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Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. - mailing address: 1001 West Lambert Rd. #18, La Habra, CA 90631-1378
DELVINGS The Newsletter of the Delvers Gem & Mineral Society
Volume 71 Number 1 January 2018
Mitchell Caverns re-opened during November of 2017
Mitchell Caverns is located within the Providence Mountains State Recreation Area. Tours of the caves
are offered (twice a day Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and on Holiday Mondays) by reservation only.
Reservations can be made only by speaking to a staff member on Mondays (8AM-5PM, 760-928-2586).
The state recreation area is surrounded by the Mojave National Preserve, which offers campgrounds
(Hole-in-the-Wall is the nearest) and roadside camping. At Hole-in-the-Wall, the Rings Loop Trail,
descending into Banshee Canyon by metal rings set into the rock, is exciting for kids of all ages.
Photo: CA
State Parks
DELVINGS January 2018 Page 2
Taps from the Gavel – Fred Dexling
The Christmas party that Cassie and Chuck hosted was awesome. I, for the Delvers Society, thank them.
The senate soup served as part of the meal is actually served in the U.S. Senate dining hall and was
delicious. The prizes that were passed out were of high quality that everyone liked. The party ended
with a very impressive fire work show. If you missed the party you also missed the four chickens that
Chuck has in an enclosure. Yes, they are laying eggs and one is laying green shelled eggs.
After the party the Board had a meeting where people volunteered for offices for next year. At the
January meeting the volunteers will be voted on.
I have a small interest in astronomy and I thought that I might see some meteors that occur December
13 and 14 (Gemini shower) but I saw none. Probably the city light glow made it impossible to see.
I wish good health for all the members in 2028. I thank all the members for letting me your president.
It was a "blast".
From the Editor’s Desk – Andrew Hoekstra
The January meeting will be preceded by a board meeting at 6 PM – all members are encouraged to
attend this board meeting. Last year’s expenditures will be reviewed and a 2018 budget proposed.
The election of 2018 officer will take place at our January meeting. There is still an opportunity for
volunteers to step forward, for any position. The tentative slate is listed below. We have no volunteer
for the treasurer position. I am willing to handle the treasurer’s duties on an interim basis, but for no
longer than this year. Therefore, we still need a volunteer who can be trained to take over as treasurer.
Being treasurer is neither that difficult nor too time-consuming.
Beginning next month, the Delvings newsletter will be downsized. It will include at least the minutes,
calendar, and any contributions from members. The newsletter will be e-mailed prior to the general
meeting but paper copies will no longer be mailed. A few printed copies will be available at the general
meeting for those members having no internet access.
2017 Board
President – Fred Dexling [email protected] 562-425-0192
Vice-President – Nancy Bird [email protected]
Treasurer – Doreen Wong [email protected]
Secretary – Teresa Taylor [email protected]
Editor – Andrew Hoekstra [email protected]
Director – Guynell Miller [email protected]
Director – Dale Harwood 310-217-0551
2018 Board Slate
President – Peter German
Vice President – Nancy Bird
Treasurer – vacant
Secretary – Teresa Taylor
Editor – Andrew Hoekstra
Directors: Guynell Miller
and ?
