The Polished Slab

Presidents Message

1

Calendar 4

Bulletin Board 5

SNGMS Meeting dates & Direc-tions to Shop

7

Classes 8

Kids Club 8

Shop Report 9

Birthday, New Members and Sunshine

10

Upcoming Shows 11

Inside this issue:

President’s Message Upcoming Events

Jan 2 – Board Meeting

Jan 6 - General Meeting, Moose Lodge

See calendar on page 4 for shop hours, classes, trips, meetings, and other SNGMS events and classes

See page 8 for details on scheduled classes and instructor contact

A NEWSLETTER FOR ROCKHOUNDS SINCE 1940

from Sue Moore

S o u t h e r n N e v a d a G e m & M i n e r a l S o c i e t y

What a great party!

For everyone who attended our Annual Awards Banquet, I hope you didn’t go away hungry. What an awesome assortment of great food. Thank you to everyone who brought dishes to the dinner.

I know that for most of you, the remainder of this month, you will be involved in making and distributing gifts for friends and loved ones. There is still time to come up with lapidary based gifts. A great idea for beginners is to fashion a cabochon and attach it to a hat (a la Kidd Rock). The shop is warm and cozy and a great place to meet with and trade skills with your fellow rock hounds, so come on down!

The first order of business for the 2014 Board of Directors is to fill the Committee positions. If you are interested in being on or leading a Committee in 2014, please contact any Board member and throw your hat in the ring. One of the items that I would like to address is the feasibility of hosting a rock and gem show here in Las Vegas. The cost of using the big hotels and convention centers is prohibitive, but I would like to investigate other options, like school multipurpose rooms, VFW, American Legion rooms, or anything else that the research committee can come up with. We won’t know until we develop a summary of the availability of various rental sites in the Valley. Boulder City should be considered also.

Next, we need to establish the 1st quarter field trips. We welcome all requests and suggestions. Bill and I will be going to Quartzsite for the Powwow, which is January 22nd through 26th, this year. The field trips provided by the Quartzsite Roadrunners are a lot of fun. I have been on most of them, so feel free to ask any questions regarding the trips. Bill and I have been camping in the privately owned area, which is at the west end of Main Street, just past the Revival Tent. The cost is $5.00/day, but the convenience is worth it. There are no bathrooms or water (you are dry camping), but the Loves across I-10 has bathrooms and showers.

Thank you for putting your faith in me as President. I look forward to an interesting and fun 2014 of rock-hounding, faceting, cabbing, silver-smithing, beading, wire wrapping and all of the rest of the skills that are available to our membership. Come join me.

Volume 73 Issue 12 December 2013

PAGE 2 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

HOW TO SHAPE AND

POLISH OPALS WITHOUT MACHINERY Via: Strata Gem, September 2010 Opal is a hydrated silica with varying amounts of moisture. Its hardness varies from 5.5 to 6.5. This method of cutting and polishing opal practically eliminates fracturing from heat. There are four basic steps in shaping and polishing: 1. Sanding off the matrix on both sides to locate the best fire. 2. Rough shaping the stone. 3. Sanding and pre-polishing, which result in the final shaping and size. 4. Final polishing the gemstone. SUPPLIES NEEDED 1. A carborundum stone, double grit, sold by most hardware stores. 2. Wet or dry sand paper, 400- and 600-grit 3. A piece of inner tube, 6" square. 4. Two pieces of corduroy or velvet material, 6" square. 5. Polishing agent, Tripoli or tin oxide 6. Aluminum pie pan 7. Dop stick and household glue or cement. INSTRUCTIONS: Place carborundum stone on the inner tube in the pan, course side up. Pour water on the stone until some stands on top. Always work opal on a very wet stone. With a circular motion, grind on both sides to reveal the best fires. Mark size of desired stone on the back of the opal and grind down to size. When size has been obtained, wash opal, carborundum stone, inner tube, and pan. Do this between each process. Now the opal is ready to be dopped. Use a cold dop of household cement. Coat the end of the dop stick. Also coat the back of the opal. Let it set a minute, and then press together. Stand in modeling clay or other support to dry, about eight hours. When the opal is set on the dop stick, use the coarse side of the carborundum to shape the opal. Wash all equipment. Then this time, using the fine side of the stone, sand out all the scratches, wash, and proceed. Go through this process first using the 400-, then the 600-sanding paper. The opal should have a pre-polish on it. For the final polish, use the same process with the tin oxide. A little Linde A may be added to the tin oxide if you wish. To remove the stone when finished, soak overnight in water and the stone will come loose. Good luck, and may you have a beautiful stone. Malachite, turquoise, chrysocolla, as well as many other stones under 6.5 hardness may be polished with this method.

