Rockhound Rambling. First Class Mail. The Ventura Gem and Mineral Society presents: Visit us on the web!

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1 Angela D. Brown Editor, Ventura Gem & Mineral Society P.O. Box 1573, Ventura, CA First Class Mail photo of the month (See inside for details) scribe.rbnet.net/ Visit us on the web! The Ventura Gem and Mineral Society presents: The Official Bulletin of the VGMS Our 70th Year In this months issue: New Meeting Room Information for July, page CFMS Show Reports & Photos, pgs. 8 & 9 s; Gems, Shuttle & Schmuck, Oh My! pgs. 12 & 13

2 Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. (VGMS) P.O. Box 1573, Ventura, CA Purpose of the VGMS: Promote popular interest in, sponsor and provide means and activities, which will result in the dissemination of information and knowledge in geology, mineralogy, paleontology, lapidary and similar sciences. Conduct lectures, classes or study groups to further education and interest in the aforesaid sciences. Make and exhibit mineral collections. Club Central 2014 Elected Officers Committee Chairs Club Membership Dues $20 - Single $30 - Family/Couple (1 bulletin) includes Children < 19 Years $17 - Students >17 Years + 12 Units Pebble Pups <13 years No Charge Regular Meeting (changes in July) 7:30-9:30 PM at The Senior Recreation Center, 420 E. Santa Clara, Ventura, CA January through October: 4th Wednesday of the Month November and December: 2nd Wednesday of the Month Anyone may attend and are welcome. The December meeting is normally a Holiday party. Location is announced elsewhere in the bulletin & may vary. Field Trips Announced monthly in the bulletin & at the regular meeting. See also: Annual Show The Club s Annual Gem Show is held the first full weekend in March at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. VGMS Club Colors Blue and Gold Workshop/Museum N. Creek Road Ojai, CA President Diane Cook st Vice President Jim Brace-Thompson nd Vice Presidents (Co-Chairs) David Mautz Raul Barraza Terry Wilson rd Vice President Krishna Juarez Treasurer Nancy Brace-Thompson Recording Secretary Greg Davis Membership Secretary Richard Slyker Federation Director Kathryn Davis Bulletin Editor Angela Brown Parliamentarian Rob Sankovich Board Meeting 1st Thursday of the Month, 7:30PM. Union Bank Community Center, 801 S. Victoria Ste 200B, Ventura Clip Art Credits B&W animal/fossil clip art 2009, Florida Center for Instructional Technology Crystal & Mineral clip art Diamond Dan; Original clip art by the editor marked AB. Ways and Means Maria Flores Hospitality Deb Sankovich Museum / Library Jim Brace-Thompson / Terry Wilson Historians Lowell Foster/Steve Mulqueen Website Jim Layton Hostess Shirley Layton Refreshment Schedule June - Susan & Richard Slyker July - Maria & Raul Barraza August - Jim & Nancy B-T Sept. - Shana & Krishna Juarez Please contact Shirley Layton to sign up. This Month s Cover Photo: Taken by Diane Cook Preparing Pink Stones for the CFMS show display. All images are member photographed and submitted to Rockhound Rambling. Images submitted to the editor should be accompanied b y subject name and location. Selection is at the discretion of the editor. Submit images to: VGMSeditor@gmail.com

3 President s Message I just came back from the CFMS Show held at the Fairplex in Pomona by The Pasadena Lapidary Society. I was joined by fellow club members John Cook, Terry Wilson, Nancy & Jim Brace- Thompson, Rob & Deb Sankovich, Kathryn Davis and Bob Driskell. Oxnard and Conejo had several members too. My biggest CONGRATULATIONS to Terry Wilson, she won 2, yes, 2 trophies for her cases, one in Education and one in Jewelry. Several new dealers and some new ideas for educational programs, classes and demonstrating seems to sum up my visit. Did I find Pink? YES! I even brought some home. We had a great time and next year it is said to be in Lodi, CA. June 21st is our Annual VGMS Picnic and Rendezvous. These Events are always fun and a great way to get to know the Diamond Pacific machines. Please don t forget to bring a side dish, chairs, sun screen and rocks to trade/sell with other members. There will also be a Silent Auction! Rocks everywhere! Don t forget about the Ventura County Fair. All Fair Volunteers are welcome to attend the Thank You Volunteer Event on June 28 at 10:00 am to Noon. Also, contact me at (805) to reserve a case or spot for your own case. It is sad to remind everyone that our last meeting at the Senior Center will be June 25th. We have enjoyed our time there, but we are always open to change. Table of Contents American Agate/Jasper Index... 6 A Note From The Editor... 2 BenchTips Birthdays... 3 Chips & Boulders Club Merchandise Club News... 5 Educational Corner... 14, 15 Education & Community Outreach... 7 Federation News... 8, 9 Field Trips Are Fun Gems From The Past Hospitality... 2 Important Announcements... 5 Let s Go To A Show! Meeting Minutes... 4 Membership... 2 President s Message... 1 Program Review & Schedule s... 12, 13 Thank You! Rock On Team Pink! Diane Cook, VGMS President