DELVINGS January 2018 Page 3
QUARTZITE ROCK SHOWS SCHEDULE - 2018
Desert Gardens - Gem & Mineral
January 01 - February 28, 2018
Prospectors Panorama January 01 - January 14, 2017
Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show January 05 - January 14, 2018
QIA Pow Wow - Gems, minerals & jewelry
January 17 - January 21, 2018
Gold, Treasure & Craft Show February 9 - 11, 2018
https://xpopress.com/showcase/profile/5/quartzsite-showcase-swapmeet https://www.desertusa.com/cities/az/quartzsite.html
January 21st. Sixth Annual ALAA Quartzsite Clean-up, Approx. 8:30-12:00 MST. Location TBD
March 3-4, Arcadia, CA
Monrovia Rockhounds
Los Angeles County Arboretum
301 Baldwin Ave
Hours: 9-4:30 Daily
Contact: Jo Anna Ritchey 626-359-1624
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.moroks.com/
March 3-4, Torrance, CA
South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society
Ken Miller Recreation Center
3341 Torrance Road (enter on Madrona)
Hours: Sat 10-5, Sun 10-4
Contact: Nancy Pekarek, 310-257-8152
Email: [email protected]
https://southbaylapidaryandmineralsociety.com/
March 3-4, Ventura, CA
Ventura Gem & Mineral Society
Ventura County Fairgrounds
10 W Harbor Blvd
Hours: Sat 10-5, Sun 10-4
Contact: Diane Cook, 805-312-8467
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://vgms.org/
March 10-11, San Marino, CA
Pasadena Lapidary Society
San Marino Masonic Center
3130 Huntington Dr
Hours: Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5
Contact: Ellen Ferrell, 727-512-0381
Email: [email protected]
http://www.pasadenalapidarysociety.org/
53rd annual Pacific Micromount Conference. January 26 & 27, 2018 at a new location:
The Fallbrook Mineral Museum, 123 W. Alvarado St., Fallbrook, CA
Registration Form: http://www.mineralsocal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/New-PMC-Registration-Form.pdf
Green Diamonds: Natural Radiance, LA Co. Museum of Natural History, Dec 9 th-Apr. 1st https://nhm.org/site/explore-exhibits/special-exhibits/diamonds
DELVINGS January 2018 Page 4
CFMS Field Trip-South Collecting Trip
Lavic Siding near Barstow, CA
February 17th, 2018
This trip is open to all Rockhounds who agree to abide by the AFMS and CFMS Code of Ethics, the
directions of the field trip leader and practice safe rock hounding.
Call the field trip leader beforehand for further information.
Remember to sign in and out with the field trip leader.
A Consent and Assumption of Risk Waiver of Liability form must be signed upon arrival at meeting site.
WHEN: Saturday February 17th at 8:00 AM
WHERE: Lavic Siding
MATERIAL: We will be collecting Agates and Jaspers.
MEET: Hector Rd off I-40 on the south side for orientation and sign in. Waiver of liability
will be signed at the meeting spot. From the meeting spot we will caravan for about 20
minutes to collecting site. Contact field trip leader for additional information.
VEHICLES: No low clearance vehicles, most will be able to make it to the main collecting
area, there is an alternate spot for those with 4X4. Gas and food are available in Barstow.
WHAT TO BRING: Collecting bags/buckets, rock hammer, digging equipment, safety
glasses and spray bottles, First Aid kit. Bring lunch, plenty of water and a camera; this
widespread field offers no shade so use sun screen and protect yourself. If you would like
to stay for the weekend, this general area offers a wide variety of material so bring your
rock collecting guides.
NOTE: This is the heart of the Mojave Desert and the weather can be unpredictable at this
time of year so dress accordingly. This trip may be canceled at the last minute due to bad
weather, so please feel free to contact us the night before if weather is questionable.
Treat the desert with respect - tread lightly and if you pack it in, pack it out.
For more info contact Field Trip Leaders.
CFMS Field Trips South Co-chairs:
Adam Dean: [email protected]; (909) 489 4899
Roy Isaac: [email protected]; (818) 633-3350
DELVINGS January 2018 Page 5
Current Exhibits at the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Museum
Hours: Mon - Fri: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Open to the public by appointment only.
24 hours notice required. To schedule an
individual or group tour for GIA's location
in Carlsbad, please email or call:
+1 800 421 7250, ext. 4116
Centuries of Opulence: Jewels of India (until October 10th, 2018)
This exhibit features 50 exquisite gemstone jewelry pieces and objects from India on loan from a private
collection. Never seen in public, these pieces - including several from the magnificent Mughal Empire (1526–
1857) - showcase more than 300 years of adornment from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The exhibit explores
the distant sources of the diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other gems decorating these pieces,
their religious and cultural symbolism, the wars fought for them and the historical tradition of gemology in
India.
