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Greetings, Fellow Rockhounds,

I would like to take this time to again thank everyone for

the wonderful help in making our show a success. Dedicated

members are crucial for us to have a fun and viable club.

I hope Christmas went well and wish a safe and happy New

Year to all. I am looking forward to my second year as presi-

dent and am encouraging all members to provide input and ideas

to make this coming year enjoyable, educational, and productive.

Since I have trouble with " cabin fever" about this time every

year, I can't convince David to take me mudlarking or rock

hunting. He says it’s too cold to get in a creek. What a wimp!

Maybe I can get him to do some cabbing instruction for some of

our newbies who bought slabs and rough at the show. Let’s start

the year off with a good January meeting and remember the date

is now the THIRD TUESDAY of every month.

See ya'll January 20. Thanks again,

Morning

Inside this issue:

Program Corner

Birthdays

President’s Message

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Meeting Minutes

Largest Uncut Diamond

2

Sympathy Noted 2

Golden Adventure 3

Dues DUE

SE Fed Field Trip

4

Reminders

Links

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Photo Array

Club Information

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PROGRAM CORNER When: January 20, 2014 Where: Mureal Crump Center, 1751 Congressman William L. Dickinson Drive, Montgomery, AL 36109 Time: 7:00 P M What: Member Opportunities Who: Discussion Panel Provide Overview of What’s Available in 2015

MONTGOMERY GEM & M INERAL SOCIETY

THE GOLDEN

NUGGET JANUARY

2015

2015-01

REFRESHMENTS Drinks: TERRY FETZER Snacks: BECKY FETZER

Please remember to bring paper plates, napkins, and cups. Ice is available at the community

center. It is your responsibility to find another member to substitute in the event you are unable to

fulfill a month for which you signed up. List for remainder of the year:

drinks snacks FEB 17 LYNN STAUCH JIM GAINES MARCH 17 JACK & CHRISTIE KIRKLAND VACANT *

April 21 MARY BELMONT FRANKIE BOOTHMAN & VIOLET JONES MAY 19 BETTY & JAMES ANDERSON LESLIE AMATO

JUNE 16 MIKE BERKMAN LINDA GRIEBEL JULY 21 MARY LOU MCHUGH IRIS MCGEHEE AUGUST 18 CHRIS EVEY VACANT *

SEPTEMBER 15 CRYSTIE WILLIARD THERESE FRANK OCTOBER 20 VACANT * CANDY RUTHERFORD NOVEMBER 17 JEANETTE RITCH VACANT *

IT’S NOT TOO LATE!

IF YOU’VE NOT AL-READY SIGNED UP

TO BRING REFRESH-MENTS, THERE ARE

4 OPEN DATES LISTED TO THE

LEFT. JUST EMAIL ME TO BE IN-

CLUDED; send to thegoldennug-

get@hotmail.com HAPPY JANUARY BIRTHDAY

1 Angela Pearsall 5 Bella Edwards 7 Annie Easterling 16 Bonnie Shanks 17 James Mallonee 21 Henry Barwood

22Jane Barkley

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The largest uncut diamond ever found was the Cullinan, discovered in 1905 about 18 feet below ground in the

walls of the Premier diamond mine, about 24 miles east of Pretoria, South Africa.

The magnificent stone was weighed, and replicas were made before it was cut into nine major gems and 96 small

gems. The largest was 530.4 carats — slightly less than one-quarter pound — and was named the Great Star of

Africa. It and its smaller cousin — the 317.3-carat Lesser Star of Africa — are mounted in the British Crown Jew-

els.

Before cutting, the stone weighed a whopping 3,106.75 carats — more than 1.3 pounds — but it was not a complete crystal.

Most diamonds occur as crystals with a characteristic shape called an octahedron — think of two four-sided pyramids stuck together at their

bottoms. The Cullinan was obviously part of such a crystal — it had a curved surface and triangular shaped depressions characteristic of many

diamond crystals — but it was only about one-third of an octahedron.

A recent article in The Mineralogical Record reconstructed the original diamond crystal.

Using a replica of the original replica, the missing portions of the crystal were filled in with clay. The results were striking — an octahedron

measuring about 4 inches on each side. The original crystal might have weighed around 8,300 carats, or more than 3.5 pounds.

