Program: "Mineral Identification Basics"
presented by Bill Stephens, Professional Geologist
Bill will guide us through the basics of mineral
identification.
Bill Stephens, PG, VP of Programs at DMS will be presenting an
introductory level “hands-on” class on the properties of minerals
and basic field tests for identifying minerals. The “you can
do this” interactive presentation will include an overview of major
mineral classes, particularly rock forming minerals and their
pleasing, collectible crystallized forms and the basic properties
and associated field observations and tests commonly used to
identify minerals. Attendees will get a chance to try their
hands at identifying a number of unknowns, both as individual
minerals and within common rocks from our area and favorite
collecting locals in the US . If you have your own magnifying
glass, better bring it!
Times:
7:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Parking: Please park in
the spaces allotted at the Mill. Overflow parking is available
just 100 yards up Greenbank Mill Road at the railroad crossing. You
can walk across the creek over the scenic bridge to the Mill.
Please do not park in the
Fire Lane. Thank you.
Refreshments: See
Beth Simpkins to sign-up for our future
meeting snacks.
Program: "Gemstones of Peru" presented by
Lee Horowitz, Gemologist
Program Review:
Lee Horowitz introduced himself as having learned his love of
the outdoors and of mineral collecting from field trips with his
horticulturalist father. His hobby became his second career, and he is
now in a partnership which is centered in Lima, Peru. His company, Peru
Blue Opal, is a group of miners and cutters of Peruvian blue opal, pink
and golden opals. This company also mines other Peruvian stones such as
chrysacolla and rhodocrosite. He displayed and talked about his
magnificent inventory of beads, cabachons, carvings and rough stone,
some of which would be hard to find today.
Because of the beauty, value, rarity, and
difficulty of identification of certain of these gems, the user must
beware of stones being sold under fraudulent names. Mr. Horowitz
shared ways in which stones are colored, glued, heated, or mislabeled
and how a buyer can try to detect this. He also mentioned some work
with pre-Incan artifacts under the aegis of National museums in
Washington, DC, which could lead to better identification of specimens
in museum collections and to a clearer understanding of when and where
the earliest mining and working of gem minerals by South American native
peoples took place. [Mary Ann Levan, Recording
Secretary]
Times:
7:00 PM - 8:45 PM
Refreshments:
Next Board Meeting:
Sunday, February 19, 2012 at 12:00PM
Location: Greenbank Mill Contact: Ken Casey Agenda: To be announced
For General Meeting Minutes &
Board
Meeting Minutes, see special editions of the Geogram.
Next Show Committee Meeting:
February 16, 2012 Location: Wayne's house Time: 7:00PM Contact: Wayne Urion Agenda: Planning
our March 3-4, 2012 Show. Members are invited.
Next Lapidary New Home Committee Meeting: 2012 Location: Time: Contact: Marji Marshall Agenda:Official meeting to discuss, plan,
goal-set, and report actions to-date of lapidary lab/new home search.
From I-95 take 141 North to Route 2 West (Kirkwood Hwy.). At third
stop light take a right onto Route 41 North (Newport Gap Pike). At the bottom of the hill,
just past the Wilmington & Western Railroad, take a right onto Greenbank Road. Drive
past Greenbank Mill, the parking lot is on the left, just after you recross the Wilmington &
Western Railroad tracks.