THE POLISHED SLAB PAGE 3 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

PAGE 4 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 PAGE 4

January 2014

Please contact Sue Moore to establish the 1st quarter field trips. We welcome all requests and suggestions.

Quartzsite Show and Swapmeet:

January 1 - February 28, 2014 Admission: All shows free and open to the public

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Shop Closed 2 Board Meeting 6 3 Shop 12-8 4 Shop 10-6

5 Faceting 9-2 6 General

Meeting 6

7 Silver

Smithing 5-8

8 Shop 12-9 9 Metalsmtihing 3-10

10 Shop 12-8 11 Shop 10-6

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

8 Awards

Banquet 12

9 Wire

Wrapping 5

10 Silver

Smithing 5-8

11 Shop 12-9 12 Metalsmithing 3-10

13 Shop 12-8

14 Shop 10-6

Kids Holiday

Party 10-2

15 Faceting 9-2 16 Wire

Wrapping 5

17 Silver

Smithing 5-8

18 Shop 12-9 19 Metalsmithing 3-10 20 Shop 12-8 21 Shop 10-6

22 Faceting 9-2 23 24 Shop Closed 25 Shop Closed 26 Metalsmithing 3-10

27 Shop 12-8 28 Shop 10-6

29 Faceting 9-2 30 31 Shop Closed

December 2013

PAGE 5 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

PAGE 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B

All the establishments featured in this section offer discounts to SNGMS members. Be sure to

show your membership card when making a

purchase, and say that the Southern Nevada Gem

& Mineral Society sent you!

Discounts

Available

PAGE 7 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

SNGMS General Meeting

1st Monday of every month (2nd Monday if holiday falls on the first Monday) No meeting in December.

Non-members welcome!

Moose Lodge 1600 Gragson Ave.

Food Available 5 PM ($5.00)

Show & Sell 5-6 PM Meeting 6-8 PM

Finding the Shop Location

Proceeding west on Desert Inn Road, take the first right past So. Valley View Blvd. into the industrial park area. Drive past the building on your right, then jog right, then left and you will be in front of Building E.

So. V

alley View

W. Sirius Ave.

W. Desert Inn Rd.

3111 So. Valley View Blvd,

Building E Shop Suite 125

SNGMS 2014 Meetings

Jan 02 Board Jun 02 General

06 General Jul 03 Board

30 Board 07 General

Feb 03 General 31 Board

27 Board Aug 04 General

Mar 03 General Sep 04 Board

Apr 03 Board 08 General

07General Oct 02 Board

May 01 Board 06 General

05 General 30 Board

29 Board Nov 03 General

Board Meetings at Shop, 3111 S. Valley View Blvd. Bldg. E. Suite 125, General Meetings at Moose Lodge, 1600 Gragson

E. Washington Ave. N

. Bru

ce S

t.

N. L

as V

egas B

lvd.

Gragson Ave.

Finding the General Meeting Location

Proceeding south on N. Bruce St., take the left onto Gragson Ave. and proceed to the Moose Lodge parking lot on your left at 1600 Gragson Ave.

There is a ramp available for handicapped access to the building. Once you enter the meeting room is to your right.

Congratulations to James Sloan for winning the centerpiece contest. What a wonderful job and such beautiful work! Many hours went into carving this magnificent sculpture. It includes a variety of different stones and was hand carved. It’s obvious that he put his heart into this creation.

PAGE 8 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B

Wire wrapping, led by Sue Moore meets on most Mondays (except for the General Meeting night). Hours for the class are 5 - 8 PM. The wire wrapping class for December is the 16th. For more information call Sue Moore at 702-348-9600.

Beading class is 6 - 8 PM on the second Thursday of the month. The Decmeber class will be on the 12th and is the Hardware Nut Bracelet. Contact Pat Skeary at 702-459-2649 for more information.