So where’s the rest of it?

The crystal probably was fragmented by the explosive emplacement of the diamond pipe lava, which traveled from 100 miles below ground at

supersonic speed some 1.2 billion years ago. It brought with it diamonds that might have formed as long ago as 3 billion years. (That’s one reason the idea that diamonds are compressed coal is a myth — coal comes from ancient trees, and there were no trees that far

back in time.)

The Premier Mine has produced quite a number of other large diamonds, so some fragments might have been recovered during earlier or later

mining and not recognized as parts of the Cullinan.

Other parts might have been transported farther up the pipe, exposed at the surface and carried away by erosion millennia before mining ever

started. Alternatively, some might still lie buried miles below the surface and will never be recovered.

Or maybe tomorrow’s Dispatch will carry the news that another major fragment of this magnificent stone finally has been found.

Dale Gnidovec, Curator, Orton Geological Museum, Ohio State University. `(Submitted by Terry Fetzer)

Stan R. Stevens, 73, died Thursday, January 1, 2015 at his home in Montgomery, AL.

He is survived by his wife, Betty Stevens; daughters, Angela McCullers and her hus-

band Steve and Cynthia Regalo and her husband Vince; grandchildren, Steven

McCullers, Jr. and Jasmine Regalo. He was retired from the U.S. Air Force and Civil

service. He was buried January 7th.

Stan was formerly an active and dedicated member of Montgomery Gem & Mineral

Society, during which time he served as President in addition to other volunteer func-

tions in this association.

LARGEST UNCUT DIAMOND WAS A MAMMOTH GEM

LOSS OF LONG TIME CLUB MEMBER

NOVEMBER 18 2014 MONTGOMERY GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY MINUTES

The meeting was called to order by president Morning Sherrod. Iris McGehee deliv-

ered the Treasurer's report which was approved by a show of hands as were the min-

utes from the October meeting. The election of officers was held with the following

results: President - Morning Sherrod; 1st Vice President/Programs - Peggy

Raines; 2nd Vice President/Field trips - Jeff Edwards; Treasurer - Iris McGhee; and

Secretary - David Sherrod. Next was the controlled chaos of scheduling volunteers

and times for the annual Gem and Mineral show. Iris McGehee and Jane Barkley ex-

plained the logistics involved as everyone signed up for everything from providing

covered dishes, decorating, club showcases, vendor setup, manning the greeters table,

wheel of fortune and cleanup/breakdown.. This was all performed as refreshments

were served; after which the meeting was adjourned

Secretary, David Sherrod

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We recently took a trip to North Georgia after visiting family in Atlanta. We stayed in Dahlonega a couple of nights and had time to tour and pan for gold and other gems at 2 gold mines (Crisson's and Consolidated) as well as a delightful and enlightening tour of William Holland. The retreat was only about an hour drive away and it was a beautiful crisp day and we enjoyed the mountain views and the colors of the changing leaves on our drive there. The staff was extremely nice and patient as we were there on a full house day with almost all the classrooms full. Actually one of their maintenance workers led us around to each class. Each instructor took time to explain the structure of their class and what they were working on, making, or learning about during their week long course. We viewed classes in cabbing, wire wrapping, seed beading, stringing beads, metal clay working, metal and silversmith, gem faceting, opals, scrimshawing, cold connections and chainmail, one after another. Upon exit-ing each class, we both said "I want to take this class"!

At the Consolidated Mines tour we went 200 feet underground and almost 200 years back in time and learned about the Gold Rush Fever of the 1820's that brought the town of Dahlonega to life. This was 25 years be-fore the famous California Gold Rush.

At the Crisson's Mine tour we saw a 130 year old Stamp Mill - the only one still in operation in Georgia. We also panned for gold and gems and came away with some nuggets that might have potential once we learn some basics of working with them!

This was a fun filled and informative 3 day trip that we would recommend to all of you; even if you can't fit in a 5 day class at William Holland. Touring the school and exploring this area of Georgia was time and money well spent. We can't wait to go back again!