4 2 A Note From The Editor Well June was a fun month. Went to the L.A. Natural History Museum with Susan M. and Terry W., then again with Luther a few weeks later plus the California Science Center, and a knapping class! (I recommend trying knapping next time Ron offers it.) The next month will be a new experience for us all, as we will meet at our new meeting hall, The Santa Paula Room, at The Poinsettia Pavilion; mark it on your calendar! We ll try a leave a note at the old center, just in case someone forgets. We will have to use a nearby room for our November and December holiday meetings. I hear the view up there is amazing, and I m looking forward to it. Also, keep in mind that the new due date for article (and photo) submissions is now the FIRST of the month. Even if it s a brief paragraph, we d love to here about members excursions. Rock n roll. Angela Brown VGMS Editor vgmseditor@gmail.com Hospitality There were 28 adult club members and 1 guest at our May membership meeting. Membership Deb Sankovich, Hospitality Welcome New Members! We have one new member for June, Joe Steele, who attended our May workshop and meeting. Joe was also kind enough to donate material we can use for our silent auctions and show materials. Thank you Joe; we welcome you. Joe Steele 2562 Treasure Dr. S4109 Santa Barbara, CA lmilansteele@gmail.com Since the printing of our pink (President Cook s color choice) 2014 membership directories, there have been a few corrections. Please add the new members to your VGMS 2014 Directory in the area provided. Also the address for Michele Quistad needs to be corrected; it should be 9710 Chamberlain, Ventura Also, Blake Hahn s city was listed as Camarillo, and should be Carpinteria (posted last month). If other corrections are found please notify myself Membership errata sheets will be available at the June meeting for inclusion in your directories. The Ventura Gem and Mineral Society currently has 79 adult members and 8 pebble pups. Richard Slyker, VGMS Membership Chair 334 Wesleyan Ave., Ventura CA vgmsmembership@gmail.com

5 THANK YOU! 3 Thank you to Lynn Varon, who donated 7 small boxes of books, minerals, and educational materials for us to use as Kids Booth prizes, raffle prizes, Silent Auctions, our club library, etc. For those who don t know yet, Rock & Gem magazine, where Lynn is Managing Editor, was sold last month to Beckett Media out of Dallas, Texas. They needed to vacate their Ventura offices as of June 1, so Lynn donated these materials as part of the move-out. At the moment, Lynn is being retained on an independent contractor basis, working from her home in Camarillo, with her editorial mailing address being Rock & Gem magazine, 5235 Mission Oaks Blvd. #201, Camarillo, CA I understand further details of the change in ownership will be spelled out in the July issue of the magazine. Thank you to our newest member Joe Steele, who donated four boxes filled with agates, petrified wood, slabs, polished stones, and other goodies! We ll find good use for it all. Thank you, Joe! Thank you to Greg Davis for continuing clubhouse maintenance efforts. He was spotted at our May Workshop Day clearing leaves from the front of the clubhouse. Thank you to all who have continued efforts to clean up the back yard at the clubhouse. It s looking great, and we hope eventually to have our backyard walking museum and space for club picnics and the like. We don t have names, so don t be shy! If you ve been helping with backyard maintenance, let us know who you are and step forward for a round of applause at our next meeting. Thanks to Ron Wise for hosting 2 knapping classes in May. (See article & photos page 5). Thank you to Sharon Cunningham for making an educational visit to Sunset School (See page 7 for article). Know of someone who has gone out of their way to help the club? a thank-you note to our newsletter so that a pat on the back can be passed along! July VGMS Birthdays Wishing you all a very Happy Birthday, and Many More! Angela Brown...July 02 Diane Cook...July 03 Sharon Cunningham...July 07 Nancy Brace-Thompson...July 27

