Tracing the Hope Diamond’s Lineage

Help! We need a secretary!

October Rock Show

1939 Rock & Gold Trip

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Editor: Rose Kapp (roszay@shaw.ca)Sept/Oct 2005

President: Drew RekunykVice President: David Albert

Past President: Geoff Cameron, Andrew Danneffel

Secretary: Gail MawhinneyTreasurer: Chandra Collett

Membership: Sonja StubbingsWorkshop: Ken Ayres,Cecil Smith, Stormy

Refreshments: Diane RekunykNewsletter: Rose Kapp

Society Delegates: Ken Ayres (Sr)Gary Richards (Int)

Drew/Diane Rekunyk (Jr)

Club Mailing Address:Port Moody Rock & Gem

c/o Kyle Centre, 125 Kyle St.Port Moody, B.C., V3H 2V7

General Meetings: 7:30 PMArts Centre, Port Moody

next meetings:Thursday, September 29th& Thursday, October 27th

www.lapidary.bc.ca (BC Society)www.rockhounds.com

(Rock & Gem Magazine)mineral.galleries.com

www.palagems.comwww.gemsociety.com

INTERESTING WEBSITES

Growing old is mandatory;

growing up is optional.

SPECIAL MEETING, JUNE 23, 2005Workshop Needs Report

This is a short version of the report. A full report is available from the workshop committee. Please contact Andrew Danneffel• Motion 1: Propose club to begin upgrading workshop to provide full set of 8" diamond wheels: carried• Motion 2: Propose club purchase 8" flat lap for grinding and polishing flat stones: carried• Motion 3: Propose club purchase 14" slabbing saw: carried• Motion 4: Propose club purchase 2 convex 12" buffing wheels: carried• Motion 5: Propose club cover several small upgrades and maintenance issues: carried• Motion 6: Propose club purchase 10" trim saw: carried• Motion 7: Propose club lower slabbing fee from 25¢ per square inch to 20¢ per square inch: carried• Motion 8: Propose club increase annual membership fee by $10 for both single members and families to help fund upgrade endeavor and assist increase in maintenance costs: carried The workshop committee proposes the club authorize the continued efforts of the committee to further evaluate equipment requirements, ask for member suggestions, coordinate efforts to assemble training material on proper use of workshop equipment, conduct and inventory of club property, introduce "odorless" oil to saws, and explore a higher grade of polishing compound: carried

Ken Ayres sent me a link to an interesting site: Palagems.com, Fine Creations From Planet Earth. It contains amazing finds, book reviews, shows and news from the rock world. Check it out!

Because of work constraints, Gail Mawhinney is no longer able to hold the position of club secretary. The club needs someone to carry out this function - taking minutes during the monthly meetings and some correspondance. Anyone interested in helping, please contact a member or attend the next meeting.

TanzaniteOne Ltd. announced August  3 the discovery of the world’s largest piece of rough tanzanite. The rough was taken from its Merelani Tanzanite Mine in Northern Tanzania and weighs over 3  kilograms (16,839 carats).

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

ROCK NEWS

ROCK NEWSCLUB NOTICES

MON.TUES.WED.THURS.

LapidaryLapidaryFacetingLapidary

8:30 AM - 12 noon7:00 PM - 9:00 PM7:00 PM - 9:00 PM8:30 AM - 12 noon

For faceting, contact Bill McCracken at 604-469-1726

Rock & Gem NewsletterPort Moody

submitted by Rose K.

By Cecil E. Smith

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http://www.smithsonian.org/research/spotlight/3_2.htm#diamond

From left to right, Tavernier Blue Diamond, French Blue Diamond, Hope Diamond. The Tavernier and French are cubic zirconia replicas. The Hope is the real thing, taken out of its usual white diamond setting.

Research conducted over the past year by Smithsonian curator of gems Jeffery Post, mechanical engineer and computer specialist Steve Attaway, and gem cutters Nancy Attaway and Scott Sucher supports the theory that the Hope Diamond was cut from the French Blue Diamond after the latter was stolen from the French Crown Jewels in 1792. The team used state-of-the-art imaging and computer modeling technology, combined with new measurements of the Hope Diamond and historical records and sketches of the Tavernier Blue Diamond and the French Blue Diamond, to create for the first time ever accurate virtual computer models of the three diamonds.  The results of the modeling study clearly support the assumption that the Hope Diamond was cut from the French Blue Diamond, and reveal that no sister stone to the Hope Diamond could have been cut from either previous stone.  The computer models were used to guide the cutting of accurate replicas of the two precursor stones – in cubic zirconia.  This extensive research project was captured on film and featured on the Discovery Channel in the production "Unsolved History:  Hope Diamond."

Get ready for Port Moody Rock & Gem Club's annual show October 29 & 30, 2005.This year's theme isGeodes & Thundereggs: Nature's Surprise Packages.Time to get organized and put on a great show!

This is one of the trips I took when I was 16 or 17 in the year 1939. I grew up in Oregon. Jack and I went to Fish Lake in Oregon. Driving up to it we passed what is called "rabbit ear". On up, we passed some massive cedars. We parked our 1929 Model A at "Mt. Lookout". It was 8 miles down to the lake. I had a pack made from a gunny sack. We roughed it that night. The next day we went up into the hills looking for gold. Didn't find any. While I was in camp, I met a school teacher and taught her how to make a figure for a trap. And got to ride a big black horse. Really a good horse. Jack panned for gold in some island in a creek. He found fool's gold. This was one of my early outings.