Silver Smithing meets every Tuesday at 5 PM. with Bill Lemmon leading the class. There is a Thursday class in basic metal smithing available as well, led by Mary Brandt meeting 3-10 PM on some Thursdays. In November the date is the 21st. Both classes are suitable for beginners, with the Tuesday class also for intermediate to advanced students.

Polymer clay classes are the last Monday of the month at 2 - 5 PM. Come out and join the fun! Contact Lorrilee Stackhouse at 702-631-5291 for more information.

Faceting classes are continuing on Sunday morning and are for current students only at this time.

Scott Edwards is available on Saturdays to teach you how to maintain your shop equipment. On October 26th there will be a genie maintenance class at 1p.m.. Just come in and talk to him during shop hours.

Wire wrapping, beading, polymer clay, and silver smithing have a very modest donation of $5.00 per session, that goes to the club. Faceting is $5.00 an hour, the cost of faceting machine use, or a flat $5.00 if you use your own machine. Other class donations may vary, depending on what is included in the class. All donations go to SNGMS, all instructors volunteer their time and expertise.

Kids Club/Education Activities The Kids Club will be meeting on the second Sunday of most months at the SNGMS Shop from 3-5. With a regular schedule, we hope you can plan so that your kids (and yourself) can attend each month. As always, for more information or to volunteer to lead an activity contact Mary Beth Paladino at 702-255-1647.

In December the Kids Club had a spectacular holiday party with Santa Clause and crafts galore! Come join us January 12th for more Kid’s Club fun!

December wire wrapping

project

December Beading

Project

PAGE 9 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

Shop Talk from John Stackhouse

Sunday Closed

Monday Closed

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday 12 noon - 9 PM

Thursday Closed

Friday 12 noon - 8 PM

Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM

SNGMS Workshop

Schedule

Supervisors may close the shop if no one comes in after two hours. The next shift supervisor will then re-open the shop.

Photo

courte

sy o

f Caity

Sta

ckhouse

Shop Fee Chart

Metered Equipment:

$0.50 per 1/10 hour actual use.

Non-Metered Equipment:

Turquoise/Opal Saw—$3.00 for first hour; prorated $0.75 per additional 1/4 hour increment

Other - $5.00 for first hour; prorated $1.25 per additional 1/4 hour incre-ment

www.sngmsshop.wix.com/home

New users just need to come in, we’ll even

give you a slab to make your first

cabochon from. No additional equipment

or experience is necessary, we have

everything you need to get started doing

lapidary work, and will teach you all the

basics at any time that the shop is open.

Please bring your 2013-14 membership

card with you when you come to use the

shop’s resources so we can verify your

current membership. If you haven’t paid

your dues yet you can do so at the shop

and the supervisor can issue your card.

Please note the new shop hours posted on

the calendar found on page 4.

PAGE 10 T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3

Please if you hear of any SNGMS member in need of a bit of sunshine due to accident, illness, death in the family or other need, call me—Dottie Fusch at 648-5886 (recorder on). Cards will be sent to let the member know that we care and wish them well.

from Dottie Auerswald

Please, under no circumstances, park in front of Unit 124 or Unit 126 (the units next to the Shop). The owners of the units come in at odd hours and need access to their parking spaces. There is ample parking across from the Shop that is not in front of any unit.

A hearty welcome to members who joined or rejoined SNGMS . We look forward to getting to know you better!

Kevin & Annette Dude, James W. & Deborah Evans, Kaya & Cole Simmons, Charlotte & Brent Foley, Janey & Dick Frei, Lawrence & Jackie Halle, Daron & Deborah Johnson, Orion Lawlor,k Carole & Ron Liccardo, Holly Petz, Carla Stone, Maqnuel & Marie Touzjian

Leo Karnes, Rita Bergeron, Simy Bryant, Diane Burgess, Susan Conway, Sandra Cunningham, Doris Currington,

Kevin Donovan, Tracy Drown, Ali Ess-Haghabdi, Joseph Krusa, Bob Lofaro, Eli Lopez, Athena Manasses, Lance

Silva, Jeff Meckley, Roy L. Mobley, Bill Moore, Patricia Skeary, Ronald Nelder, James Tesmer, Inday Timbers, Jack

Toogood, Jon Herring, Sharon Westeren, Nancy Wheeler, Dottie Woody

Wishes for a swift recovery go out to Rita Bergeron who broke her shoulder.