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A GOLDEN ADVENTURE BY FRANKIE BOOTHMAN AND VIOLET JONES

Entrance to William Holland

Classrooms visited

Lunch in

downtown

Dahlonega

Consolidated Mines

Underground tour at

Consolicated

Crissons

Mine

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Thanks to Lori Carter (GA Mineral Society) for sharing a detailed account. Seems most of us missed

another great field trip. Here are some of the details.

The Knoxville Gem and Mineral Society hosted a 2 day DMC event.

Day 1: The first tour was to the Gray Fossil Site and Museum in Gray, Tennessee where a behind the

scenes tour of the prep lab was the envy of other visitors who peered curiously at us as we examined

the lab. A graduate student described the meticulous process they use to extract, catalog, clean, and

reconstruct fossils from the site. We even had a chance to see the actual dig area.

The second tour was to Bristol Caverns in Bristol, TN. Mick described the geology of the area and cor-

related it back to the Knox Limestone and Sevier Shale we observed at the Gray Fossil Site. All through the caverns he pointed out many geological features. It was an unusual opportunity to see the geology

from below.

Day 2: The first collecting location was Douglas Lake. Attendees braved some brisk breezes to search

for double terminated quartz crystals that are often called “Douglas diamonds”. We gained a few inches

in height and a little weight as mud accumulated on our boots, but it was worth it as everyone found

some nice crystals. One area also had some cephalopod fossils! The second collecting location was in

Mosheim, TN for Middle Ordovician graptolite fossils. The graptolites are easily located by splitting soft

shale and are well preserved.

SE FEDERATION FIELD TRIP REPORT SYNOPSI S DECEMBER 2014

New link to check out

from Wilburn Sharp—

another gold museum

that you might enjoy.

http://

www.pinemou

ntaingoldmuse

um.com/

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THE GOLDEN NUGGET

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Jan 17-18 Deland, FL Volusia County Fa irgrounds, Tommy Lawrence Building, Sta te Route 44, De land, FL (1/2 mile east off of I-4, Exit 118) Sat 10-6, Sun 10-5 Adm $4 Child 12 & under Tomokagms.org Rosemary van Wandelen 386-860-5586 rrbor-zoi@yahoo.com Jan 24 – 25, Panama City, FL Bay County Fairgrounds Sat 9-5, Sun 9-4 Adm & parking FREE Steve Shipton 850-867-0586 or shipton3@comcast.net Feb 7-8, Merritt Island, FL Kiwanis Island Recreation Center, 951 Kiwanis Island Park Road, 32952 10-5 Adm $5 www.centralbrevardgems.org Feb 28, Lakeland, FL 175 Lake Hollingsworth Dr. 33801 9:30-4:30 Kim Price (863) 412-9156 ibvgmfs@gmail.com Facebook: Bone Valley Gem, Mineral & Fos-sil Society www.bonevalley.net

International Colored Gemstone Assn newsletter http://www.gemstone.org/

Georgia Meteorite Association http://www.meteoriteassociationofgeorgia.org/

William Holland www.lapidaryschool.org

Wildacres http://www.amfed.org/sfms/wildacres-retreat.html

Al Mineral Locality Index http://www.mindat.org/rloc.php?loc=Alabama%2C+USA

GIA http://www.gia.edu/3954/gia_home_page.cfm http://www.greatdanepro.com/somewhere%20in%20time/index.htm

educational sources for young rock & mineral collectors and hobbyists

KidsLoveRocks.com http://fossilsforkids.com/

http://www.mineralcollecting.org/

FL Museum Natural History (fossils) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/collections/overview/ AMERICAN LANDS ACCESS ASSOCIATION, INC. (Protecting the Public Lands for the Public; A grassroots 501-C-4 Educa-tional, non-profit organization dedicated to keeping public lands open for the public http://www.amlands.org/

Gemstone List http://www.gemstoneslist.com/

Arizona Geological Survey http://www.azgs.az.gov/minerals.shtml

SMITHSONIAN http://www.mnh.si.edu/

Gemstones International http://www.gia.edu/

Ben Clements Mineral Museum http://www.clementmineralmuseum.org/

http://www.montgomerygemandmineralsociety.com/

SE SHOWS http://www.rockngem.com/show-dates-display/?ShowState=ALL

L I N K S T O C H E C K O U T

REMINDERS

Please let Mary Belmont or Virginia Webb know if a member needs a get well card or any other communication for which a card is appropriate.

