The Cutting Edge In this month s Newsletter: Monthly Newsletter of the Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club President s Message p. 1 OLMC Meeting p. 2 MiG Meeting p. 3 We had a very good January auction, which collected over $1,000 for the club after consignments. We had record attendance, which bodes well for the future. Mineral in Nova Scotia p. 3 February Birthstone p. 6 Opal Hunting Trip p. 7 OLMC Classified p. 8 Workshop calendar p. 9 Membership form p. 10 All members are encouraged to contribute items to future auctions either as donations or consignments (you get 80% of the sale price). We have lots of rock in inventory but it is always nice to see new/old things. The corporate executive elections are coming up in April (along with all appointed positions). Some of us have been volunteering far too much far too long. We really need some new blood to help run things. Kerry Day Workshop Address: 1000 Brookfield Road, Ottawa Mailing Address: Room #22, 1000 Brookfield Road Ottawa, ON K1V 6J1 Phone: 613-700-GEMS (4367) Website: http://www.olmc.ca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ OttawaLapsmithMineralClub Membership renewal is due! Membership renewal is essential to participate to all OLMC and MiG activities, including receiving the Newsletter, visiting the workshop and attending the meetings. Please, ensure that: you renewed your Membership; and that your e-mail is up-to-date! Thanks! Nathalie Bourget Membership Chair memberchair@olmc.ca
Presentation about the Cabonga Field Trip In the third week of last August, our President and many OLMC members went to the Cabonga reservoir. The reservoir is a man-made lake in central Quebec, and, besides some claims, the area is mostly open to collectors. The Cabonga name is derived from the Algonquin kakibonga and means "completely blocked by sand." The name refers to a sand bank created by melting ice flows, before it was flooded by electric dam constructions starting the 1920s. Nevertheless, many mineral can still be found in the area, including on the Southeastern shore for Spinel, Moonstone, red Garnet, grey Corundum and other many minerals. OLMC Meeting Date: Thursday, February 9 th, 2017 Time: 7h30pm-9pm Location: OLMC Workshop 1000 Brookfield Road, Ottawa ON Attention members! OLMC s 2017 Annual General Meeting will be held on April 11 th, 2017. All executive positions are open for nomination. If you think you can help, you can nominate yourself. We need all the help we can get! The list of current executive committee members is on page 9. Please send your nominations to pres@olmc.ca. A copy of the 2016 Financial Statement will be available at the workshop after April 1 st. We welcome any suggestion from all OLMC members! OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 2
Monthly Meeting Mineral collecting in Myanmar Monday, February 20, 2017, at 7:30pm - 9:30pm The speaker at out next meeting will be fellow member John Montgomery who will talk about his mineral collecting trip to Myanmar. The trip was organized by MinDat and will be a travel log with pictures of minerals collected and, I am sure, some interesting accounts of his adventure. Following the presentation, we will have a show-and-tell and help on mineral identification. Bring minerals that you would like to show the group or need help with identification. This is a feature that will be after the presentation after every meeting. Welcome to all! Christian Rochefort, chrisroche644@gmail.com On November 23, 2016, at the monthly MiG meeting, Don Fougere presented photos and mineral samples from his trip to and around North Mountain and Scots Bay, Nova Scotia. The nearby town of Wolfville is a mere 10-minute drive from the area, which is a three hour drive from Moncton, N.B. Don stayed at a family-owned seasonal camp ground at the Lookout overlooking the Minas Basin, Wolfville and Grand Pre, that occasionally offers inspiring views above fog banks. Chlorite, Blomidon, NS Blomidon water fall, NS OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 3
The Scott's Bay area is popular with rockhounders. Don chose to start there as recommended by other rockhounders for the quantity of interesting local stones. There are several other secluded beaches in the vicinity, including Ross Creek (highly recommended), Blomidon Provincial Park, Ell's Creek and Cape Split. An Internet search for "Fundy agates" will present a good overview of the sites and materials. Note: tidal waters at all these locations move in fast, and can drag away anyone stranded on the beach. Don observed the water causing stones to roll in tidal streams. Rock slides are common occurrences. There are other safety issues, such as unpredictable weather. Plan accordingly before travelling to these sites. Blomidon view South, NS Blomidon view North, NS Blomidon Provincial Park has a good reputation, but there are high, steep cliffs that bound the beach, with few entry/exit points, but there is parking near the public access beach and nearby camping as well. The shore is only accessible by foot or boat. Ell s Creek, Scots Bay, NS There are also plenty of mines in Nova Scotia, but it can be difficult to find out who is the owner in order to get permission to enter. Incidentally, there was also an annual summer Gem and Mineral Show in Parrsboro N.S., situated off the beaten path between Moncton and Halifax, which Don took in during his trip. Collectors might find plenty of other material though such as agates, jaspers, industrial slag fossilized and possibly fossil conifers (from an area one kilometer north of Ross Creek). While taking a break from collecting Don noted that each beach section, separated by a few hundred meters, was highly variable due to the constantly changing geology and tidal action and topology. OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 4