6 4 Meeting Minutes VGMS Regular Meeting - May 28, 2014 The regular monthly meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society was called to order by President Diane Cook at 7:30 pm on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at the Ventura Senior Recreation Center. Diane introduced visitors and then asked for corrections, if any, to the previously printed board and regular meeting minutes. It was m/s/c to accept the minutes. Members were led in the pledge to the flag. Old Business: Diane Cook : The Wheeler Gorge Open House was a success; she and John, Jim B-T and Kay Hara from OGMS attended. The club picnic and annual Rockhound Rendezvous is scheduled for June 21. The CFMS show is this weekend in Pomona. Jim Brace-Thompson next introduced John Cook, who gave an interesting presentation on the La Brea Tar Pits. New Business : Diane Cook : The Union Bank building will again be the location for the next Board meeting. Rockhound Rendezvous is almost here (June 21st); bring a side dish for the picnic, items to swap/sell. Replaces regular workshop time. Look for sign up sheet. The Fair is coming; entry dates are July Fair runs July 30- August 10th. Reserve cases/space with her. New permanent meeting place for membership meetings to be at The Poinsettia Pavilion on 3451 Foothill Rd. in Ventura, starting with the July meeting. Jim Brace-Thompson : June will be a presentation by Steve Hardinger of Dragon Minerals on mineral buying advice. July s presentation will be about the second leg of his gem tour, this time in India. Did rock swap with Jr.s in Oklahoma.Mural in museum to be painted during the Summer by Marth Moran. Need a weekday helper for class visits; see Jim for information. Dave Mautz : Upcoming field-trips include: Rincon Hill, June 7, Palos Verdes in July & Isla Vista in Aug. Krishna Juarez : The pre-2015 show meeting will be sometime in August. Richard Slyker : one tentative new member to be voted on at next board meeting. Terry Wilson : did walk through of library with Jim. Has some plans and ideas to organize it better. Angela Brown : Submissions to the bulletin are now due by the 1st. Kathryn Davis : CFMS show and Federation meeting this weekend. Will report later. Lowell Foster : Working with Steve Mulqueen on producing articles to go with vintage VGMS photos for future bulletin submissions. Refreshments were provided by Kathryn Davis. The next board meeting will be held on May 1, 2014, 7:30 at the Union Bank Bldg., 801 S. Victoria Ave., Ventura and the next monthly membership meeting will be May 28, at the Ventura Senior Recreation Center, 420 E. Santa Clara. There being no further business, Diane adjourned the meeting at 9:02 pm. Respectfully submitted, Angela Brown for Greg Davis VGMS Board Meeting - June 5, 2014 The Board meeting of the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society for June 5, 2014, was called to order by President Diane Cook at 801 S. Victoria in 7:30 pm. Present : Diane Cook, Dave Mautz, Luther & Angela Brown, Kathryn Davis, Jim & Nancy Brace-Thompson, Krishna & Shana Juarez, Steve Mulqueen, Rob Sankovich, Terry Wilson, Raul Barraza, Maria Flores and Greg Davis. It was m/s/c to accept last months minutes as written in the bulletin. Old Business : Diane Cook : Tonights meeting is being held at the Union Bank Community Center in Ventura. The next board meeting will also be held here. After a lengthy process of evaluating numerous locations and leads for a new membership meeting location, (the existing building will not be available to us after June), it was m/s/c to accept a contract with the Poinsettia Pavillion, 3451 Foothill Rd. in Ventura. July 23 will be the first meeting held in this new location, notices will be placed at the old site and maps are available. The cost will increase but it was determined to be the best of all options. Gull Wings Museum is still displaying our poster. June 21 will be our annual Rendezvous in conjunction with the monthly work shop. Diamond Pacific will be providing equipment and lunch, with members providing sides & settings, & the club providing drinks & buns. The discussion of charges for using the large saws continued. Some method is necessary with the increased cost of oil, blades and repairs. After investigating other clubs, Ron Wise has come up with a plan with costs determined by rock size, cut on a first come first served basis, during non-work shop days by volunteers. A pre-paid card system will need to be utilized to eliminate money being handled at C.C. New Business : Diane Cook : Each Board member is to submit a written description of their duties each year. Also, congratulations are in store for Terry Wilson for taking 2 first place awards at the CFMS show in the Education division and Jewelry! With the discussion of a need for additional shop stewards, Diane suggested the club invest in new locks at Camp Comfort w/keys that cannot be duplicated. Further discussion is needed. The Fair is just around the corner. We need members to enter display cases and if at all possible to bring their own case. All info can be found at venturacountyfair.org and Gem & Mineral entries are July The volunteer appreciation event takes place June 28, 10-noon. Nancy Brace-Thompson : There are crates of material from an old collection located in Northern Calif. After discussion, it was m/s/c to allocate up to $ for purchase of good quality material by Nancy Brace-Thompson if the material is deemed worth the investment. Nancy and Jim will already be up there. Kathryn Davis : CFMS report. Use of public lands is a hot topic again with more land being deemed off limits to us. Read more on line at cfmsinc.org. Krishna Juarez : The next show meeting will be scheduled for August 7 prior to the Board meeting at 6:30pm. Contacts for our annual show are vgmsshowchair@gmail.com and phone Jim Brace-Thompson : Rock & Gem magazine has been sold and relocated to Texas. Our club acquired books, magazines and odds & ends when they had to vacate the Ventura location on short notice. Lynn Veron will remain in Ventura as a contributing editor. Our annual club picnic is planned for June 21 with our club providing the pulled pork and Diamond Pacific doing the cooking. A silent auction is also planned, and some members expressed a desire to buy/sell/trade rock during the day. John Hardinger, a mineral collector and dealer will present a program for our June meeting, Jim & Nancy will entertain us in July and August will be Trona vs. Jade. The club will be looking for someone to handle the exhibits at our show. Jim will be out of town during a scheduled visit to our museum by a class on August 8. Help is needed. Jim also plans on drafting a formal letter for use when loaning out items to other organizations. Dave Mautz : Rincon Hill June 7, Palos Verdes July 12 & Isla Vista Aug. 3. Richard Slyker: After discussion, it was m/s/c to accept the membership application for Joe Steele. Please introduce yourself to new members and make them welcomed. Angela Brown : All submissions to the bulletin will need to be received by the first of the month. Photos are always appreciated. The next club membership meeting will be held on June 25, 7:30 the Ventura Senior Center, 420 E. Santa Clara St., Ventura and the next Board meeting will be on July 3, 2014, 7:30 the Union Bank location, 801 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura. There being no further business, Diane adjourned the meeting at 9:05 pm. Respectfully submitted, Greg Davis Recording Secretary