Hauser Mineral Collection
This collection features more than 60 ornamental minerals of
exceptional size and quality – many from localities with
restricted access or that are no longer producing. Native
Californian Joel Hauser ardently pursued his hobby of lapidary
art and collecting agates, geodes, ornamental minerals and
petrified wood for more than 60 years, resulting in an
impressive and celebrated mineral collection. He discovered a
deposit of agate geodes in Riverside County’s Little Chuckawalla
Mountains, now known as the Hauser Geode Beds. The
collection was a gift of the Hauser family, in memory of Joel and
Barbara Hauser. Nearly 50 specimens are on display at the Carlsbad campus.
Kabuki Brooch
This whimsical “Kabuki” brooch/pendant, designed by Carolyn Tyler, uses 100 million-year-old fossilized
ammonite shell (known as Ammolite) as a centerpiece, accented with tsavorite garnet, Paraíba and indicolite
tourmaline, and orange sapphires. The 22K gold granulation detail, a technique perfected by the Etruscans
2,000 years ago, was executed by Balinese master craftsmen. Granulation is an “endangered art” as casting
and other modern techniques move jewelry-making away from hand-fabrication.
DELVINGS January 2018 Page 6
Cooking Tuxedo Agate By Daniel Bontempo, Topeka Gem & Mineral Society Member
From The Glacial Drifter, Vol. 55, No. 3, 3/2012 (TG&MS), via Pick & Shovel 1/2016, via Backbender’s Gazette 2016/08 (Due to outdated information and Web links, this article has been edited and updated by the Pick & Shovel Editor)
Treating or enhancing gemstones is a controversial topic. Most objections pertain to high-end
transparent, facet-grade gems, where any attempt to hide flaws could be fraud if not disclosed.
Likewise, artificial diamonds or pearls have a much lower value than unflawed natural ones. In contrast,
with semi-precious gemstones, it is often more acceptable to stabilize or heal material if it means
colorful, well-patterned, material can be rescued from the scrap heap. Many agates and jaspers have
pits, soft spots, or partially healed fractures. Sometimes whole varieties are known for their problems
(e.g., Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper is notoriously fractured). Perhaps this is because the small-dollar value
of the slab or cabochon does not change a lot pre-post
treatment, so it is not a financial fraud. As noted in an article
about gemstone coloring on the Mindat.org website,
(http://www.mindat.org/article.php/170/Historic+Methods+o
f+Artificially+Coloring+Agates) “coloring of gem materials to
make them more desirable to the consumer is as ancient as
greed and avarice.” Clearly, potential financial motivations are
a large part of the controversy.
Nonetheless, semi-precious stone treatments that heal, or
other treatments that color or enhance, are not always viewed
negatively. Many semi-precious stone enthusiasts place value
on natural and healing (or stabilizing) with a transparent
resin, and it is generally perceived as less unnatural than
changing the color or pattern of a stone. I, personally, have
never liked the bright pink, neon purple, and aqua blue dyed
Brazilian agate slices found in many gift shops. Besides
looking very unnatural, some of the dye is toxic. I usually turn my nose up at dyed material.
Sometimes, for some people, heat-treating to bring out reds and browns is not considered beyond the
pale of natural. At least toxic chemicals are not involved, and natural variation/pattern is often
preserved—only in deeper colors.
One process for dying/enhancing agate that fascinates me is called the sugar-acid process, and it has a
long history dating back to Roman times. This process can take an uninteresting pale-grayish agate
with light (sometimes not too noticeable) white banding and transform it into a vivid agate with bold
white bands against a stark black (or espresso brown) background. Essentially, a dissolved sugar
(CnH2nOn, where n is between 3 and 7) is given time to penetrate the pore space of the agate, and
subsequently heated acid is used to strip off the H2nOn atoms and leave behind the Cn atoms – pure
black carbon. It is not known when this was first done, but Pliny the Elder (born 23 AD, died 79 AD), in
his Natural History, seems to describe this process using honey and vinegar (acetic acid). [Kurt Nassau
quotes applicable passages from Pliny on p 69 of the 2nd edition of his book Gemstone Enhancement:
History, Science, and State of the Art.]