From Moncton, heading south toward Fundy Park, N.B., more adventurous people might travel to nearby Cape Enrage, NB, (one hour drive from Moncton) where there is a large promontory covered in fossils, as well as rappelling, zip line. It is illegal to take fossils from the beaches in both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and these are common on all beaches. Crinoids abound at Cape Enrage. Agates, Ross Creek, Scots Bay A rock at Ells Creek, Scots Bay, NS Crinoid, NB Fossil Cliff, NB Cape Enrager, NB Safety is important, so be prepared, and plan your trip. Beaches are rocky, so wear boots or sturdy shoes. Twisting your ankle or taking a fall among rock beds could prove problematic. Keep aware of the time, and watch for the tides, because many beaches are bound by high cliffs so there is nowhere to go except the way you came. There are different tide tables for each beach. Also, bring water, sunscreen, sun glasses, and maybe bug spray! Donald Fougere OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 5
Extracts from: American Gem Society http://www.americangemsociety.org/en/birthstones Amethyst is purple quartz and is a beautiful blend of violet and red that can be found in every corner of the earth. The name comes from the Ancient Greek, derived from the word methustos, which means intoxicated. Ancient wearers believed the gemstone could protect them from drunkenness. Amethyst, as previously mentioned, is composed of quartz, which is the second most abundant material found in the Earth s crust. Amethyst gets its color from irradiation, iron impurities and the presence of trace elements. Its hardness (a 7 on the Mohs scale) is the same as other quartz, which makes it a durable and lasting option for jewelry. While amethyst is most commonly recognized to be a purple color, the gemstone can actually range from a light pinkish violet to a deep purple that can read more blue or red, depending on the light. Sometimes, even the same stone can have layers or color variants, so the way the gemstone is cut is important to the way the color shows in a finished piece. Amethyst often occurs in geodes or in the cavities of granitic rocks. It can be found all over the world, including the United States, Canada Brazil and Zambia. The amethyst is not only the February birthstone, it is also used to celebrate the 6 th and 17 th year of marriage. From: http://www.amethystmine.com Ontario, Canada OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 6
This winter some members of our club will set off on exiting rock collecting trip. All is booked and the participants are anxiously waiting our departure day! Six of us will be leaving Ottawa on Feb. The 25 th, heading for Magdalena, Mexico for a week of Opal hunting. We ll land in Guadalajara, meet our guide and proceed by van to Magdalena. Where we ll be staying at a small Spanish style hotel. Of course called the El Opalo We ll be able to visit several mine sites in the area, as well as have access to two mines. Our guide, Dean Caldwell, has been visiting the area for several years and is well known to the miners, local opal dealers and the local population who deal in opals. Some of the group will then spend a week relaxing in Manzanillo, a port city on the Pacific side of Mexico, which is a tourist destination for Mexicans. Hopefully we ll all come back with great opals, but for sure great memories! Jean-Guy Bradette Workshop Chair workshop@olmc.ca OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 7
Ads need to be sent at News@OLMC.ca Classified ads are free for a month or two; after which, the ad should be removed or adjusted before trying it again. The ads can be about aking or offering a good or services relating to the Club s activities. In general, a few words and/or a small picture to describe or show the item, with the contact information is mandatory, while setting a price is also very helpful. There is an annual $25 fee for permanent advertisement, as the ones below. Note that these must cover approximatively a quarter of a page. The advertisement can still be changed a few times per year to highlight special discounts, events, or important information changes. Stéphane Jetté, OLMC Newsletter Editor OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 8
Contact: President Kerry Day pres@olmc.ca Vice-President Arnold Roos vicepres@olmc.ca Secretary John Skelton sec@olmc.ca February 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 5 6 Faceting 6:30pm - 9pm 12 13 Carving 6:30pm-9pm 19 20 MiG meeting 7:30pm-9pm 26 27 Faceting 6:30pm - 9pm 7 9am - 2pm Silver Smiths 6:30pm - 9pm 14 9am - 2pm Silver Smiths 6h30pm - 9pm 21 9am - 2pm Silver Smiths 6:30pm - 9pm 28 9am - 2pm Silver Smiths 6:30pm - 9pm 1 12pm - 9pm 8 12pm - 9pm 15 12pm - 9pm 22 12pm - 9pm 2 3 4 10am - 4pm 9 OLMC General Meeting 7:30pm-9pm 16 Board Meeting 7pm - 9pm 10 11 10am - 4pm 17 18 10am - 4pm 23 24 25 10am - 4pm Treasurer Rita Hudec treasurer@olmc.ca Workshop Chair Jean-Guy Bradette workshop@olmc.ca Membership Chair Nathalie Bourget memberchair@olmc.ca Program Chair Russell Black programchair@olmc.ca Newsletter Editor Stéphane Jetté news@olmc.ca We are on Facebook, join us! https://www.facebook.com/ottawalapsmithmineralclub OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 9
Membership Application for the Year: 2017 New Membership Membership renewal $20 Single (one individual) $30 Family (2 or more persons under the same residence) $60 Annual workshop access fee (optional) Name: Address: City: Province: Postal Code: Tel.: Please specify how you would like to receive OLMC s newsletter: By e-mail: By mail Do you need a receipt? Yes No Administration use only: Card provided: Yes No Supervisor signed: Yes No Payments are payable to Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club. Please mail your membership form and fees to: Ottawa Lapsmith and Mineral Club 1000 Brookfield Road, Room #22 Ottawa, ON, K1V 6J1 Other services: $25 Members Newsletter advertisement half to a quarter pages per calendar year; $55 Businesses Newsletter advertisement (advertising fee plus a business membership). Locker Fee: $25 per year depends on locker availability Mandatory Workshop Course for Making Cabochons: $55 - required for all members who want to use the workshop machinery. Questions? Please contact us by phone or email workshop@olmc.ca for details. OLMC s monthly newsletter February 2017 Page 10