Flatirons Facets
Published by
The Flatirons Mineral Club
Volume
45, No. 12 December
2003
Flatirons Facets
P. O. Box 3331
Boulder CO 80307-3331
Flatirons Facets is
published monthly by The Flatirons Mineral Club. The deadline for submission of
articles to Flatirons Facets is the 20th of each month. Permission is granted
for reprint if credit is given to the publication and author unless
specifically restricted.
The Flatirons Mineral
Club is a non-profit organization, established March 9, 1957, and dedicated to
developing and maintaining interest in all aspects of earth science and
associated hobbies. The club meets the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.
We meet at The
Senior Center, 9th and Arapahoe Avenue, Boulder, CO. Guests and visitors
are welcome. Membership dues are $15.00 per year (beginning October of each
calendar year). People interested in membership can contact the club either by
writing to the above address or by attending one of the meetings.
Deadline for the
January Facets is December 20.
****************
President's
Corner
What a great show! It was
nice to see so many members pitching in and helping with all of the activities.
The school children on Friday were a delight and we had a steady crowd on
Saturday and Sunday. The Elks Club facility fit our needs very nicely. And, we
had over a dozen vendors with great items to purchase.
There are so many people to thank. Andrea Elliott, John Hurst, and
Gerry Naugle did a great job in organizing the show. Emily Epstein's publicity
really brought out the people. Paul Boni had great demonstrations and classes
that were enjoyed by people of all ages. Thanks to Carol Codrescu for
organizing the ever-popular children's events. Paul Ralston had two dozen
display cases this year with a wide variety of displays. Charlotte Morrison
provided the touch-me display and other hands-on activities. Jim Armitage
promoted the show to the elementary schools in the area and over 200 students
visited us on Friday afternoon. And to those who spend countless hours at the
show and those who I have missed recognizing, a very special thank you.
The Holiday Party will take place during our December meeting.
Everyone should bring a gift for the gift exchange and refreshments to share.
See the article in this newsletter for more details. I hope to see you there
for the fun.
The Board meeting, on Monday, Dec 8, will be held at my house.
****************
Flatirons
Mineral Club Show
We are very happy to report that the first Flatirons Mineral Club Show
to be held in the Elks Lodge in Boulder was an unmitigated success, thanks to
the distinguished efforts of show chairperson Andrea Elliott, the show
committee which supported her efforts, and the numerous club members who
pitched in with their assistance, not to mention the Elks Club which allowed us
to use their facilities for the first time.
Although somewhat hampered by not being able to set up in the
Lodge room because of a meeting Thursday night, the crew who moved tables and
set up the display cases under the able leadership of Paul Ralston did an
excellent job of readying everything Friday morning for the opening at noon.
John Hurst did a great job of laying out the tables for dealers, display cases
and exhibitions. There were ten dealers originally, but space was later found
for three more, all of whom helped to add to the success of the show.
One of the advantages of the Elks venue was the ample space for
demonstrations and instruction of various kinds. Examples of faceting and
cabochon making were shown by Paul Boni and Bill Hutchinson and others, also
polishing of opals and bead stringing was presented by Emily Epstein. Carl Bird
taught a very interested class in the intricacies of wire wrapping, and Don
Norris showed how to melt silver and make fascinating jewelry by pouring the
melted metal over the ends of bundled plant stems. A special thank you should
go to our treasurer Gerry Naugle who spent all three days of show patiently explaining the intricacies of gold panning
to all and sundry in the absence of the professional gold panners who were
supposed to attend but were unable to do so because of the death of one of
their important members. And no one left without at least a gold leaf attached
to a card, which Gerry had prepared ahead of time. Dennis Gertenbach and Carol
Codrescu, assisted by many other volunteers were heavily involved in the
children's activities, which consisted of the children's wheel, kid's dig site
and sale of grab bags, which netted several hundred dollars for scholarships.