7 Important Announcements 5 Change of Meeting Venue for 2014 As you all know by now, we are losing our meeting place at the Senior Recreation Center downtown. The good news is, we have secured a really nice, new location at the Poinsettia Pavilion on Foothill to go to. The place is centrally located, is about the same size room (maybe a tad bigger) and has an amazing view of the city and the ocean. We will start meeting there for the July 23rd membership meeting on. The 7:30-9:30pm times are the same. The Poinsettia Pavilion, also known as The Ventura Womens Center, is at 3451 Foothill Rd, Ventura, CA We will be in the Santa Paula Room. There will be some signs out, and there is plenty of parking. Have Obsidian, Will Knap Club News Earlier this year, Ron Wise volunteered to host classes on how to craft arrowheads, knives, and spear points by knapping obsidian via ancient pressure-flaking techniques alongside use of contemporary lapidary equipment, such as trim saws and Genies. Krishna Juarez came away from the first workshop on May 10 with some great pieces. Watch for them to be entered into the County Fair come summer. Another knapping class took place immediately following our workshop day on May 17, with students Angela Brown, Nancy and Jim Brace-Thompson, and Terry Wilson, each of whom came away with a great arrowhead after just an hour or so of instruction. Both the Ventura County Fair and the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies now have knapping as a category for competitive exhibits thanks to the beautiful work and efforts of Ron Wise. Ron is a master at this, having won California Federation trophies and blue ribbons and plaques at the County Fair. He has also generously donated any number of arrowheads and knapped knives as raffle prizes at our annual show and for our VGMS silent auctions, and they always bring in good money for our society. Learn from the best, and sign up the next time Ron offers these classes. They re free and well worth the time (and blood) invested. Thank you, Ron! - Article & photos by Jim Brace-Thompson, 1st VP/Programs

8 6 The American Agate/Jasper Index The American Agate/Jasper Index is designed to be a database of material found in North America. The main goal of this collection is to aid people with identification of specimens as well act as a visual guide to quartz gem materials. Each index focuses on a different region. These are designed to be downloaded for free and are created from photo submissions by rockhounds across North America. Updates will occur periodically as new material is submitted here and via . This project started in February 2010 and since then, with the help of many many people, we ve been able to put together a first edition of 11 databases for material across the country that collectively have been downloaded over 2500 times. We are currently working on the 2nd edition. Currently there are three updated files. Please note: These indexes can be shared with friends and clubs for free. There is no cost to pass along these download links to other people who may not know about them. Process: 1) click on desired link below 2) new screen - click on button with Arrow Down and Line Above it in the upper right hand corner. It is next to the + symbol. 3) Verify if you are human if prompted. 4) new screen. Hit green download button. You don t need to join or upgrade Vol 1 - Southwest (56 MB) Volume 1: AZ-CO-NM-UT States 245 pages: 230 color pages of material + Location & Name Indexes 2012 Vol 2 - Northwest (80 MB) Alaska, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington 322 pages: over 280 pages of color photographs: Indexes for Locations, Names, and Contributors Vol 3 - California (110 MB) pages: over 235 pages of color photographs indexes for locations, names, and contributors for updates check the following link: Submitted by Lowell Foster

9 Education & Community Outreach 7 Sharon Cunningham Talks Rocks Sharon Cunningham is on tap for a classroom visit to talk rocks to 31 students. She visits the fifth grade class of teacher Tia Marshall at Sunset School in Oak View on May 29 and will be taking along goodie bags I ve prepared for her containing fliers about California dinosaurs, about our state rock, mineral, fossil, and gemstone, and about our society. Each student will also receive a free fossil shark tooth, volcanic rock, serpentine (their State Rock), a small baggie of tumble-polished stones, and a Rockhound sticker. Thank you, Sharon, for making this visit to share our love of the hobby with our next generation! We encourage others to follow your lead. I m always happy to help by constructing the goodie bags and providing access to our museum specimens and materials. -Jim Brace-Thompson, Museum Chair Rock Swap with Oklahoma Mineral & Gem Club Via the American Federation Future Rockhounds of America, I initiated a Rock Pals program several years ago whereby AFMS-affiliated clubs anywhere in the U.S. could pull together rocks, minerals, and fossils from their local area to fit within a medium-size flat-rate box from the U.S. Postal Service to exchange with junior members of other AFMS-affiliated clubs. VGMS has participated a couple of times now in such exchanges. Most recently, Laura Lampman and the juniors of the Oklahoma Mineral & Gem Club asked if we might be interested. Thus, on May 19, I sent box of California goodies: serpentine, Bakersfield fossil shark teeth, lodestone magnetite, pegmatite and the minerals that compose pegmatite, and Apache Tears obsidian. Laura reported receiving the box on May 22 and plans to put together an exchange box over the Memorial Day weekend. If you have junior members, please come to our June meeting when we ll distribute our Oklahoma goodies. Otherwise, the materials received will go into our club museum collection and/or to the Kids Booth at our next show. The last time we tried this with a club in North Carolina, we ended up on the short end of the stick, with no rocks received in exchange. Well, that s the East Coast for you! I m assured you can trust in the good folks from the Midwest, so long as their rocks aren t being swirled in the air by the latest tornado Let s see what arrives from the land next door to the land of the Wizard of Oz! -Jim Brace-Thompson, Museum Chair Seeking a New Educational Outreach Chair Three teachers and a Girl Scout troop have recently requested classroom or museum visits and the Camarillo YMCA is hoping to bring as many as 30 kids for a summer camp field trip to our museum room in early August. I ve forwarded all the requests to our club president, Diane, because due to the changed nature of my day job I can no longer do such visits. I can still fulfill Museum Chair obligations by working on improvements to our museum room over evenings and weekends, but I don t have the freedom on weekdays to do the additional job of Educational Outreach Chair with visits to schools or by hosting groups at our museum room for class field trips, home-school groups, or Boy/Girl Scouts. My own job situation has changed dramatically within the past year; I now oversee a staff of five and can no longer easily take time away from work. Also, the August request coincides with a time when I need to make a business trip to Washington, DC. The upshot? We need a new Educational Outreach Chair who can work alongside me as our Museum Chair. A year and a half ago, I created, distributed, and posted to our VGMS website a little manual containing scripts for giving as many as nine different earth science talks for kids. When I receive a request for a classroom visit, I a.pdf of this to the teacher and ask which program/s she or he might be interested in so as to allow time to prepare, and this has worked out great. I m happy to walk any interested parties through these scripts and to show you where we store our educational outreach materials in the clubhouse. I m also happy to assist in creating goodie bags to distribute to kids at the conclusion of a talk. But except for the rare occasion I can no longer give such talks myself. If you have flexibility to give talks to school groups during weekdays (either on site at a school or at our museum), please contact me and/or Diane; otherwise, we may have to suspend our Educational Outreach program. -Jim Brace-Thompson, Museum Chair

