed value. In the case of tetragonal crystals, the refractive index that is parallel to the c axis remains fixed in value and this axis is called the optic axis. Zircon is uniaxial because it has one optic axis even though it has two refractive indexes. Birefringence is the numerical difference of the higher and lower refractive indexes of a substance; hence, a numerical measurement of the double refraction of that substance. The birefringence of zircon can be as high as 0.10 (2.02 - 1.92 = 0.10, from above). That means that double refraction can be readily detected in even small stones, which will show strong doubling of the back facets when viewed through the table. To minimize this effect, the faceter can orient the stone such that the table of the completed stone is perpendicular to the c axis or the optic axis of the crystal.

Turquoise in weathered rhyolite. This is the kind of turquoise from which reconstituted turquoise is derived.. For Further Reading

Ford, W. E., 1958. Dana's Textbook of Mineralogy. 19th Edition. John wiley & Sons, New York, 851 p. Schumann, W., 1997. Gemstones of the World, Revised and Expanded Edition, Sterling Publishing Company, New York, 271 p. Shipley, R. M., 1971. Dictionary of Gems and Gemology. Gemological Institute of America, Los Angeles, 230 p.

December Birthstone, Zircon

Zircon or Turquoise, December's Alternate Birthstones Zircon is a relatively recent addition to the list of gems that are commonly worn for personal adornment. Its usage goes back only to about the last decade of the 18th Century. The stone has probably not enjoyed a highly successful usage such as has diamond, ruby or sapphire, and there are several reasons for this. First, zircon is relatively unstable as far as gemstones go. For example, on an important anniversary, a very wealthy man presents his wife a pendant with a very large faceted blue zircon in it. She wears it to the country club for dinner and dancing that evening and wears it on the next couple or three important social occasions. Then she decides that the stone is really too large and valuable to wear except on the most important social events and puts the piece away in a safe. The next big occasion is a few years later when her husband is promoted to chairman of the board. She decides to wear that pendant to the directors' annual dinner and takes it from the safe. Much to her horror, she discovers that the facet junctions on the stone are marred and dulled by numerous tiny chips that weren't there three years ago. It turns out that zircon has this nasty habit of chipping out at the facet junctions. Metamict is a term that is applied to radioactive minerals or ones that have substituted radioactive elements in the crystal lattice that leads to disruptions in the crystal lattice and atomic arrangement within the crystal although the crystal retains its original external morphology. Zircon is one of these metamict minerals. Radioactive elements are characterized by a decay of the nuclei of their atoms. As Uranium 235 (U235) breaks down, Alpha and Beta particles

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Dispersion is the ability of a substance to break white light up into its component colors--- red, yellow, and blue. For zircon, this figure is quite high, 0.039. This measure is arrived at the numerical differences between the refractive index measured from the red and blue wavelengths of light. From the jeweler's viewpoint, the dispersion is a measure of the colorful sparkle of a faceted gem as it rolls around in white light. Burma and Sri Lanka have been important historic sources of zircon. Some examples have also been recovered in Ontario, Canada, and in Wisconsin. None of the latter have yet proved to be of gem grade. Zircon comes in quite a few colors: colorless, yellow, brown, orange, red, violet, blue and green have been observed. When zircons are removed from their host gravels, they are commonly cloudy and clear up only after being heat treated by baking them in mud balls for several days. The rough material comes in high, medium, and low forms, with high having the highest physical and optical properties. Low zircons are usually glassy and only about 6 hard. These anomalies are probably due to the metamict state of the mineral.

Liddicoat, R. T., 1969. Handbook of Gem Identification. Gemological Institute of America, Los Angeles, CA, 430 p. Schumann, W., 1977. Gemstones of the World. Sterling Publishing Co., New York, 256 p. Shipley, R. M., 1971. Dictionary of Gems and Gemology. Gemological Institute of America, Los Angeles, CA, 230 p. Zeitner, J. C., 1996. Gem and Lapidary Materials for Cutters, Collectors, and Jewelers. Geoscience Press, Tucson, AZ, 347 p.

Is turquoise, blue topaz or tanzanite?

Due to its growing popularity since its 1967 discovery, tanzanite has now been widely accepted as a December birthstone. Tanzanite is found in only one place in the world Tanzania, on the continent of Africa. This calcium aluminum silicate is a blue variety of the gemstone, zoisite and has a value of 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. It was Tiffanys that first coined the name tanzanite within the gem and jewelry trade and the name stuck.

Faceted zircons, Burma or Sri Lanka.

