Chippers’ ChatterChippers’ ChatterNewsletter of the Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society

Baltimore, Maryland <chesapeakegemandmineral.org>

Volume 60, Number 1January, 2016

Winter Weather Policy

Program Notesfrom Tony Wilner

Inadditiontobeingafavoriteofmineralogists,mala-chiteisafavoritecuttingmaterialforlapidaries.Chesa-

peake member Our memberTonyWilnerisnoexceptionandover the years he’s accumulat-edquiteacollectionofbothfin-ishedmalachitecabsandamaz-ingpiecesofrough.

Malachite isopaqueandof-tenformsasbotryoidal,fibrousorstalagmiticmassesdeepun-derground. The material is a

coppercarbonatehydroxidemineralthathasaformulaofCu2CO3(OH)2.

Malachite is found worldwide, including here inMaryland (usually only as micro sized specimens orcrustsonotherminerals),butmostnotableoccurrencesareintheUralMountainsofRussia,theDemocraticRe-publicoftheCongoandintheSouthwesternU.S.mostnotablyinArizona.

At our January 8thmeeting Tonywill tell the story

of thewho,what,when,where,why and how of thiswonderful material. He’ll tell us something about itscomposition, why some think ithas metaphysical powers, howit’sformed,whereit’sfoundandwhyroyaltyprizedit.He’llbringnumerous samples fromhis col-lectionforustoogle.

Tony has been cutting cabo-chonssincetheageof14andisac-tiveintheGLMS/DCandPatuxentclubsinadditiontoChesapeake.

As usual, our meeting willbegin at 7:30 pm at theWestchester CommunityCenterinOella.

Malachite Dem. Republic of Congo

Photo: Dlloyd. Used under Creative Commons Attribution-Share

Alike 3.0 license

Fabergé ClockGold & Malachite

Moscow State Historical Museum.

Used under Creative Com-mons Attricution-Share Alike

3.0 license

A Reminderby Steve Weinberger

Just a quick reminder that club dues

for 2016 are now due. Please fill out the renewal form on page 11 and sub-mit it along with your check (or cash) to me either at the meeting or by mail.

Page 2 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

Members of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical & Lapidary Societies

Affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.

The Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society was established in order to al-low its members to gain knowledge and skills in various phases of the Earth Sci-ence field. Through field trips, exhibi-tions, and cooperation with other soci-eties, we endeavor to further not only our own knowledge, but also that of the general public. Meetings are held on the 2nd Fri-day of each month except August at the Westchester Community Center, 2414 Westchester Ave; Oella, MD.. Meetings begin at 7:30 P.m. and visitors are al-ways welcome. Dues are $15 for individuals, $25 for family memberships.

Officers:President - Barb Kays

<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Vice President - John Buchleitner<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Recording Secretary - Carolyn Weinberger<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Corresponding Sec’y - Patty Lortie<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Treasurer - Steve Weinberger<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Past President - Richard Hoff<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Directors: 2016 2016-17 Jim Hooper Bob Farrar Richard Meszler Kathy Kaneda

Editor:Carolyn Weinberger

<chesapeakegem at gmail.com>

Deadline is the 15th of each month.

Non-commercial reprint permission granted to non-profit organizations

unless otherwise noted.

ChesapeakeGem & Mineral

Society

A Few Words from Barbaraby Barbara Kays, President

Time for another “rambling commentary”fromyourpresident! Wemuststartwithcommentsonour Holi-daycelebration.Itwasnicetoseesomanyturnout for an evening of food, fun, and fellow-ship.Theroomlendsitselftofeelingasifwearesittingatonehugetable;which,orcourse,isdec-oratedbyDawnandhermanyelves. Haveyounoticedthatshedoessomethingdifferenteveryyear?Thedishmarkersforthemainentréesaddedinformationinamostfestivemanner.Becky’smusicaddedapleasantbackround.And,theSantahatsaddedlaughs—especiallywhenKathyputhersonmyheadandITMOVEDasitplayedmusic.Onceagainset-upandteardownwasdonesoefficientlybyeveryonethatastrangerlook-inginwouldhavethoughtitwasallcoordinatedbyarigidplannerwithlistsanddiagrams.Ourfirsttimevisitor,whoarrivedbefore6,evenpitchedinandhelpedsetouttablesandchairs.Wemakeafantasticteam! CongratulationstoournewestRobinsonawardrecipient.ThecommitteeistobecongratulatedontakingthetimetoselectthewinnerandcompilesomanyfactsonSteveDyer’s“rockhoundinglife.”LifeisgoodatChesapeakeGemandMineralSociety. Lookingforwardto2016:theprogramcommitteeofRichard,Keith,andTonywouldgladlywelcomesuggestionsandideasforprograms.Theauctionsgroup lead by Bernie would appreciate quick responses when they openauctionsforclubandpersonalsales;so,startcollectingwhatyouwanttoofferinourwinterauction.SteveWeinbergerneedsmembershipduesmailedassoonaspossiblesowecancompilethe2016directory.And,don’tforgetthehospitality committee. Although they have everymonthwith at least twopeople,extrafoodisalwayswelcomed;justbringitinandtellmesowecanyouraddpointstotheongoingcontest. January’s meeting will include awards for the 2015 participation con-testwinnersandareminderofhowthe2016contestwillrun.Remember,theeasiestwaytoearnpointsistowritearticlesfortheChipper’sChatter.YoucaneventalktoCarolyntofindhowshewantsyoutosendpicturestobeincludedwiththearticle. SeeyouinJanuary.Comepreparedtohaveanotherfunyearaswelearn,share,andenjoygoodfellowship.

Barbara

Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016 Page 3

2015 Robinson Award Presentedby Keith Kaneda

Our 2015 Robinson Award winner hails fromMar-quette,MIand is agraduateofMichiganTechnologicalUniversity,thusmakinghimanauthenticYooper.Along-timememberoftheChesapeakeGem&MineralSociety,hehasgivengenerouslyofhimselfwhetherhelpingtheclub formanyyearsatourannual showwherehe’sas-sistedwithset-upandtakedown,helpedmanthesilentauctionandclubinformationbooth,anddonatedspeci-mensforchildren.InadditionhealsovolunteersattheChesapeake informationboothat theannualGemCut-tersGuildshoweachSeptember.HehasservedasaclubDirectorandcontinuestoserveasour“Showcase”chair.

An avid and knowledgeable field collector, he is afrequent attendee on club field trips in the Virginia,PennsylvaniaandMarylandareaaswellasrangingfar-therafieldtovisitclassiccollectingareasinplacessuchasMichiganandMaine.

In addition, he is a skilled lapidary and frequentlyshares his work with us atmeetings as a contributor tothemonthlyclubshowcase.

TheRobinsonAwardCom-mittee is pleased to presentthe2015RobinsonAwardto

Steve Dyer

Personalsby Lynne Emery

Thankyou toDawn, Johnny,andKarin Johnsson for

anothersmashinglysuccessfulholi-dayparty.

Get well to Richard Meszler,hopefullyhehas recovered fromanastycaseofgout. Congratulations to Steve Dyeronbeingthisyear’srecipientofthe

RobinsonAward.Welldeserved!!! PleasekeepbothSydneeBerlinandBrendaTriplettin your thoughts and prayers as they continue theirbattleswithcancer.

Gary White continues his rehab following a mildstrokeandisbeingmovedfromKernan’stoafacilityclos-ertohome,probablyattheendofthemonth.

Hopeyouallhaveenjoyedtheholidayswithfriendsandfamily.

Nibbles ‘N Noshesby Liz and Wendy Stanne

TheHolidayPartyinDecemberwasarealtreatforallofus.Thetableswerepiledhigh with deliciousentrees and dessertsand our membersprovedonceagain,tobe wonderful cooks!Thefoodwascertainlyenjoyedbyallinatten-dance,andourthanksgoouttotheJohnssonfamily for their hardworktoarrangethefoodanddecorations.Itwasafabulousevening!

TherefreshmentsforourmeetinginJanuarywillbeprovidedbyLauraBlockandSharonLandrum.

Birthday Wishes

GarnetandRoseQuartzare thebirthstones for themonthofJanuary.Memberscelebratingthismonthare

AlexLastner(11)BeckyKays(14)ErinBaker(14)JeriCuffley(31)

Page 4 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

Spring and Fall at EFMLS Wildacresby Steve Weinberger, Wildacres Committee Chair

HappyNewYear.AllofusassociatedwithourEFMLSWildacres Workshops hope thatyourholidayseasonwasapleas-antoneandthat2016bringsyounothingbuthealth,joy,andmanydelightfulandcreativerockhoundexperiences.

MayandSeptemberarewonderfultimesoftheyearinthemountainsofNorthCarolinaandmembersofEasternFederationclubsgetachancetoexperienceallthewon-ders spring and fall have to offer during the Federationworkshops at theWildacres retreat. Now is the time toregistersoyouwon’tmissoutonthefunandlearning!

OursessionswillfeatureourownmemberHelenSer-ras-Herman inMay and Alfredo Petrov in September as“Speakers-in-Residence”.Visitourwebsite<efmls-wilda-cres.org>tolearnmoreaboutthem.

Inaddition,we’llofferafullrangeofclasses,alltaughtbyouroutstandingcadreofteachers.And,inadditiontosomeofourusualfavorites,you’llnoticethatwe’veaddedsomenewonestoeachsession.Afulllistisshownelse-whereon thispageandyoucanfind thedescriptionsofeachon the EFMLSWildacresweb site (efmls-wildacres.org)oryoucanwriteandaskmetosendyouone(efmls-wildacres@gmail.com).

Tuitionfortheweekis$400perpersonwhichincludesyour room, board and gratuity to theWildacres Retreatstaff. Lodging is in modern “motel style” rooms; mealsareservedfamilystyleinthelovelydininghall.Allclassesandtalksaregivenincomfortablemeetingroomsorclass-roomsconvenientlylocatedonthebeautifulcampus.

Wildacresisfun!Wildacresisinfectious!Severalofourparticipantshaveattendedmanyoftheworkshopsinthepast--andyou’lllearnwhyabout5minutesafteryouar-riveoncampus.Ifyou’venotyetattended,considercom-ingthisMayorSeptemberandfindoutforyourselfwhatalltheexcitementisabout.Andwhileyou’reatit,whynotbringothermembersofyourclubaswell.

I’veincludedaregistrationformonpage10ofthisis-suetomakeiteasierforyoutoregister.Youcanseeaddi-tionalpicturesandashortvideoaboutourWildacresses-sionsbyvisitingourwebsite<www.efmls-wildacres.org>.

Remembertheoldsong–,“NothingcanbefinerthentobeinCarolinainthemorning”orafternoonorevening.I’m looking forward to seeing youatoneorbothof theEFMLSWildacresWorkshopsthisyear.

2016 EFMLS Wildacres Classes

Spring Session - May 9 - 15, 20164-dayclasses: Faceting-LarryHeath FlintKnapping*-MichaelMiller PewterFabrication-BruceGaber

2-dayclasses: Beading-Kumihimow/MagmataBeads-MiaSchulman Beading-RussianSpiralNecklace*-MiaSchulman CabochonCutting(Basic)-Bernie Emery CabochonCutting(Intermediate)-Bernie Emery GeologyI-RobRobinson GeologyII-RobRobinson BasicsofScrimshaw-SandraBrady Scrimshaw-ColorBasics-SandraBrady SoapstoneCarving-SandyCline

Fall Session - September 5-11, 20164-dayclasses: Faceting-Steve Weinberger JewelryDesign*-BrendaSmith PolymerClay-BarbaraMcGuire

2-dayclasses: FusedGlass(Advanced)-BeckyEdmundson FusedGlass(Basic)-BeckyEdmundson OpalCutting*(Beginning)-CherylKasper OpalCutting*(Advanced)-CherylKasper RoadsideGeology&Photography-VirginiaMeador UncomplicatedMineralPhotography-VirginiaMeador Silversmithing(Basic)-Richard Meszler Silversmithing(Intermediate)-Richard Meszler WirewrappedJewelry(Basic)-PammBryant WirewrappedJewelry(Intermediate)-PammBryant

*NewClass

Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016 Page 5

Presents…… ‘Hop in, Letsgo foraSpinel’,or, ‘Is thatyou,Ruby?’

No, it’snotRuby.Spinelcanrefertoat leastthreear-easinmineralogyandgemology.ItisagemstoneinitsownrightandhasthechemicalformulaMgAl2O4.Itsalsousedto

nameofagroupofOxidefamilymineralsknownastheSpinelGroup.The‘gemmy’Spinels where elements can be substi-tutedwithinthesameatomicstructureproduceavarietyof colorsandcharac-teristics.Thechemicalformulapointsto

aMagnesium-Aluminumoxidemineral.Andthirdlyitsgivenitsnametoacrystalformingprocesscalled‘twinning’undertherigidguidanceoftheSpinelLaw.

Spinelhasahardnessfactorof7.5–8makingitahighlyfacetablegemstonepossessingglobalprestige inthe jewelryworld.Whenfoundincrystalformitcanbeofvariouscolorsdependingontheelementsmixedin.Itmaybecolorless,butismoreoftenshadesofred,blue,green,yellow,brownorblack.Thehighly sought after red Spinel has oftenbeen confusedwith Ruby and sometimes shares a Ruby producing localitysuchasIndiaandMyanmar(Burma).Spinelcrystallizesintheisometricsystem.Commoncrystalformsarecubicandoctahe-dral,usuallytwinned(it’sthelaw!).Ithasanimperfectoctahe-dralcleavageandfracturesareconchoidal.Diaphaneityrangesfromtranslucenttotransparent. Spinelisfoundasametamorphicmineral,andalsoasapri-marymineralinigneousrocks.Intheseigneousrocks,ifthemag-mawasrelativelydeficientinalkaliscomparedtoAluminum,AluminumoxidemayformasthemineralCorundum(SapphireandRubies)ormaycombinewithMagnesiatoformSpinel.AssuchSpinelandRubyareoftenfoundtogether. Spinelhasbeenusedinjewelryforages.Rednaturalspinelhasactuallybecomemorerarethanrubies.AndSpi-nelcanalsobeproducedinlabs.ThesyntheticSpinelisof-tenusedininexpensivebirthstoneringsandforfortifyingorstrengtheningglass.Strongenoughtobeusedasanti-ballisticglassinarmoredvehicles. That’s pretty strong. While Ididn’tlocatespecificreferencestoSpinelfindsinMaryland,anumberofmineralsincluded in theSpinelgrouphavebeenfound includingGahnite,Magnetite, and Chromite all attheMineralHillMineinCarrollCountyandtheChromite

Mineral of the Monthby Jim Hooper. Images provided by Mindat and Wikipedia and are offered copyright free for educational purposes

mineareasofSoldiersDelightinBaltimoreCounty.

Spinel crystals can be large. The Samarian Spinel is a500-carat(100g)Spinelgemstonethatisthelargestofitskindintheworld. It ispartoftheIranianCrownJewels. Itandasmaller270-carat(54g)SpinelwerecapturedbythePersianKingNaderShahduringhis18th-centuryconquestofIndia.ThesmallerofthetwoSpinelbearsa350-year-oldinscriptionat-tributingitsownershiptoJehangir,aMughalEmperorofIndia.

InthisPortraitfortheCor-onation of Queen Victoria byGeorgeHayter(detail),wearingthe new Imperial State Crown show’sthe‘BlackPrince’sRuby’atthefront.The‘BlackPrince’sRuby’ isactuallyafacetedSpi-nelweighingroughly170caratsor34grams,andapproximate-ly the size of a chicken egg. Itiscurrentlysetabovethe317.Caratsor63.480gramCullinanIIDiamondinthefrontoftheImperialStateCrown.The‘BlackPrince’sRuby’isoneoftheoldestoftheCrownJewelsoftheUnitedKingdom.The history of the gemdates back to themiddle of the14thcenturyandhasbeeninthepossessionoftherulersof England since 1367whenfirst given to its namesake,EdwardofWoodstock(the“BlackPrince”). Occurrence Spinel is found in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Myanmar,and recently Vietnam. Other locations include Tanzania,KenyaandMadagascar,Afghanistan,Pakistan,Brazil,Aus-tralia,Turkey,Russia,Sweden,Italy,andtheU.S.

Doyouhaveanyexamplesofthisbolddeceiver?IfsopleasebringthemtotheJanuarymeetingthatwemightseethemandoohandahhoverthisverybeautifulgem-stonecelebratedtheworldover.Seeyouthere!

References: <www.mindat.org> <www.wikipedia.org> RockandGem–Bonewitz,RonaldLewis,DKBooks FieldGuidetoRocksandMinerals–NationalAudubonSoci-ety,Chesterman,CharlesW.ChanticleerPress TheGemKingdom–Desautels,PaulE.,RidgePress Gems, Crystals, & Minerals – Sofianides, A.S., Harlow,GeorgeE.,SimonandSchuster

Page 6 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

Rare exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum

A rare exhibit titled Cameos: Sculpture in Miniature opened on November 28, 2015 atthePhoenixArtMuseum,indown-town Phoenix, Arizona. The cameocollectionwas acquired in 1944 byworld renowned jeweler Pierre To-uraine,whocreatedinspiringjewel-ryfromthe1930’suntilthe1970’s.ThePierre J.andVelma J.Tourainecameo collection was donated in1983 by the estate of Pierre To-urainetothePhoenixArtMuseum,andhasbeenoutofsightinthemu-seumvaultseversince.

The origin and creation of thecameosisshroudedinmystery.Sadly,wedon’tknowany-thingabouttheoriginalcollectionowner,thecameoart-ists,orwherethecameoswerecreated.

ThefirstandonlytimetheTourainecameocollectionwasshowntotheAmericanpublicwasinMayof1954atthe Glendale Gem Festival, the annual show sponsoredbytheGlendaleLapidary&GemSociety,heldatGlendaleCivicAuditoriuminGlendale,California(Kohn,1954).

Pierre Touraine PierreTourainehadafascinatinglife.Hewasbornin1907inMarseilles,France,wherehefulfilledafive-yearjewelryap-prenticeship.HethenstudiedpaintingandsculptureatthefamousL’EcoleDesBeauxArts(SchoolofFineArts)inParis,andworked10yearsasamastercraftsmanintheFrenchcap-ital.HeworkedwithgemsandcreatedmanyjewelrypiecesfortheEuropeanaristocracyandroyaltyofthetime,particu-larlyforthecoronationofGeorgeVIofEnglandin1936.

In1938,Touraine immigratedto theUnitedStatesandlived inNewYorkCity,working forHarryWinstonandVanCleef&Arpels.(Arizona Highways,April1978).In1943,inthemidstofWorldWarII,whenfinecustomjewelrywasnotapriority,hemovedtoPasadena,California,helpingthewaref-fortbycreatingjewelbearingsforinstruments.Immediatelyafterthewar,hestartedhisownbusinessinLosAngeles,andbecamefamousforhisfreehandfaceting,forcuttingstonesfor invisiblemountings,andcreatingjewelryforahigh-end

clientele.Hewas the rare combinationof lapidary, jewelrydesignerandmastergoldsmith.

Then in 1960, Touraine movedagain due to his wife’s health, toScottsdale,Arizona,wheretheland-scape and culture of the AmericanSouthwest inspired him to createunique jewelry pieces, and taughtEuropean jewelry manufacturingtechniques to youngNativeAmeri-can craftsmen eager to learn non-traditionaltechniques.

The exhibit PhoenixArtMuseumcuratorialas-sistant Chelsea Ellsworth, is respon-sible for curating this cameoexhibit;

she contactedme somemonths ago asking for somehelpwith these cameos. She hasdone some incrediblework re-searching the history, timelineandiconographyofthecameos.

Chelsea very kindly invitemetothePhoenixArtMuseumforaprivateviewingofthecol-lection. The 174 unmountedpieces in the collection werefitted in precise cut-out open-ingsin11woodenboxframes,thewaytheyweredisplayedatthe1954show.Thevastmajor-ityarecameos,withafewinta-glios,datingfrom100-200yearsago.Theyaretinymasterpiecesranginginsizefromlessthananinchtoovertwoinchesacross.ThemesdepictfiguresandscenesinspiredfromtheancientGreekmythology,aswellassomehistoricalportraits.

Most of them are carved in agate;many are in thebandedblack-and-whiteorbrown-andwhiteonyxvariety,whileothersare inorange-and-white sardonyx,andsev-eralareengravedinpurecornelian.Ahandfulofthemarecarvedindifferentmaterials,suchasturquoise,variscite,

Cameos: Sculpture in Miniature© by Helen Serras-Herman. Photos by Helen Serras-Herman and Andrew Herman, Used with permission of the author

continued on next page

A rare exhibit titled Cameos: Sculpture in Miniature will feature a cameo collection acquired by world-

renowned jeweler Pierre Touraine, not seen in public since 1954.

Phoenix Art Museum cu-ratorial assistant Chelsea Ellsworth, responsible for

curating this Cameo exhibit, has done some incredible

work researching the history, timeline and iconography of

the cameos.

Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016 Page 7

rockcrystal,andshells.Someshownotonlytwolayersofcol-orbutalsomultiplelayers,andthecarvershavetakenfulladvantageofthat.Thecarvinginreliefutilizesthelayering characteristics ofthe material to achieve acolorcontrastbetweentheraiseddesignandtheback-ground (Aswad & Wein-stein,1991).Somearefair-lyflat,carvedasbasreliefs;others,especiallytheoneswethoughtwereolder,arecarvedinamuchhigherre-lief form.Oncewe lookedattheentirecollectionwewere able to somewhatbundletheworksbyartistorperiod.

Anothermystery iswhy Pierre Touraine acquired thiscollection.Washegoingtousethecameosforjewelry?Didheintendtokeepitjustlikethat,asacollection?Wasitapaymentinlieuforworkthathehaddone?Itisknownthathewasperfectionist inhiswork,andbeingagemandartlover,hewasprobablysimplyattractedtothebeautyandfascinatedbytheartistryofthesethecameos,justlikeIam.

Lookingatthisamazingcameocollectionthereisalotthatwe contemporary gemcarvers can learn fromstudy-ingthesemasterpieces.Theprecisionoftheirtechniqueandmeticulousworkmanship,thewaythecarversusedthegemmaterialstotheiradvantagefeaturingthevariousbandsandcolors,theirapproachtofittingfiguresandscenesinlimitedspace,thewaytheyusedundercuttingtocreatedepthof

field,andthemethodoftellingastory,areallaspectstobeconsideredinourcurrentwork,evenifthestyleofcarvingmaybedifferent(Serras-Herman,2014).

Iamoverwhelmedwiththeartistryofthepiecesandintrigued by themystery surrounding the collection andtheartists.TheCameos: Sculpture in MiniatureexhibitwillbeondisplayforaverylimitedtimeuntilApril17,2016,andshouldnotbemissedbyanyartandgemlovers.

AwonderfultechnologicaltouchpartoftheexhibitistwoI-padswherevisitorscantouchthescreenandzoom-inforincredibledetailsofallthecameos.

WealsoloanedtothePhoenixArtMuseumsixroughspecimensofcornelian,sardonyx,amethystandrockcrys-tal forvisitorstounderstandtheprocessofcarvingfromroughtofinish,andtheyareonexhibitinaseparatecaseatthefrontofthecameoexhibit.

IwasalsoveryhonoredtobeaninvitedspeakerattheLuncheonof theFriendsofEuropeanArtat thePhoenixArtMuseum,andtoamuseumdocentsmeeting,bothinearlyDecember2015,tosharemyworkandexpertiseoncameosandgemcarving.

For thoseofyou travelling toArizona for theTucsongemshowsinFebruary,PhoenixisaneasyhourandahalfdrivefromTucson.

ThePhoenixArtMuseumislocatedat1625N.CentralAvenueinPhoenix.Foropenhours,directions,andadmis-sionfees,visit<www.phxart.org/>.

Cameos: Sculpture in Miniaturecontinued from page 6

When I privately viewed the cameos with exhibit curator Chelsea

Ellsworth, we looked for any sig-nature marks, dates, or any other markings that would help us with the identification of these pieces.

Heracles or Hercules and Greek Maiden, both carved on sardonyx, 1

1/8” (2 .9cm), 18th -19th century

The portrait of Siegfried carved in green variscite against brown matrix,

2x1 ½“(5.1x3.8 cm), c.1876-1900Helen Serras-Herman at the Cameo exhibit at the

Phoenix Art Museum

continued on page 8

Page 8 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

Yes, thetitleof this article sounds like an industrialstrengthsafetyslogan...butitisalsotrue.Safetyrequiresustoexertaconcertedefforttoensurethatithappens.Safetydoesnothappenbycoincidence.

HaveyoubeenfollowingpastEFMLSSafetyChair-man,BillKlose’s-SafetyFirstarticlesuptonow?Overthepast7yearsorso,Billhasbeenwritingagreat,indepth, and very technically detailed series of articlesonallmannerofsafetyissuescoveringmostoftheas-pectsofthethingswerockhoundsroutinelydo-suchasparticipateinfieldtrips,attendshows,userockcol-lecting tools and lapidary machines, and work withtorches. Hopefully every club safety chairperson hasread,implementedandkeptonfileacopyofallofBillKlose’s articles. Perhaps you noted that Bill’s articleswere repeated from time to time. Safety issues bearrepeating.Repetitionmakesforasafermembership.

Asmostsafetychairpersonsnodoubtunderstand,it’sonethingforaclubtohaveaccesstosafetyinfor-mation. It stands as quite another issue to have clubmembers take safety instruction to heart. Some folkslistenwithanundividedattentiontosafetyissuesandsomedonot.

The lessons of being safe are clear - it is commoncent$todowhatwedoinassafeamanneraspossible.Bycommoncent$ I’mnotreferringtothe loosechangeinonespocketorpurse,I’minsteadreferringtothecostsassociatedwithbeingsafecomparedwithbeingunsafe.

Let’scoversomeexamplesofsafetycosts- 1.Costofapairofgoggles-$2.00to$5.00.Costofeyesurgerytore-pairdamagefromaflyingshardofquartz...well,youdon’tevenwanttothinkaboutit.

2. Cost ofwatchingwhere you arewalking - $0.00.Costof abroken leg (orworse) -Perhapsa thousandor two....butcouldbemore.

3. Cost of a pair of good,strong gloves - $5.00 to $15.00.Cost of cut finger - a bandage...

Safety Matters: Safety is no Accidentby Ellery Borow, AFMS Safety Chair. From AFMS Newsletter, December 2007

nottoomuch,butthinkoftheeffortrequiredtocleanupfromthecutfingeronyourspecimens.

4.Costofcarefullypreparingtogotoanew,nev-er-visitedquarry-sometimetodoresearch-$0.00.Costofgetting lostor injuredfromapoorlyplannedtrip -besides theembarrassment, thiscouldbeveryexpensive.

5. Cost of a sledge hammer han-dle....well,Ithinkyougetthepoint.

Countless more examples existto illustrate the effectiveness ofplanningtobesafe. It justmakes

commoncent$tobesafe.Makingsafetyaneconomicissuemayhelpsomeofourmembersappreciatethevalueof safety.Weall know safety is important, it’sjust that some folks needmore reminders thanoth-ers.Itsthoseotherswhoneedrepetition,repetition,repetition.

Acknowledgements I would like to thank Phoenix Art Museum cura-torial assistant Chelsea Ellsworth for inviting me tobe part of this exhibit’s research and for her valuableinput, and Nikki Deleon, Marketing and Public Rela-tions for the Phoenix Art Museum for her support.

About the author Helen Serras-Herman is anacclaimedgemsculptor withover32yearsofexperience inuniquegem sculpture and jewelry art.Her award-winning artwork hasbeen exhibited world-wide andpublishedinover160trademag-azines and books. See her workat <www.gemartcenter.com> andher business FacebookpageatGemArtCenter/HelenSerras-

Cameos: Sculpture in Miniaturecontinued from page 7

Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016 Page 9

Meeting Recapfrom Earle Pfetzing, Recording Secretary

WedidnothaveaformalmeetingduringourDecemberHolidayparty,butratherspentthetimetalkingtooneanoth-er,eatingdeliciousfood,exchanginggiftsandfinallyfindingoutwhoour2015RobinsonAwardrecipientwouldbe.

“Santa”Kathygivesoutthegifts

SydneeandBecky

SteveDyerreceivin

gtheRobinsonAw

ardfrom

DawnandKeith

Our2016BoardofDirectors.Notshown:RichardM,Russell,andRichardH.

Page 10 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

2016 EFMLS Wildacres RegistrationPLEASE,ONLYonepersonperformpersession

CHECKONE:May9-15:__________Fall:September5-11:__________ PleasefilloutaseparateregistrationformforeachpersonattendingandreturntoSUZIEMILLIGAN,931CarmichaelRd;Owego,NY13827-3320. No registration will be accepted prior to January 1, 2016.(Tomakeiteasierfortheregistrarandothers,pleasedonotchangeorrevisethisform.YouSeptemberphotocopyitasneeded.)Pleasewritelegibly!

Name(asyouwishittoappearonyournamebadge):______________________________________

Street:___________________________________City:_____________________State:_________Zip:___________

Telephonenumberwithareacode:_________________________e-mail:________________________________

Club/SocietyAffiliation:_______________________________________________________________________

Feeforeachsessionis$400.00perperson.Depositis$200perperson,payablewithregistration. Makecheckspayableto“EFMLS”.Balanceoffeeisdue30dayspriortostartofsession.Nopostdatedcheckswillbeaccepted.

Cancellation policy: If unable to attend, fees paid will be refunded if notification is given prior to one month before the session begins. No refund will be made after that date.

Circleappropriateresponses: HaveyoubeentoWildacresbefore?Yes_____No_____IsyourClubpayingyourtuition?Yes_____No_____

Nameofroommate:__________________________________________(Ifnone,onewillbeassigned). Areyou:Male_____Female _____(Nosingleroomsareavailable).Areyouasmoker?Yes____No____ (Nosmokingisallowedinanybuilding) Doyouhaveanyphysicalhandicapsand/orspecialdietaryneeds?Yes______No______ IfYES,pleaseexplainonreverseside.

Doyouhaveaskilltodemonstrateoraprogramtoshare(upto40minutes)? Yes_____ No_____

Class Pre-registration SeeEFMLSNewsletterorWebsite(efmls-wildacres.org/)forclassofferings. Youwilleitherbeabletotakeone4-dayclassortwo2-dayclasses.Allparticipantsmusttakeclasses. Whichoftheclassesbeingofferedwouldyouliketotake?Pleaseindicateatleast3choicesinorderofpreferenceforeachsemes-ter.Youwillbepreregisteredforclassesbasedonyourchoices,butnoclassplacementisguaranteed.Shouldyourpreferredclassbeunavailableforanyreasonyouwillbepreregisteredforanotherofyourchoices.Ifnoalternateclasspreferenceisindicatedwewillpre-registeryouinaclassofourchoosing,basedonavailability.

1st Semester or 4 day classe choices Second Semester

1____________________________________ 1_____________________________________

2____________________________________ 2_____________________________________

3____________________________________ 3______________________________________

4____________________________________ 4______________________________________

(No registrations accepted prior to January 1, 2016) Mailto:SuzieMilligan,931CarmichaelRd;Owego,NY13827-3320

If you have any questions, please contact either SuzieMilligan,Registrarat<smilligan@stny.rr.com>or607-687-5708or FranSick,Directorat<ednfran@epix.net>or570-928-8313.

For Office Use Only

ID#_______________

DateRec'd"____________

Amt.Paid:__________

Ck#:______________

Amt.Paid:_____________

Ck#:_________________

PaidinFull:_____________

Page 11 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

Auctions - Lynne and Bernie Emery

Directory (address changes) Patty Lortie Field Trips - Russell Byers

Greeters - Barbara Buchleitner

Hospitality - Liz & Wendy Stanne

Committee Chairpersons

Mineral of the Month - Jim Hooper

Personals/Announcements/ Sunshine - Lynne Emery and Patricia Smith

Programs - Richard Hoff, Keith Kaneda & Tony Wilner

Safety - Johnny Johnsson

Show - Bernie & Lynne Emery

Showcase - Steve Dyer

Telephone Chain Lynne Emery Phylllis Dyer Dawn Johnsson Mary Chandler Liz Stanne Wendy Stanne

Pleasecompletethisformandincludeitwithyourmembershiprenewal.

Individual($15)____________ Family($25____________

NamesofMembers:________________________________________Birthday(M/Day)________________

HobbyInterests(seebelow):__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________Birthday(M/Day)_________________

HobbyInterests(seebelow):__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________Birthday(M/Day)_________________

HobbyInterests(seebelow):__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________Birthday(M/Day)________________

Address:_________________________________________________________________________________

City:___________________________State:____________Zipcode:__________________________

Telephone:_____________________________E-mail:_____________________________________

HobbyInterests:(Pleaseusenumbersinthespacesabove)

1.Lapidary2.Jewelry3.Minerals4.Fossils5.Microminerals6.FieldTrips

Mailorgiveto:

SteveWeinberger,POBox302;Glyndon,MD21071-0302.

Make checks payable to “Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society”

2016 Chesapeake Gem & Mineral Society Membership Renewal

Page 12 Chippers’ Chatter – January, 2016

Carolyn Weinberger PO Box 302 Glyndon, MD 21071-0302

Upcoming Events

January: 8:ChesapeakemeetingatWestchesterbeginsat7:30pm.TonyWilnerwilldiscussMalachite.

27:BaltimoreMineralSocietymeetingatNaturalHis-tory Society ofMaryland, 6908 Belair Rd, 21206 - 7:30pm.JakeSlaglecontinueshisdiscussionofitemsonhisMineralBlissblog.

February: 2:GemCuttersGuildofBaltimoremeetingatMead-owMill-7:30pm.

12: Chesapeake meeting at Westchester begins at7:30pm.Programtobeannounced.

24:BaltimoreMineralSocietymeetingatNaturalHis-torySocietyofMaryland,6908BelairRd,21206-7:30pm.

March: 11:ChesapeakeAuctionmeetingatWestchester.

12:FairlessHills(PA)MicromountGetTogether.

The Trivia Vugby R. J. Harris, from Rock Buster News, Nov. 2007

◆FacetedfluoritegemswerepopularinEuropedur-ingthe1600s,whencolorvarietieswereknownas“falseemerald,”“falseruby,”and“falseamethyst.”

◆WavelitewasfirstidentifiedbyBritishphysicianWil-liamWavellin1805.Themineralwasnamedinhishonorin1818.

◆TheDevonianperiodisnamedforDevon,England.

◆Annual production of diamonds from the DiavikmineinCanadapeaksat10-millioncaratsperyear.

◆Greekmetalworkersusedfluoritesmeltingfluxesasearlyas600B.C.

Sources: MineraloftheMonthClub<Diavik.com> <carlwosniak.com/earth>