10 Statewide CFMS Show & Convention in Pomona Federation News CALIF. FED. OF MINERALOGICAL SOCIETIES The 75th Show and Convention of the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies was sponsored by the Pasadena Lapidary Society and took place May 30 to June 1 in Pomona at the LA FairPlex. Nancy and I volunteered at the ticket booth and welcome gate in the opening hours of the first day, and while attendance seemed light, the flow of guests was steady and they apparently were in a buying mood. Diane Cook surveyed several of the dealers she knows well, and all reported having paid for their booth fees and then some. Ventura club members tried to help boost those attendance numbers. For instance, there were Nancy and me, and we both spied John and Diane Cook, Kathryn Davis, Terry Wilson, and Rob and Deb Sankovich. VGMS members did us proud in how we participated and helped out. Nancy and I both volunteered time with set-up and during the show, and we along with the Cooks and the Sankovichs helped during tear-down. Kathryn participated in the CFMS Directors Meeting, and six club members participated with exhibits. Nancy and I entered 3 noncompetitive exhibits between us while Rob entered two. And, best of all, John, Diane, Rob, and Terry entered competitive exhibits, with Terry being crowned at the Awards Banquet with two first-place trophies for her educational 3D

11 9 Federation News CALIF. FED. OF MINERALOGICAL SOCIETIES display and her jewelry. Let s give her a round of applause at our June meeting. Congratulations, Terry! Nancy and I also once again oversaw setup of the CFMS Golden Bear gold nugget and CFMS benitoite display that s brought in annually from its home at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. It pays to attend this annual event. Not only did Terry come home with trophies, a bunch of us bought raffle tickets and, as a result, Nancy came home with a black star sapphire, I got a bejeweled charoite pendant (but don t tell Nancy until after I give it to her on her birthday), and John won twice with a pendant and mineral specimen. Members of our neighboring clubs in Conejo and Oxnard were also in attendance as participants or exhibitors, including Mike Havstad, Brett Johnson, Louisa Carey, and Lyndell Fong. Also, although he wasn t at the Show, the Oxnard newsletter editor, Brian Miller, won First Place as New Editor in the CFMS Bulletin Contest. Brian has given the Oxnard society newsletter a beautiful face-lift, so it was good to see his efforts rewarded in this way. The Pasadena club had less than a year to prepare after Nancy and I visited Joe and Marcia (the two driving forces in organizing the show) for a breakfast just last summer to pass along the Show Binder that we prepared after VGMS co-sponsored the 2013 Show. While their preparation time was limited, they made the best of it: the show came off without a hitch with great facilities, nearly 60 dealers, and really terrific speaker and presentations. Next year s show will be quite a drive for those of us here in Ventura County: all the way up in Lodi. Still, if it is anything like this year s show, we encourage members to make the drive and participate. (I, for one, can use your participation since I ve already volunteered to oversee their Kids Booth.) See you in Lodi in 2015! Federation Chair s Report from the Show Photos & article submitted by Jim Brace-Thompson, CFMS Past-Prez The meeting of the Board of Directors took place on 31 May Amazingly, the meeting covered fifty some items in a little more than three hours. Most speakers were brief and to the point, and some of the reports were already included in the packets given to each director. There was a well-written report regarding recent decisions regarding the use of public lands in California. California rockhounds need to bet informed and involved in the decision-making process about the management and use of public lands. Please see the American Lands Access Association (ALAA) website at There will be a CFMS show in No individual club stepped forward, so it will be hosted by the board of directors. The show will take place in Lodi, CA. At the time of the meeting, there were a lot of positive statements regarding the 2014 show. The Pasadena Lapidary Society did a lot of work in a short period of time. Submitted by Kathryn Davis, Federation Chair