Zircon crystals, Bahia, Brazil. For Further Reading

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club Be Safe, Be Well

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By Don Monroe, AFMS Safety Chair

From the AFMS Newsletter, 04/2007

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones but Splinters and Stickers Can Hurt You
It seems obvious that splinters and stickers do indeed hurt, but it may be that the damage is more serious than we recognize. Most years I spend a couple of weeks assisting a deer hunting group in the Big Bend region of Texas. The ranch we have access to is about 15,000 acres and it is wild country. The most sobering aspect of this area is the fact that everything, and I do mean everything, sticks. In addition to the ever-present cactus in an impressive variety of sizes and colors, almost all other plants stick. Now I dont mean little stickers, but I mean thorns of size and ferocity that you do not see many places. Once you have allowed one of these thorns to deeply penetrate, you have a wound that needs attention. Since we hunt in a really remote area, both guides and hunters often have to take care of their medical problems. To see one of your friends digging in his leg with a sharp knife and tweezers to pull out the offending sticker is not a pretty sight. Applying a strong antiseptic is necessary, but can make a strong man cry. You are now thinking what can a person do? I do not have all of the answers. As a matter of fact I do not have many answers but I will tell you what I do. First, I acquired some snake-proof boots and snakeproof pants. I put snakes in the category of nasty stickers and snake-proof outerwear will take care of most all types of stickers. Then I put together a little first aid kit just to handle cuts, punctures and abrasions. Finally I wear gloves. I dont just wear any old gloves, but I wear leather gloves that will repel thorns and the like. The last thing I do is try to be alert. Watch where you step and where you sit and try to not fall down. Vigilance can really pay big dividends. Do not get the idea that you must go west to encounter stickers. Our yard in north Georgia has been left in the natural state because that is the way we like it. Most of the trees and bushes are wild crab apple and they will attack you with a vengeance. Add briars, blackberry bushes and other unfriendly varieties and you get the picture. On our farm we had Osage orange and black locust, both of which have well deserved bad reputations. Is there any part of our great country that does not have stickers?

I havent forgotten about the splinters. There are a great number of splinters that we encounter in daily life and we really should be a lot more concerned about them because any skin penetration can provide an access path for germs. Splinters can be soft wood, hard wood, metal, glass, plastic, paint, and many other materials. Splinters can be insidious and really quite dangerous. Obviously a splinter in the eye is a serious hazard but have you enjoyed a splinter under a fingernail? When we were much younger, a friend got a small splinter in his foot and could not locate it so he ignored it. Have you ever heard of phlebitis? He hadnt either until the doctor at the hospital explained why his leg was so severely swollen. Keep a magnifying glass and good tweezers handy and search out those pesky splinters. The last splinter I want to warn you about is unusual and many have not encountered it. It is the common cat hair. No, not dog hair or any other type of hair, just cat hair. Now cat hair is fine, but a bit stiff and has a very sharp tip. If you get cat hair in your shoe it may take awhile, but it can get lined up so that the sharp tip comes up against the bottom of your foot. This most often occurs on the heel or ball of the foot. This little sharp spike will work its way between the layers of the print of the foot and work its way into your foot. You slowly begin to feel a little pain and you cannot see the source. The pain continues and finally you get serious about finding the source. When you find that little hair it will appear that it is growing out of your skin. When you pull it out, the relief will be instantaneous. I know this is hard to believe, but it does happen. Ask around and I will bet you will find someone who has experienced this unusual splinter.
via Breccia April 2007, Santa Clara Valley Gem Society

Gemcrafters and Explorers Club UP COMING SHOW Dates:

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JAN 1-28--QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA: Show, "Desert Gardens International Gem & Mineral Show"; Desert Gardens RV Park; 1064 Kuehn St. (I-10 Exit 17, south side); 9-6 daily; free admission; crystals, minerals, rough, polished, jewelry, lapidary equipment; contact Sharon or Sandy, 1064 Kuehn St., Quartzsite, AZ 85346, (928) 927-6361; e-mail: info@desertgardensrvpark.net ; Web site: www.desertgardensrvpark.net JAN 19, 2011 QUARTZSITE, AZ: ALAA, American Lands Access Assn. is having a meeting in beautiful down town Quartzsite, Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 9am (Mountain Time) This will be at the Senior Center on Moon Mountain Road. ALL are welcome. The desert will be changing and not for the good of the public; no matter what you enjoy in the desert, large tracts of land will be taken for solar projects, and we will loose a number of collecting areas. YOU can help, please attend. JAN 22, 2011 QUARTZSITE, AZ: The annual meeting and officer installation of SCRIBE will be held at the Senior Center on Moon Mountain Road, just north of Main Street. Bob Jones, senior editor of Rock & Gem Magazine will be the guest speaker. SCRIBE is an international organization of current and former Bulleting Editors, Writers, and Webmasters of amateur gem, mineral, and earth science societies. There is a $2 registration which helps pay for refreshments and building rental. Registration begins at 9a MST. If you come, please bring a rock or mineral to share. We have a free drawing at the end of the meeting. Bring your bulletins, too, to share with the other editors. This is a great opportunity to visit with collectors from all parts of the country. In the past, we have had members from California, Arizona, North Carolina, Idaho, Washington State, Utah, and even Alberta, Ontario and Nova Scotia, Canada. Visit us at www.scribe.rbnet.net or our new Facebook community page (search for SCRIBE and select the photo of our meeting building in Quartzsite). FEB 10-13, 2011 TUCSON, AZ: 2011 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, February 10-13, 2011 "Minerals of California", Thursday, Friday, Saturday; 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Sunday; 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. contact tgms@tgms.org or see www.tgms.org . FEB 14-16--GLOBE, ARIZONA: 54th annual show; Gila Co. Gem & Mineral Society; Gila County Fair Grounds, 3 mi. north of US 60-70 Junction; Fri. 9-5, Sat. 9-5, Sun. 9-4; live demonstrations, door prizes, displays, minerals, jewelry; contact Val Lathem, (602) 466-3060; e-mail: val65@cox.net FEB 15-16--FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS: 42nd annual show, "Hill Country Gem & Mineral Show"; Fredericksburg Rockhounds; Pioneer Pavilion, Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 10-5; free admission; contact Jeff Smith, 208 Castle Pines Dr., Kerrville, TX 78028, (830) 895-9630; e-mail: jeffbrenda@windstreram.net ; Web site: www.fredericksburgrockhounds.org FEB 25-27--GOLDEN, COLORADO: Show; Denver Gem & Mineral Guild; Jefferson County Fairgrounds, 15200 W. 6th Ave.; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 11-5; free admission; gem-cutting demonstrations, geode cutting, mineral sample bags, mineral displays, dealers, gems, minerals, fossils, geodes, jewelry, books; contact Joseph Payne, 6101 S Logan Ct., Centennial, CO 80121, (303) 783-0221; e-mail: jpayne@englewoodgov.org ; Web site: www.denvergem.org MAR 18-20--ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO: 42nd annual show, Treasures of the Earth"; Albuquerque Gem & Mineral Club; Creative Arts Center Bldg., State Fair Grounds, EXPO NM (San Pedro entrance); Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $1 Fri., $3 Sat. and Sun., kids 12 and under free; more than 40 dealers, displays, door prizes, silent auctions, mineral and gem identification, juniors' booth, live wolf, geode cracking, faceting demonstration, gold panning and more; contact Paul Hlava, (505) 255-5478; e-mail: paulhlava@q.com For further information or shows please check: www.rockngem.com Who knows, there just might be a good rock show in the area of your travels.

Thought for the Day: If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill
himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

Some Interesting Web Sites for you to Check Out

think others might be interested in and I will pass them along.

Please send me any of your favorites that you

http://www.silversun-sf.com/turquoisetypes/

For turquoise lovers out there

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Gemcrafters & Explorers Club, P.O. Box 3091, Las Cruces, NM 88003
Member 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 Vice President Treasurer Secretary (temp) Refreshments Historian Program Director Newsletter EditorDave Smith Kathy Fuller Cookie Saathoff Maxine Wyman Pat Mauer Don Saathoff Eric Fuller Maxine Wyman 521-3103 524-0204 382-3464 649-4900 526-4939 382-3464 524-0204 649-4900 joandaves@msn.com truthfinderpoly@gmail.com imaginethattoo@comcast.net gambrisina@gmail.com patricia.pat.mauer8@gmail.com auagte2@comcast.net ghosthiker@gmail.com gambrisina@gmail.com

We meet on the third Friday of the month at Gardiner Hall, Room 118, NMSU campus, Las Cruces, NM at 6:30 pm for social and 7 pm for the meeting. There are no meetings in July and December. Dues are $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 and returned with your check BY MAIL to the treasurer.

Our purpose shall be to gather knowledge and provide educational benefits to members on geological, archaeological, lapidary, and mineralogical topics of interest, to include assistance to members in all lapidary problems, the study and identification of minerals and gem stones in the rough, the field study of geological formations which produce minerals and gem stones, the collection of minerals and gemstones, and the exploration of any geological or archaeological topic or area which may be of interest to the membership.

NOTE: All articles and photographs are by the Editor Maxine Wyman unless otherwise noted. Any address or email changes must be sent to me at: gambrisina@gmail.com

Info for the Newsletter:

If you have information, articles, pictures or a website related to gem crafting, rock collecting or exploring and would like to share please give me a call at 649-4900 or email me at gambrisina@gmail.com If you have a good idea or story to tell I will be more than happy to help you write it up. Also if you have minerals, outdoor or camping equipment, etc. that you would like to sell please let me know for our FREE "Classifieds." Maxine Wyman, Editor