Out at the front desk Shirley Mehta and Richard Smith greeted
newcomers at the door, accepting the entrance fee and having them fill out
forms for the drawings, which took place twice every hour, for prizes which had
been made by the "Wednesday night crew" who meet every Wednesday
night at Charlotte Morrison's house to engage in crafts, or should we say
"crafty activities." Just kidding,
Charlotte. Grand prizes were a pearl necklace made by Joyce Gilbert and
a beautiful piece of turquoise donated by David and Harriet Grahm of the Bad
Boys of Cripple Creek. Charlotte was of course everywhere, overseeing the
giving of prizes and other activities, and ably assisted by Lou Yoder. We
understand that Terry O'Donnell presented such a great sales talk to incoming
visitors that we were able to sign up 15 new members, with possibly more on the
way.
Another activity this year was the entertaining of several
busloads of school children, arranged for by Jim Armitage who is vacationing in
Arizona at the moment.
We wish we could recognize all those who supported this show in
the set up and the take down of facilities. One person who worked hard to turn
out the help was Trick Runions who spent a lot of time on the phone calling for
help. Financially the show was a success. We had an attendance of around 500,
plus 225 school children. We want to thank Emily Epstein for the publicity and
her efforts as Webmaster, which brought a lot of people in. We took in enough
income to provide a reasonable net, and there was enough interest expressed by
dealers and public alike that there is every indication that we will expect to
have another show next year in the same location.
****************
Show
Exhibitors
Charlotte Morrison
We want to thank the following persons who brought their
collections to our show:
Paul Boni, Flatirons Club Field Trips and Crafts
Hallie Cook, Petrified Wood and Tampa Bay Coral
Howard and Darlene Emry, Fossil Plants, Creed, Colorado
Cheryl Erman, Beaders at Colorado Mineral Society
Ray and Charles Gilbert, Minerals and Lapidary
Harlan Hugg, Church of the Rockhounds
Bill, Marcella, and William Hutchinson, Three Field
Collectors
Tom Kohnen, Three cases from the Gilman Mines
J J & L, Slices of Brazilian Agates
Bob and Caren Johannes
Charlotte Morrison, Beads and Lapidary
Cory Olin, Mineral Collection
Les Robinette, Fossil Mammals, White River Formation
Jordan Sawdo, Thumbnail Fossils
Western Interior Paleontological Society (WIPS), Crinoids
Jordan Sawdo, co-founder of WIPS, assembled their annual case with
crinoids from his collection and few additions from other members. The feature
photograph was of a new genus found by Jordan and named Eretmocrinus sawdoi. He
has donated the fossil to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
John Hurst brought a collection of fluorescent minerals to show in
a closet. John and several members opened this area every half hour and the
children all received a fluorescent calcite to take home.
These exhibitors were invited to come by Paul Ralston, with
co-chairs Ray and Joyce Gilbert.
Volunteers!
We also wish to thank
all of the member volunteers who helped with the set up, the assembly of the Denver Cases and the electrical wiring, managing
the various activities, and the take-down on
Sunday--the show would not have been possible without your help!
****************
Thanks from
our Show Chairperson
Well, we rockhounds had a very successful show this year! Thanks to the extensive and tireless efforts
of many club members. The show could
not have happened without you! Thank You Thank You !!!!
We did make money too! For
the scholarship fund and our club too. Our treasurer will know the final counts
soon. We attracted interest and
stimulated an environment of enthusiasm. The classes and demos and lectures
were good quality and very interesting! I am sure we out did last year and
perhaps this is a venue for the future for us.
Once again, many thanks.
****************
December
Meeting
It's that time of year again - time for our annual Holiday Party.
Everyone needs to bring two things. The first is a wrapped gift, related to our
hobby. This could be a special specimen, equipment for rockhounding, something
you have made, or anything that will help someone enjoy rocks and minerals. The
gift cost should be under $10. The second thing that we would like each family
to bring is some refreshment to share with others. This could be cookies,
punch, or some other munchie - even something healthy, if you choose.
Our gift exchange is quite special. All of the wrapped gifts are
placed on a center table. Every person is given a number. The person with
number one selects any gift from the table, unwraps it, and shows off their
gift. The person with number two may either take the gift from the first
person, or select an unwrapped gift. If person number one has been relieved of
their gift, he or she may select a new one or relieve a gift from another
person. And so it goes until everyone
has a gift. Two additional rules: You
cannot steal your gift directly back from the person who took it from you.