12 10 MAY Program Program Review & Schedule Our May Program was our own John Cook giving a presentation all about the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits and the many great exhibits to be seen at the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries on L.A. s Wilshire Boulevard, such as the hundreds of dire wolf skulls adorning one panel at the museum. I suggest we check into organizing an indoor field trip there as a follow up to his great presentation! JUNE Program Future Programs Have you ever wondered what controls the mineral market (especially prices)? Other than the old maxim of what the market will bear, what exactly determines the price of a mineral specimen? Steve Hardinger, a senior lecturer in chemistry at UCLA, has been a mineral collector for over 30 years and a professional mineral dealer (owner of Dragon Minerals) for 10 years. He will offer Advice on Buying Mineral Specimens. In Steve s talk, we ll learn some do s and don ts about buying minerals from the perspectives of both collectors and dealers. Topics covered include mineral specimen prices, supply, and historical value. JULY Program Jim and Nancy Brace-Thompson will present Part II of their Gem Travels adventure from their trip to South Asia last fall. We heard Part I on the Gemstone Triangle of Thailand at our March meeting. This time, they ll talk about adventures in the northwest region of India, including travels to the jewelry-crafting center and home of the emerald cut, views of silversmithing back to Medieval times, centuries of rock carving, and gemstone inlay. We ll conclude with the iconic Taj Mahal at sunrise and the lapidary surprises it holds. As they say when both meeting and parting in India, Namaste! Jim Brace-Thompson. VGMS Programs Chair

13 11 Field Trips Are Fun TRI-CLUB FIELD TRIPS (VGMS/OGMS/CGMC) ~ 2014 This is a tentative schedule. Please call your club field trip leaders to confirm that there is a field trip scheduled in the event of changes like unpredictable weather, etc. More trips may be added in the future. Please look for Field Trip fliers at the monthly meetings for directions, maps, etc., as well as the WhosComing site Field Trip Leaders: David Mautz - Phone: ; Raul Barraza - Phone: ; rbarr75877@aol.com Terry Wilson - Phone: ; terry@terryfic.com Use the new sign-up page so we know you plan to come! Pick a trip, get location information, maps, and sign up! Palos Verdes Minerals Sat., Jul 12, :30 am Find golden barite, selenite, dogtooth dolomite, glaucophane and quartz druzy. Meet at 9:30 at the parking area on Paseo del Mar. We will be walking down a dirt trail to the beach; it is easy going down, but you may have to take your time walking back up due to slight elevation in the trail. See map for details. You will need: Bucket or collecting bags. It may be cool to warm; bring a windbreaker, a hat, sunglasses, water & sunblock, too. Packing a lunch is recommended, as well. See for map and info. Future Trips: Isla Vista Pleistocene Fossils Sun., Aug 3, :30am Jade Cove Weekend Trip Sat-Sun, Sept. 6-7, 2014 Gem-o-rama for Salt Minerals Oct , 2014 Kanan Road for Agates Sat., Oct 25, :30am Wiley s Well Thanksgiving Weekend Trip Thur-Sun, Nov , 2014

14 12 Not Just Another Gem Faire: A Surprise Around the Bend! Nancy and I missed the big West Coast Gem & Mineral Show in Santa Ana May and had to make do with the Santa Barbara Gem Faire over the Memorial Day weekend. Anyone who has been to this semi-annual commercial show at the Earl Warren Showgrounds knows that it s evolved to become almost entirely dominated by beads, beads, and more beads, along with jewelry (some fine, some not-so-fine). You can look high and you can look low, but your efforts will be in vain if seeking slabs or rough rocks at reasonable prices. Of the 50 dealers there, Nancy and I ended up making a few small purchases from just five. They do have a great dealer every year selling stands, Ryker mounts, and similar items to help organize and display your collections, they usually have a dealer selling lapidary equipment and supplies, and a couple dealers usually sell a few fossils and minerals (e.g., Sister Stones and Rocks & Relics). Plus, one of our favorite dealers, Ron and Traci Wooley of Dreaming Down Under, had their spectacularly sparkling Australian opals on display for us to drool over and window-shop. But for the most part, this is now a bead show. Still, as they say, ya gotta play to win, and you never know what s around the next bend. This year, we were pleasantly surprised to find a dealer of healing stones from Agoura Hills who had covered half of one of his tables with tattered-up, ratty looking boxes holding big minerals. It turned out he had bought part of an estate sale, and we found some terrific California minerals at prices that were actually reasonable ($25-$30 range). Best of all, each was accompanied by full notes typed by an actual oldschool typewriter on half of a 3X5 index card. For instance, one told us that a beryl was purchased for s $15 from the Rocksmiths at the AFMS/CFMS show at San Diego in 1984 and came from the collection of Roger & Peg Marble. The cards, yellowing from age, held further information, including full locality details, chemical formulas of the minerals, a general evaluation of the condition, etc., along with the date of acquisition. Some of those acquisitions dated went back to the early 1960s. The only down side was that the healing stone dealer didn t have the name of the original collection owner, which would have added even more value to the pieces, in my own humble opinion. I wasn t all that interested in yet another Santa Barbara Gem Faire when Nancy suggested we give it a go. But this accidental find makes me eager to try out the next one and the next and the next. Who knows what surprise lies waiting around that next bend? Article & photos by Jim & Nancy Brace-Thompson The Browns Visit The California Science Center On Sunday, June 1st, Luther and I decided to go check out the L.A. Natural History Museum and the California Science Center. I had been to the museum a few weeks earlier with Susan Marquez and Terry Wilson, and knew Luther would enjoy it as well. Neither of us had been to the California Science Center before, plus we both really wanted to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour that is stored there now. (I won t write on the museum visit, as Jim Brace-Thompson wrote an article on it a few years ago when the new Dinosaur Hall opened.) The California Science Center is adjacent to the museum. A quick five minute walk brings you to the front entrance. The building is actually set up like an indoor mall, with a McDonalds, a couple scienceoriented stores, and exhibits. There is no entrance fee, though they ask for a donation to help support it, as it is a non-profit. A lot of the downstairs is geared towards kids science experiment stations. In the upstairs area, there are three capsules from different eras in the space program, plus space suits, a lander replica and satellite replicas. For a $2 fee, you gained access to the new wing housing the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Opening the door, you feel awe-struck at the size of it, and amazed at how they got it in there. After being retired, it was moved to it s current location in September of 2012, piggy-backed on a 747 to LAX, and then rolled to the Center through city streets. The video of this process was fascinating. It is currently mounted on earthquake shock absorbers about 9ft off the