UPCOMINGEVENTS

•Carolin Mines Rock Trip

Sept 18/05, Meeting Place: 9 am, Bridal Falls

Material: Soapstone Contact: Leader, Harley

Waterson, 604-590-3289 Comments: Bring a hammer, rasp (file) to test for inclusions in the material such as quartz or pyrite.

This one is just off the freeway east of Hope. All you can carry low-med grade grey soapstone,

some black. We should be able to drive vehicles right to the spot if the logging road gate is open. If not open, it's a 100 meter hike from an alternate parking spot.

•SURREY ROCKHOUND CLUB

September 17 & 18 & , 2005 Annual Gem Show

"GLISTENING CRYSTALS" Sat. 10am - 6pm, Sun. 10am -

5pm, Sullivan Hall 6302 152 Street, Surrey, B.C. For more information contact:

Alice Clarke•

Green Mountain, Vancouver Island, date TBA (Oct).

Leaders: Rick Hudson/Bob Morgan, Meeting Place: TBA

Material: Jasper Contact: Bob Morgan

cilorminerals@yahoo.ca New jasper location in the

Upper Nanaimo River basin, high on a ridge. Material is

reportedly plentiful, and easy pickings. Date may change to

an earlier one to make sure the stuff isn't snow covered.

•Maple Ridge Club Open House

Sat. Oct 1st, 11am - 4pm23750 Fern Crescent, Maple Ridge

MR member, L. Meggait has donated his collection to this

club. Also on permanent display is the Trethewey

Collection of polished slabs.•

FRASER VALLEY ROCK & GEM CLUB "Annual Show"

Oct. 1 & 2, '05, 10am - 4pmOld Age Pensioners Hall

273 Street, Aldergrove, B.C. For more information contact:

Gwen Langill•

For more info, check Society web page: www.lapidary.bc.ca

Rock of the Month

Peridot (pronounced pair-a-doe) is the gemstone variety of olivine. Olivine, which is actually not an official mineral, is composed of two minerals: fayalite (iron rich) and forsterite (magnesium rich). Peridot is one of the few gemstones which exist only in one colour.

History Peridot has been mined as a gemstone for over four thousand years. Historical legend has it that this green stone was the favorite gemstone of Cleopatra. It was brought to Europe by the crusaders in the Middle Ages and was often used for ecclesiastical purposes. It was very popular during the baroque period. Throughout time, peridot has been confused with many other gemstones, even emerald. Many "emeralds" of royal treasures have turned out to be peridots! Other green gemstones confused with peridot include apatite (which is much softer); green garnets (have no double refraction), green tourmaline and green sinhalite (both of which are strongly pleochroic), moldavites (no double refraction) and green zircon (significantly heavier). Until recently jewelers used the term "chrysolite" (Latin for golden stone) in referring to peridot gems for some reason.

Location Gem quality peridot comes from the ancient source of St. Johns Island or Zagbargad (Zebirget) Island in the Red Sea off the coast of Egypt; Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), Pakistan, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Ethiopia, Australia, Arizona and Salt Lake Crater, Oahu, Hawaii, USA. The Arizona gem material is of lesser quality, but is far more abundant and is therefore much more affordable. An estimated 80 - 95% of all world production of peridot comes from Arizona. The Myanmar, Pakistani and Egyptian gems are rarer and of better quality and thus quite valuable approaching the per carat values of top gemstones.

In order to underline the outstanding quality of the peridot from Pakistan the stones have been termed “Cashmere-Peridot”, reminding of the fine Cashmere Sapphires. Possibly the most unusual peridot comes from iron-nickel meteorites called pallasites. There is a display of cut peridots in Russia which came out of a meteorite which fell in 1749 in east Siberia. Rarities are peridot cat's eyes and star peridot. In BC, olivene can be found at Timothy Mt., east-northeast of Lac La Hache which produces bombs from which excellent dark green stones weighing as much as 10 carats have been obtained. Lightning Peak in the Monashee Mountains produces peridot grains large enough to cut small gems from.

Care and Caution Gemstone cutters know that this stone is not easy to process. The rough crystals can be devious and are easy to break. The tensions existing inside the crystal are often quite considerable. When the cutter has removed the most disturbing inclusions, peridot becomes a jewellery stone which is excellently suited to daily wear, without requiring special care. Peridot is not resistant to sulphuric acid. It tends to burst under great stress, therefore is sometimes metal-foiled. Dark stones can be lightened by burning. Do not clean peridot in a home ultrasonic cleaner.

VARIETY INFORMATION: • VARIETY OF: Olivine , (Mg, Fe)2SiO4. • USES: gemstone. • BIRTHSTONE FOR: August • COLOR: olive-green • INDEX OF REFRACTION: 1.630 - 1.695 • SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 3.3 to 4.4 • HARDNESS: 6.5 - 7 • LUSTER: glassy • STREAK: white • CLEAVAGE: usually not discernible • CRYSTAL SYSTEM: orthorhombic • Also called olivine, chrysolite, evening emerald

PERIDOTtheeveningemerald

Researched by Rose Kappreferences:• mineralgalleries • www.cigem.ca• www.gemstone.org (International Colored Gem Assoc.)• "Gemstones of the World" by Walter Schumann

photo: www.palagems.com

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