In the 1800s, gem cutters in Germany and elsewhere applied more modern chemistry. Nassau credits a
German gem cutter in Oberstein and Idar with rediscovery of the process in about 1820. Sulfuric acid
was found to work much better than acetic acid.
DELVINGS January 2018 Page 7
Daniel Russell, who wrote the above-cited article at Mindat.org, excerpts several scientific publications
from around 1850 describing the process in some detail. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that
not all agates are porous enough, and noting how water penetrates or beads on the surface can predict
whether the agate can be treated. One of the most detailed recipes is given by George W. Fisher in his
1990 book on Gemstone Coloration and Dying, largely based on his own home experiments. (Text is
available at http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/black-dying-agate.htm).
On today’s Internet, you can find various references to the sugar-acid process, or even recipe details.
There are some discrepancies about the exact concentrations, times, and amount of heat/boiling
needed, as well as recommended types of agate and slab thickness, so any adventurous lapidary wishing
to practice this ancient art should expect to have to work some bits out, or to engage in a bit of trial and
error. For example, Fisher mentions boiling acid, but the boiling point listed on Wikipedia is 639°F.,
which seems hotter than the hotplate described by Fisher was likely to produce—most likely, he meant
simmer at 300–400°F., where water in less than 100% sulfuric acid can be seen to make vapor bubbles.
Fisher recommends Brazilian Agate and agate from Coconut Geodes as having suitable bands in
otherwise porous agate.
Periodically, there has been modern commercial manufacture of small sugar-acid batches. My first
introduction was via a stone called Tuxedo Agate, produced by The Gem Shop in Cedarburg,
Wisconsin, and sold in Tucson shows in 2005. Slabs, generally cut thin to ensure penetration, also were
sold. When I inquired, I was told they had used Moroccan Agate.
To date, I have made three batches of Tuxedo Agate from some rather plain Moroccan Agate, and an
additional batch with Madagascar Agate, crazy lace agates, and other experimental materials. I also
recooked part of my first batch because only a dark
brown coloring was initially achieved. I recently got
some very plain Brazilian agate, and hope to get it
slabbed and into sugar water before too long.
Another small batch has been in sugar solution for a
very long time now, and one spring day, I will have a
patio cookout. Gloves, pot holders, tongs, eye-
protection, fume venting, and all the usual sensible
precautions apply. (This includes having a plan to
neutralize and dispose of sulfuric acid. Washing soda
is great to have on hand.) There have been a few
glitches, and I am getting slightly less than ⅛”
penetration, so ¼” slabs may not color all the way
through. I figure there is still room to tweak my process, and the ideal agate for dying could be found
any day. My efforts complete with pre-post pictures and discussion of difficulties, disappointments, and
successes, have been posted on online lapidary forums (see URLs below).
Photos from http://www.samsilverhawk.com
http://andy321.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sawingb&action=display&thread=3409
http://andy321.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sawingb&action=display&thread=3388
http://andy321.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sawingb&action=display&thread=3811
http://andy321.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sawingb&action=display&thread=3824
From The Glacial Drifter, Vol. 55, No. 3, 3/2012 (Topeka Gem & Mineral Society)
Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. - mailing address: 1001 West Lambert Rd. #18, La Habra, CA 90631-1378
Delvers Gem & Mineral Society
DELVINGS, c/o A. Hoekstra, editor
16643 Chicago Ave.
Bellflower, CA 90706
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Regular Meeting of the Delvers Gem and Mineral Society
January 12th, @ 7:00 PM at the Holy Redeemer Church,
14515 Blaine Ave., Bellflower, CA
DVD Program, Topic TBD
Board Meeting (all members invited) 6:00 PM