15 s 13 ground; no one can touch it, but you can walk around and under the ship. Also on display were a separate shuttle engine, a shuttle program time-line around the room, and the plans for a larger complex that will be the final destination for Endeavour, mounted vertically as if ready to launch, sometime in the near future. Next to seeing it take off or land, this was the next best way to see a shuttle, and up-close, too. The California Science Center is located at 700 Exposition Park Drive, Los Angeles, CA The website is: org/mainpage.php Article & photos submitted by Angela Brown, VGMS Editor The Slykers Visit Germany s Gem Sights Last year Jim Brace-Thompson presented a talk on his Agate hunt in Germany with a focus on Idar Oberstein. Susan and I were fortunate to visit this medieval agate polishing center on a recent trip and enjoyed our short visit with the highlight being the Mineral Museum (see picture of vintage polishing equipment operated by water wheel). On the way into town we passed a shop which advertised Opalschmuck. We made a quick turn and headed back to the Schmuckhaus. Not speaking German, we did not know what schmuck was but Opal is a known and very desirable. The shop was great, the owner lived in Australia during the 70 s and 80 s where he collected extensively when prices were low and availability high. Most items were out of our price range but we did pick up a few small pieces of rough. Back to our poor German; Opalschmuck is Opal Jewelry and Schmuckhaus is jewelry store. In Idar Oberstein is was back to the Dictionary as we tried to figure out Schmuck & Uhren Studio; it s Jewelry and Watch Studio. I think calling jewelry schmuck is a bit harsh, i.e. Honey, what kind of jewelry would you like for your birthday? is Honig, welche Art von Schmuck würden Sie für Ihren Geburtstag? Submitted by Richard Slyker. Membership Chair

16 14 Definition of the Month Educational Corner Son Doong Cave in Vietnam, the World s Largest Cave The Son Doong Cave was rediscovered in 1991 by Ho Khanh, a citizen of Vietnam. As a child during the late 1960s to early 1970s, Ho found the cave while searching for food, occasionally using the cave as a means of shelter. The cave s name means mountain river, as transcribed from the Vietnamese language. In 2009, a group of British cavers led by Howard Lambert explored and surveyed the entire length of the cave. Detailed measurements of the underground openings enabled the group to conclude that it was possibly the largest natural limestone cave in the world. The interconnected series of caverns measure 9km in total length, 200m at its maximum width and 150m in maximum height. and isolated ecosystems to thrive within the cave from the infiltration of sunlight. Tours of the cave are now available through travel agencies, in cooperation with the Vietnamese government. Some of the stalagmites and stalactites found within the cave s massive chambers are the largest in the world. The series of caverns were carved by the dissolution of a limestone formation by the continuous flow of water percolating through cracks from the surface. A river flows through most of the cave s total length. Numerous natural collapse features have enabled small jungles Reference: See numerous websites under the key words Son Doong Cave and Largest Cave. Written by Steve Mulqueen for the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society, June The Definition of the Month features words related to geology, paleontology, mining and desert history. Refer to other definitions featured in previous VGMS bulletins dating back to June 2001 available on the VGMS website at Photos found on public sites on the internet.

17 Educational Corner Illustration of the Month Early Oilfield Scene, This engraving print is from a stock certificate dated 1911 issued by a now defunct Pyramid Oil Company. The stock features numerous scenes of early petroleum operations, typical of that time period. Note the oil tanker pulled by a team of six draft horses. The structures in the background are wooden derricks that were used for drilling oil wells. A banded wooden crude oil stock tank can be seen above the horse-drawn tanker. A man standing on the tanker is preparing to load the oil. Early stock certificates often showed ornate designs and engraved images so that the certificate would look impressive to investors and to exhibit fine details to prevent counterfeiting. Text written by Steve Mulqueen for the VGMS, June The Illustration of the Month features a drawing, sketch, pen & ink rendering, engraving print or any form of art rediscovered in books, maps, manuscripts and many other sources related to geology, paleontology, mining and desert history. This illustration was chosen for its educational content by the author. Refer to other featured illustrations from previous bulletins beginning in June of 2001 available on the VGMS website at