T H E P O L I S H E D S L A B D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 3 PAGE 11

2014 Board of Directors

President……..……….Sue Moore……………...……...702-434-6072

sngms2013@gmail.com

Vice-President……...Tony Duran

sngms2013@gmail.com

Secretary………….....Lorrilee Stackhouse………..702-631-5291

Treasurer………….....Pat Skeary

Parliamentarian…...Danny Fesler

Three Year Board...John Miller

Two Year Board…….Shannon Funk

One Year Board…….Sheri Johnson

John Stackhouse

——————————————————————————————

Committee Chairmen

Bulletin………………..Theresa Brooks……..702-239-0438

ByLaws…………………Sheri Johnson

Education……………..Mary Beth Paladino

Federation…………….Mary Beth Paladino

Alt. Federation……..Mary Brandt

Field Trip……………….Board of Directors

Financial Manager..George Messenger

Shop Foreman …… John Stackhouse…………..702-239-0437

Historian………………..Jack Toogood

Hospitality……………..Bob and Sue Lofaro

Librarian………………..Danny Fesler and Kevin Ware

Membership…………..Lorrilee Stackhouse..…..702-239-0437

Program………………...Board of Directors

Publicity………………...Scott Edwards

Raffle……………………..Tom Skeary

50-50 Raffle…………..JoAnne Sprott

Refreshments………..Open

Rock Stars……………..Mary Beth Paladino….…..702-255-1647

Rock Hounds

Show Chairperson..Board of Directors

Sunshine……………...Dottie Auerswald.……....702-648-5886

Webmaster…………..Jack Toogood……………....702-642-4788

Contact any Board member to volunteer for a position, or a

Committee Chairman to offer to help on their committee.

January 1 - February 28, 2014, Quartzsite Show and Swapmeet Admission: All shows free and open to the public

On Interstate 10: 129 miles (2 hours) west of Phoenix, and 18 miles east of California border

February 1-15 Tuscon, AZ Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show 3 locations: 1333 N. Oracle Rd., Tucson, AZ, 475 N. Granada, Tucson, AZ, 665 N. Freeway, Tucson, AZ

Show Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Sat. Feb. 15, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.)

These are only a sampling of shows that are fairly close to the Las Vegas area. There are rock clubs throughout the United States and

the computer is your friend in finding information about clubs and shows. Just search for the area you are interested in and rock club and you

should find plenty to keep you busy, wherever you are going.

Some links that you may find helpful are: Rocky Mountain Federation http://www.rmfms.org/rock_shows_by_date.htm California Federation - http://www.cfmsinc.org/shows/cfmsshow.htm and the Rock & Gem website - http://www.rockngem.com/show-dates-display/?ShowState=ALL

www.sngms.com

Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral Society

3111 S. Valley View Blvd, E-125

Las Vegas, NV 89102

Return Service Requested

The Southern Nevada Gem and Mineral Society is a non-profit corporation, organized to educate ourselves and the community in the science and arts related to rocks, minerals, gems, fossils, and nature in general. Fostering an understanding and appreciation of the physical world, we can use it and protect it for future generations.

Club Mascot: Rock Wren

Club Gemstone: Turquoise

Club Logo: Rocks-R-Us

Membership is open to anyone with an interest

in: Rocks, Gems, Geology, Fossils, Lapidary Arts or

Silversmithing

Annual Dues: Individual - $20; Family - $30

Meetings are held the first Monday of the month

at the Moose Lodge, 1600 Gragson. No meeting is

held in December. Instead we have our annual

awards dinner.

Visitors are always welcome and bring a friend or

two.

Polished Slab Advertising Rates

Ad Size Six Months Yearly

Business Card $18 $30

Quarter Page $48 $90

Half Page $90 $170

Full Page $150 $275

SNGMS Web Page Ads and Links to your Web Page

are available for additional fees.

First month is free to club members. Ads must be

paid in full prior to publication. Make checks pay-

able to Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral Society.

Mail to : SNGMS/Attn: Editor, 3111 S. Valley View

Blvd, E-125 Las Vegas, NV 89102