Also, if you have been relieved of a gift three times and get it back again,
it's yours to keep and cannot be taken away again.
Guests are welcome, but please be sure that there is a gift for
each person who comes. Join us for a fun evening of sharing gifts and great
holiday food.
****************
It's
December, so your annual club membership dues are two months past due!
An Elephant Never Forgets!
In case you forgot, dues to FMC were due on October 1. They are
still only $15 per family.
You can pay in several
ways:
Mail A Check To: Flatirons
Mineral Club, P.O. Box 3331, Boulder, CO 80307
Mail a Check made out
to fmc to: Melinda Thompson, 3385 Hickock Pl, Boulder CO 80301
Pay only Gerry Naugle or Melinda Thompson at an FMC meeting. One
of us is at the sign-in table when you attend a meeting. If you pay by cash, be
sure to get a receipt.
Remember you receive
monthly newsletters, monthly meetings and guided field trips when you belong to
the Flatirons Mineral Club.
****************
Winter Field
Trips
Well it's winter, and our outdoor activities are going to be
limited. Our November 23 trip to the
Platte River Gravel bars was cancelled due to bitter cold weather, and fresh
snow on the ground (covering all of the neat finds we might have discovered!).
So this is the perfect time of year for an indoor "field trip",
perhaps to a museum for some special activity.
If you have an idea, or a connection that would be useful, please step
up and volunteer to lead such an excursion!
****************
Refreshments
Needed at Meetings
Each month, several members share responsibility for bringing refreshments
to the meetings. Although we have several who have volunteered for the meetings
next year, we are looking for one or two more volunteers each month. Here's who has volunteered so far:
January: Terry O'Donnell
February: Ray and Joyce
Gilbert
March: Paul Ralston
April:
May: Jim Armitage
June:
July:
Contact Dennis
Gertenbach to sign up for a month.
****************
Upcoming
Events, Nearby & Elsewhere
Saturday, Dec 6, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The Colorado Springs Mineralogical
Society Annual Silent Auction at the Colorado Springs Embassy Suites
Hotel, Corporate Drive, one block west of I-25 off Woodmen Road. Everyone is
welcome; see their website
Jan. 9-11 (Fri-Sun), Denver Gem and Mineral Guild Jewelry Gem
& Mineral Show, Lakeside Center, I-70 at Harlan. Lapidary Supplies, Crystals and
Fossils, Unique Jewelry, Gem and Mineral Dealers, Gem cutting demonstrations.
Swap Area. Free admission. Grab bag sales-proceeds applied to scholarship at
Colorado School of Mines. Friday 10am
to 9pm. Saturday 10am to 6pm. Sunday 11am to 5 pm.
Feb 12-15 (Thu-Sun). The
50th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Tucson
Convention Center, Downtown. 50th
Anniversary Gold Show. This year GOLD will be the featured species; the
exhibits will be spectacular. If there is any chance that you can arrange a trip to see the world-famous
Tucson Show, this will be the year not to miss!
****************
USGS
Christmas Gift Ideas!
Gifts and free gift wrapping!
Instead of recycling old maps, the USGS is offering them as free
wrapping paper to our walk-in customers. The Maps' large sizes (24" by
30" and up) are perfect for easy wrapping of gifts and packages. They are
available in bundles of twelve and can be picked up at the USGS Map Sales in
Building 810 at the Denver Federal Center, which is located at the intersection
of 6th Ave and Kipling Street in Lakewood. Visitors may enter Gate 1, located on
Kipling just north of Alameda, and follow the signs to building 810. The
building is handicapped-accessible.
In addition to the free maps, the USGS has hundreds of unique gift
items, maps and posters that make colorful and inexpensive gifts. The standard
topographical maps, which have been used by hikers, hunters and other outdoor
enthusiasts for almost one hundred years, are $6.00 each. Large wall maps and
posters of the world, the United States, and special subjects, such as a map of
the solar system, cost $10 or less. There are subjects to suit every interest,
from earthquakes to history. One map shows Colorado as it was in 1894, for a
cost of $12. The Historic Trail Map of the Greater Denver Area includes two
sheets and a pamphlet with interesting historical facts about Denver for $14.
How about a great instructional video for GPS users, "Using GPS with
Maps" for $19.95.
New for this year are several historical posters and antique map reproductions.
Shoppers can visit a USGS web site to view a sampling of mapping products. Go
to the USGS website and
click on Popular Products. The USGS Map
Sales office is open weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For information call 303-202-4200 or 1-888-ASK-USGS. When you're at Map Sales, check out our
displays in the lobby of Arkansas quartz crystals, make-your-own-earthquake, etc.
****************
What's So
Special About Arkansas Quartz Crystals?
By Jon Erlandson (In Gem Cutters news, via the Trilobite 2/01, and taken from the
M.M.S. CONGLOMERATE 4/01)
Arkansas quartz crystals are regarded as some of the world's
finest. The quartz in the Ouchita Mountains contains very little contaminants. Water-clear
quartz is the specialty and it is found throughout the mountains. Ron's Mine,
the Old Coleman Mine, is distinguished not only as the largest producer, but
also as the purest source of quartz crystal. The uniqueness of this deposit is
a result of how the quartz developed. Most quartz has been formed through
volcanic activity, where fractures on the earth's crust allowed hot
silica-laden water based fluids, heated to high temperatures by volcanic
activity, to leach into crevices within the earth. As the fluids passed along
their route, the various minerals these fluids came in contact with introduced
contaminants. When the fluids encountered favorable conditions, silica began to
be deposited and from that quartz minerals grew.
Crystals found in the Ouchita Mountains are thought to have formed
in a different and non-volcanic manner. The forces created during the building
of the mountains are thought to have "squeezed" water from the
underlying unit of shale and sandstone. Because of the depth of the burial of
the sandstone and shale (perhaps tens of thousands of feet) and also, as a
result of high pressures developed within the sedimentary units during the
mountain building process, water was heated to very high temperatures (260
degrees C/500 degrees F.) This hot water, derived from trapped original
seawater, was very different from fluids originating from igneous
sources--in particular, it contained fewer dissolved minerals. You
can easily see the difference if you compare samples of the crystals. Quartz
from Brazil and Chile are both volcanic in origin. Although crystals from
either source can be well formed, the difference in clarity is truly noticeable
due to different conditions of growth.
****************
Notes from
Down Under
By John and Jeanne Hurst
What's a gazunder? What's plunger coffee? (Sounds rather like they
brew it in the bathroom throne, doesn't it?) These gems are merely two of many
linguistic tidbits that popped up in our 50 days down under in New Zealand,
Australia and Tasmania. How about the real gems, say like opal, jade and
agates? Or Gold?
For the rarest specimen, how about a Rainbow Lattice Feldspar?
With proper orientation one can actually see the iridescent parallel lines
intersecting with a second set of parallel lines, all within a small piece of
feldspar. How rare? There are lower
grades of this feldspar, but there were only about two Kilos (4.4 lbs) of this
high grade Rainbow Lattice Feldspar material to come out of the Harts Range
about 60 to 70 miles NE of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory of
Australia. It was discovered by local
rock collectors, Sonny and Ginny Mason. You guessed it, it's not for sale.
Junk Feldspar(in Aussie lingo: S.A. Feldspar) vs. "Bloody
Rippa"? We were lucky enough to be invited to view Sonny and Ginny Mason's
rock collection at their home. On the second visit, I brought along a portable
short wave U-V lamp. Since the Masons only had a long wave display, they were
unaware of what short wave treasures that lurked in the nooks and crannies of
the shop and their backyard. Low grade Zircon under the UV lamp lit up a bright
yellow-gold. Sonny declared it a "Rippa" (Ripper must mean it's a
really cool specimen). The fossil stone lit up deep red, you guessed
it---another "Rippa". Then came two five
gallon (or whatever the liter equivalent is) buckets of what Sonny
described as Sh*t*ss Feldspar, Aussie dialect for very low-grade feldspar. For
the sake of etiquette, we'll abbreviate Sonny's colorful phrasing to S.A.
Feldspar. He indicated it was going in the trash dumpster the next morning. We
quickly ran the U-V lamp over the top of each bucket not expecting any
fluorescence. Colorado feldspars and
any others that I had ever tested were as inert as a football season couch
potato.
The unexpected spontaneous reaction is forever etched in my
memory. Sonny blurted out: "That sh*t*ss feldspar is a bloody rippa!"
The Masons were suddenly hooked on Short Wave Ultra-Violet lamps and specimens.
The only right thing to do was to leave the small portable lamp with them--a
swap for a couple of faceted zircons. Sonny is a pretty fair facetor. Ginny
isn't talking to me any more. Her Sonny has taken to staying out all night and
not coming home until daybreak. Worse yet, the dining room table is covered
with "ugly rocks". Ginny has always prided herself on the beauty of
her Aussie gems. She scolded me, "You created a monster!" Oh well,
don't we all need a monster in our collection, especially a "Bloody
rippa"?
****************
Thank You
from the Ralstons
We received the following nice thank-you from the Ralstons, on a
beautiful Rocky Mountain Wildflowers picture postcard:
Dear Members,
We wish to thank the club for the cards and visits to both of us
during our past illnesses. We appreciated your concerns.
Sincerely,
Paul & Martha
Ralston
****************
New Club
Members
We have 19 new club
members, including 15 who signed up at our November Show. So please welcome them when you meet them at
a club meeting or field trip: Jack Bakeman, Jessica June Brock, Tom & Susan
Churchill, Leigh Anne Del Ray, William Eeds, George Hesslink, Sue Ellen
Hirschfield, Roy C. Kirkman, Margaret LeMone, Don Norris, Gerald Pontasch, Todd
Rosenstiel & Angela Wahlquist, James Shatzman, Clinton & Vickie
Schlepp, Dave Snider, Rick & Lynn Stinchfield, Martha Towne, Catherine
Williams, and Laura & Jeff Yates.
****************
More Great
Internet Sites
Here are several Internet sites pertaining to our favorite hobby.
Minerals and Gemstones.
The site http://www.theimage.com/
has a section on minerals and another on gemstones. The mineral gallery
describes 172 minerals with over 800 photos. This is a great site to help
identify that unknown specimen you collected last summer. The gemstone gallery
is similar, with descriptions of each gem. The photographs show different
facets of each gem. There is even a section on faceting, including a
description of the equipment and a step-by-step procedure.
Fossils. The Virtual Fossil Museum can be found at http://www.fossilmuseum.net/.
The site gives a brief description of each of the time periods on prehistoric
earth. Famous fossil sites throughout the world are also described, including
the Green River formation in Wyoming and Colorado. The fossil gallery has
photographs of many of the fossils from these sites.
Geysers. Want to learn
more about the science behind geysers? A visit to http://www.geyserstudy.org/
will give you an education about these fascinating natural
wonders. Each of the major geysers in Yellowstone is described, along with
great pictures of each of them and maps
on where they are located. Geysers from
other parts of the world, including Iceland and New Zealand are also shown. In
all, 183 different geysers are described. The site is maintained by the Geyser
Observation and Study Association.
****************
Top Ten
Reasons To Get Into Micromounting
by Tim Jokela Jr. (From Pick and Pack (Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society)
September 2003, from The New York Mineralogical Club Newsletter 2/98 via T-Town
Rockhound 8/01)
Here's a top ten list for you, just like Letterman's, but without
the funny bits or the canned laughter. There are many reasons to get into
micromounting, but these are the top ten. For those unfamiliar with the term,
micromounting is the study of minerals that require magnification for best
appreciation. Micromounters generally use low-power (1Ox-60x) binocular
microscopes, and mount the specimens in micromount boxes that are about 20-mm
on edge, with a proper label. You know you're a micromounter when you find
yourself mounting a 1-mm crystal on a toothbrush bristle. Sound cool? Read on!
10 - Storage - While you probably can't fit a thousand
micromounts on the head of a pin, you can sure fit them in a small box under
your bed, making micromounting ideal for apartment dwellers or anyone who has
heard the immortal phrase, "Get those rocks out of here!"
9 - Easy Collecting - Field collecting superb 10-cm
crystals of a rare mineral isn't particularly easy, but the micromounter can
find something of interest almost anywhere.
8 - Perfection - Micro-crystals are perfectly formed and undamaged
far more often than cabinet specimens. They are the peak of aesthetics.
7 - Variety - There's only a few hundred minerals out there
that come in nice big crystals, and almost no new species are found in sizeable
crystals. Go to any mineral show and what do you see -- table after table of
aquamarine, quartz, and fluorite, boring indeed. Micromounters work with far
more species than hand-specimen collectors, and far more rarities. It's where
the real mineralogy is.
6 - Low Prices - The average price of a micromount is $3.
Really expensive ones are $20. The initial expense of a good scope and proper
light is pretty steep, but after that you're set.
5- No Fakes - When a lot of money is changing hands for a
fine cabinet piece, one has to be wary that the specimen hasn't been altered or
faked in some way. Faking micromounts is not only extremely rare, it's nearly
impossible; a microscope easily reveals glue where it shouldn't be.
4 - Cheap Shipping - Sending 100 micromounts by airmail to
Europe is far more affordable than 100 cabinet pieces.
3 - Discovery - A large part of what drives field
collectors is the thrill of discovery. The micromounter doesn't have the
constraints of a field season -- no matter what the weather is like he can pull
some rocks out of storage, trim them down, and find fantastic crystal-filled
vugs never before seen by man. It's a year-round hobby.
2 - Weird & Wonderful - The micromounter sees things
that aren't even imagined by 'macro' collectors. Things like spiral millerite
crystals, Sweet Home Mine rhodocrosite rhombs with moving bubble inclusions, or
minerals like rutile, pyrite, and boulangerite in ring crystals, to name a few
of the bizarre things seen by the micromounter.
1 - Free Stuff - Last time you went to your average,
garden-variety mineral show, did they have tables filled with fine cabinet
specimens free for the taking? At
micromount symposia, give-away tables loaded with interesting stuff are
standard practice. Micromounters are a very generous lot!
****************
December's
Birthstone - Zircon
(Rock Chips (Denver
Mineralogical Society) November/December 2003, p. 6)
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. Source: http://csd.unl.edu/csd/birthstones/zircon/zircon.html
****************
Why Gold
Discolors
From "Thomas"
on The Orchid Digest (via Tips & Chips, April
2003, via Rockhound Ramblings (North Jeffco Gem and Mineral Club) October 2003)
The most common reason gold will turn different colors is due to
chemical reactions with the alloyed metals mixed with the gold when it is
exposed to a caustic element. Some of these chemicals are present in common
household products. Swimming pool chlorides and Clorox-based household cleaners
will definitely cause gold to change to an ugly gray. Mercury from a broken
thermometer can literally dissolve the gold right out of a ring, leaving a
burned black spot or hole. Copier ribbons contain xylem, which can cause yellow
gold to turn white, and some ink stamp pads contain a medium that will do the
same thing. Smog fumes, perspiration, salt water, or even certain fruit juices
can all cause a discoloring effect on gold. Whenever you are going swimming in
chlorinated water or will be working with solvents or cleaners it is best to
remove your jewelry. If you get any of these chemicals on your jewelry clean it
with a mild solution of baking soda and rinse well before wearing it again, or
take it to your local jeweler for a professional cleaning.
The most common reason gold will discolor your skin is metallic
abrasion. Many cosmetics contain compounds harder than the jewelry itself.
These compounds in the cosmetics will wear away microscopic particles of gold,
which will collect in the pores of your skin. Very fine metal particles always
appear black, not metallic. When the particles stick to your skin in
quantities, they will form a black smudge. To prevent this, you should remove
your jewelry when applying cosmetics and then carefully clean the area so it is
free of any cosmetics where the jewelry is to be worn. Changing cosmetic brands
may also help.
Gold itself will not corrode, but the primary alloys that are
mixed with 10 and 14 karat gold will. They are copper and silver. Under moist
conditions, a person's perspiration, which contains fat and fatty acids, can
cause corrosion in karat gold jewelry. The level of corrosion will differ,
based upon each individual's unique body chemistry. Things that you can do to
prevent your jewelry from tarnishing or turning your fingers black are remove
all jewelry before using soaps, perfumes, or cosmetics and have your jewelry
cleaned frequently. You will be amazed at how nice it will look when kept free
of oils and dirt. Eighteen-karat gold jewelry is less likely to change because
of the lower alloy content, and platinum jewelry is nearly impervious to
chemical corrosion. Of all the different types of jewelry it will wear the best
and give you the least amount of trouble, especially if you experience constant
problems with discoloration and black smudges.
****************
Oklahoma
"Rattlesnake Eggs"
(From Hunting&
Digging 4/90 via Rocky Trails 8/01, Golden Spike News 10/01, Pueblo
Rockhounds Summer 2003)
"Rattlesnake eggs" is an interesting common name for a
gypsum crystal, "variety selenite". Unlike the Great Salt Plains, it
is not well known. It is called rattlesnake egg because it grows in a roughly
egg shape with twelve selenite crystals, each in a rough diamond shape, around
a white spar center. These joined gray crystals resemble a rattlesnake skin,
hence the name. The crystals grow in books of very thin diamond shaped leaves.
In the best eggs all crystals will grow flat from the center. Some may not.
To sand and polish an egg, use hand methods since selenite is very
soft. Use a fine sandpaper. Try to get an eye in each diamond crystal-formed by
different colors in the layers of selenite. The center of each diamond should
be higher than the edges to show this effect. For polishing, I have found white
clay is the best--the clay baseball umpires use to rough up new balls. Silver
polishing paste may also be used.
When the egg is polished, the light striking the crystals makes it
luminous and crystals change from light to dark as it is turned in the hand.
****************
Letter to
the Editor
To all Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Collectors in the Rocky Mountain
Region:
I am writing to express my deep concern over recent events at the
Denver Museum of Nature and Science. If
any of you readers have visited the museum since June, you will have noticed
the new exhibit "Space Odyssey" and the new west facade of the museum
building. These new features are the first manifestations of the new emphasis
being placed on interactive "education" of the public in space
science and technology. You also will
have noticed that the mineral exhibits in Coors Mineral Hall are coated with
dust from the new "Space Odyssey" construction adjacent. The natural
history dioramas on the second and third floors are deteriorating and are in
need of refurbishment. Museum management continues to reduce the curatorial
strengths in these areas and has no evident plans to maintain these exhibits in
their original beautiful condition. I am concerned that the emphasis on space
science will expand until natural sciences in our Museum will disappear.
As of this writing Dr. Jack Murphy, Curator of Geology, has been
verbally informed that he will either be terminated or placed on half time
status, his option, as of Dec 31, 2003. If terminated he will receive no
retirement benefits. If he opts for half time status he will receive no health
or fringe benefits for as long as he is employed by the Museum. Jack has
devoted his life from the time he was thirteen to this institution and has been
Curator for over 30 years. He has always been very supportive to us in this
hobby. This treatment of a dedicated employee is immoral at best and continues
the pattern evidenced above. The Museum has been a major cultural institution
and tourist attraction in our city for over a century. Many of our children and
grandchildren got their start in becoming aware of our natural environment
here. If you agree with me that the major emphasis of our museum should be on
the natural sciences you may write to the Chairman of the Board of
Directors. As time is very limited, I
urge you to write soon to:
Mr. Michael Wilfley
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
c/o A. W. Wilfley and Sons
PO Box 2330
Denver CO 80201
Signed, Ken Erickson, Aurora CO
Ed. Note: a copy of your letter should be sent to: Dr. Russell Graham,
Chief Curator, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.,
Denver, CO 80205
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Updated 1/12/04