Bring spare rocks, gems, minerals to any meeting in order to prepare for the Wheel of Fortune.

Show your recent acquisitions at the monthly meeting so other members can experience a vari-

ety of different materials. NOTE: the shop can be opened on Saturdays 1-4 by appointment with Leslie Amato.—Call by Friday afternoon to determine if Saturday is convenient.. Shop fee :$1 per hour or $5 maximum. Be sure to read your monthly copy of the LODESTAR which is emailed.

Member input is not only desired but also needed. Communicate program requests to Peggy Raines. Tell Jeff Edwards if you know of a potential site for a field trip. Talk to any officer or board member regarding the need for a class.

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An excellent publica-tion designed espe-cially for young min-eral collectors is Mini Miners Monthly. Check it out at

www.diamondda

npublications.net Electronic subscrip-tion (PDF) $9.95 for 12 issues. A fun website to check out is

http://www.pinterest.com/nkarod/rocks-and-minerals/

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THE GOLDEN NUGGET

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 44TH ANNUAL MONTGOMERY GEM, MINERAL & JEWELRY SHOW

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THE GOLDEN NUGGET

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THE GOLDEN NUGGET

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TOMMY SHANKS SHARES HIS PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW

Lynn Stauch polishing a stone (gem). Lot of time involved when

developing gems from rugged stones. And a sturdy hand. Keep

your fingernails filed down too.

David Sherrod shaping and polishing a very fragile gem by

hand. Sturdy hand needed as he finished this one. Started out

with a very ugly, rough stone. Most would have just walked

over it not knowing what it was.

Jeff Edwards hard at work trimming

stone on Lapidary saw

Sonny Hall, knapping a stone into an arrowhead as

the Native Indians did (before our time). Beautiful

when finished. Some would cut like a sharp knife

and one I saw had "teeth" knapped out along the

edges that was also very sharp.

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ery Gem & Mineral Society, Inc.

Except for items that are specifi-

cally copyrighted by their authors,

all material in this bulletin may be

freely copied. Please give credit to

The Golden Nugget and the appro-

priate author.

Meetings of the Montgomery

Gem & Mineral Society are held

every 3nd Tuesday of the month at

7:00 p.m. at the Mureal Crump

Adult Center, 1751 Congressman

William L. Dickinson Drive (U.S.

231), Montgomery, AL 36109.

The annual gem show replaces the

The purpose of the Golden

Nugget is to inform members of

news about gems and minerals

along with news about club,

state, and regional activities of

interest to our members. Most

important, the Golden Nugget

provides a way for each of us to

share information about projects

and to pass on tips that will help

others enjoy our hobby. Unless

members are willing to contrib-

ute, the Golden Nugget cannot

meet this latter purpose.

Copyright 2015 by Montgom-

December meeting. Anyone interested in gems and

minerals is invited to attend. Field trips, workshops,

and classes are held at various locations. These are

announced at monthly meetings. Membership dues

are $15.00 for individuals and $20.00 for families

residing in the same household.

The Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society is a

member of the Southeast Federation of Mineralogi-

cal Societies, Inc. and the American Federation of

Mineralogical Societies, Inc.

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107,

this material is distributed without profit or payment

to those who have expressed a prior interest in re-

ceiving this information.

General Information

MONTGOMERY GEM AND MINERAL SOCIETY

Club Officers for 2015 President: Morning Sherrod 322-1400 1st V P/Programs: Peggy Raines 324-2475 2nd V P/Field Trips: Jeff Edwards 312-0572 Secretary: David Sherrod 201-4460 Treasurer: Iris McGehee 262-7275 Past President Thad Cheatham 462-3254 Directors: Jack Kirkland and Mike Berkman Board meetings are at 6:30 pm immediately before the monthly meetings.

THE GOLDEN NUGGETTHE GOLDEN NUGGET

Official Voice of the Montgomery Gem &

Mineral Society, Montgomery AL

Linda R. Griebel, Editor

The Golden Nugget

P. O. Box 801

Wetumpka, AL 36092-0801

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