18 16 Gems From The Past Photo from the Kirk Collection VGMS Annual Picnic, Camp Comfort, August 1968 The color photo shows VGMS members enjoying the annual club picnic at Camp Comfort near Ojai on a Saturday afternoon in August of This event, held at numerous parks throughout Ventura County, has been a club tradition since the mid-1940s. Forty-six years later, the club picnic for 2014 will again be held at Camp Comfort and is scheduled for June 21, See details of the VGMS 2014 Annual Picnic in this bulletin. Photo by Bill or Myrle Kirk. From the Kirk Collection. Written by Steve Mulqueen. Slide scanned by Lowell Foster. Photo 2014 Ventura Gem & Mineral Society. All Rights Reserved. BENCH SHEARS BenchTips When cutting sheet metal, it s quicker and easier to use a set of shop shears as compared with using a hand saw. The cut is not as precise, but many times you don t need that. Shears will easily cut up to 24 gauge sheet, and some will cut 22 or even 20 gauge. Current prices for shears run from $13 - $22 in jewelry catalogs, and the Joyce Chen scissors recommended on some jewelry blogs run more than $20. But we found a cheaper alternative at the 99 Cent Store - some gardening utility scissors that were only $1.07. I buy a half dozen of them at a time for use in my jewelry classes. They re great for cutting bezels, trimming around a bezel cup and cutting a piece off a larger sheet. CHEAPER & BETTER PICKLE Most jewelers use a granular pickle mixed with water. The active ingredient is sodium bisulfate. This can be purchased from local stores as a common pool chemical used for adjusting the acidity of the water. It s sold under various names, so be sure to check the list of active ingredients for a brand that is 95% or so sodium bisulfate. An added benefit is that the pool chemical is more pure in form than what is sold for jewelry use and does not cause the brown grime often found floating on the top of the pot. More Bench Tips by Brad Smith are at facebook.com/benchtips/ or see the book Bench Tips for Jewelry Making on Amazon

19 Chips & Boulders Got something to sell, trade or barter for? Submissions do not have to be hobby-oriented, but you do have to be a member! Send your brief advertisement (and photo?) to the editor: VGMSeditor@gmail.com. Submission will be posted as soon as possible; the due date is the 1st of the month. 17 NEW MEETING ROOM for 2014: Our Senior Center where we hold our meetings has changed hands, and it is not available for us starting in July. Please remember to go to The Poinsettia Pavilion at 3451 Foothill Rd, Ventura, CA in the Santa Paula Room starting with the July 23rd meeting through the foreseeable future. Look for signs after you park. ROCKHOUND RENDEZVOUS & SILENT AUCTION: June 21st, on the normal workshop day (shop equipment won t be available). Bring items to sell/barter/trade, items to test out on Diamond Pacific s equipment, and something for the picnic, too. Keep an eye out for the sign-up sheet for the picnic side dishes. The club is buying the buns and drinks, the members supply the sides and desserts. There will also be a Silent Auction; donations for that would be great. You might be a rockhound if... you take longer to get up the gravel driveway than to visit the person at the end of it... Got lapidary equipment, display cases or other rock or mineral material for sale? Please the Editor by the 1st of the month for inclusion into that month s Chips & Boulders. Please include description of items for sale, price, contact name and how you want to be reached (phone number, ). Club Merchandise VGMS continues to have Club T-Shirts for sale. Priced to all VGMS members at $12.00 and any club member associated to CFMS $ Sizes S-M-L-XL-2X-3X. All profits go directly to the VGMS. Contact Diane Cook at johndianedaisy@yahoo.com to order. VGMS logo merchandise is available at Cafe Press! Everything from shirts, mugs and aprons, to mousepads, pajamas and jewelry. New items added regularly, too! Please visit or contact Angela at VGMSeditor@gmail.com for more information.

20 18 Let s Go To A Show! Attending one of these shows? Please send photos and experiences to the editor at vgmseditor@gmail.com. June 14-15: CAYUCOS, CA San Luis Obispo Gem & Mineral Club Cayucos Vets Hall at the Pier 10 Cayucos Drive Hours: 10-5 daily Contact: Kim Noyes, (805) kimnoyes@gmail.com Website: June 27-29: RIALTO, CA Orange Belt Gem & Mineral Society Tailgate across street from Rialto City Hall 105 S. Palm Ave. (corner 1st & Palm Ave.) Hours: Fri & Sat 9-6; Sun. 9-3 Contacts: Ken or Jessica Gard, (909) , (909) kengard@roadrunner.com Website: obmsrocks.yolasite.com June 28-29: CULVER CITY, CA Culver City Rock & Mineral Club Veterans Memorial Auditorium 4117 Overland Ave Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-5 Contact: Janice Metz janicemtz@yahoo.com Website: August 1-3: NIPOMO, CA Orcutt Mineral Society, Santa Maria Nipomo High School 525 North Thompson Avenue Hours: Fri/Sat 10-5; Sun 10-4 Contact: Wes Lingerfelt, (805) , Cell (805) info@omsinc.org Website: August 23-24: SAN FRANCISCO, CA San Francisco Gem & Mineral Society S. F. County Fair Bldg., Golden Gate Park 9th Avenue & Lincoln Way Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-5 Contact: Ellen Nott ellen_nott@yahoo.com Website: September 20-21: CHICO, CA Feather River Lapidary & Mineral Society, Oroville Silver Dollar Fairgrounds 2357 Fair Street Hours: Sat 9-5; Sun 9-4 John Scott, (530) jweazel@sbcglobal.net Website: September 27-28: MONTEREY, CA Carmel Valley Gem & Mineral Society Monterey Fairgrounds 2004 Fairgrounds Road Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-5 Contact: Janis Rovetti, (831) janis12@sbcglobal.net Website: September 27-28: SANTA ROSA, CA Santa Rosa Mineral & Gem Society Wells Fargo Center for the Art 50 Mark West Springs Road Hours: Sat 10-6; Sun 10-5 Jolene, (707) S Jolene@srmgs.org Website: