1

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

George Reese 11/13 Therese Frank 11/16

Peggie Raines 11/18 Virginia Webb 11/28

President’s Message Greetings fellow club members, I can hardly believe how fast another year has flown by. This has been a very eventful one for me and I appreciate all the well wishes and prayers. The annual show is fast approaching and we will need all hands on deck. Despite the work and effort required this still one of my favorite and most anticipated events. This meeting is probably the most important of the year as we not only finalize preparations for the show but also elect officers for the upcoming year. This will be my last of 3 years as president and I would like to give thanks to all who have supported and given expert advise as I went through this learning experience. I have truly learned much and know my successor will do an excellent job with continuing to promote and move the club forward. I still plan to schedule classes in different jewelry making skills as time per-mits and David has also said the cabochon classes will continue if people are inter-ested. Again I'm asking all who can to participate and make this a fun event for all as we renew friendships and enjoy the fellowship of like minded people (rockhounds). Thanks, President Morning Sherrod

Inside this issue:

Program Corner

Birthdays

President’s Message

1

Meeting Minutes

Article

2

Articles 2

Field Trippin’

Article

3

Articles 4

Shows & Reminders

Links

5

Club Information 6

PROGRAM CORNER

When: November 15, 2016

Where: Mureal Crump Center, 1751 Congressman William L. Dickinson Drive, Montgomery, AL

36109*

Time: 7:00 P M

What: Sign up and discussion of up coming Gem & Mineral Show

Who:

* Park in back. Enter through single glass door. Meeting room 1st door to left.

MONTGOMERY GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY

THE GOLDEN

NUGGET

REFRESHMENTS 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:

Snacks Drinks:

Nov 15 Therese Frank Jeanette Ritch

2

Individuals born in November can choose between two sunny gemstones to brighten up this chilly month.

November’s birthstones, topaz and citrine, are both known for their calming energies, bringing warmth

and fortune to those who wear them.

Topaz and citrine look so similar, in fact, that they’ve often been mistaken for one another throughout

history. They are actually unrelated minerals, and topaz occurs in a wide spectrum of colors far beyond

yellow.

Both of November’s birthstones are fairly abundant and affordably priced, even in large sizes, which

means everyone can find a way to fit topaz and citrine into their budget.

Learn more about each birthstone of November by browsing these pages:

Topaz Overview

Topaz History

How to Buy Topaz

Citrine Overview

Citrine History

How to Buy Citrine

https://www.americangemsociety.org/en/november-birthstones

NOVEMBER BIRTHSTONES

MEETING MINUTES

The meeting was called to order by president Morning Sherrod and our guest introduced themselves and shared their interest in the club. The minutes were approved as pub-lished in the October newsletter and Iris delivered the treasures which was then filed.The business was postponed until after the nights presentation. Chris Rutherford introduced our speaker, Stefanie Brueckner PhD. She had recently finished her doctoral in Canada and was presently at Auburn University. The presentation was on the Mineralogy of Au-bearing Volcanic Massive Sulfide Deposits. The process of mineral deposition from su-perheated fluids was discussed and explained. Some of the more common occurrences were Cu, Zn, Pb, AS, Sb, Bi, Te, Ag, Se, and Hg in various combinations and at different strata based on pressure and the temperature of the saturated fluids. The deposits in Canada and Appalachia in general happened approximately 230 million years ago with the movement of the super continent Gonwanda. A break was held for refreshments and the meeting resumed with the approval of the minutes from the September meeting and and updated treasures report from Iris. A nominating committee was approved for the upcoming selection of officers. Morning encouraged everyone to sign up as a volunteer for the December Gem and Mineral Show and corresponding lists were passed around. The time and place for turning in entries for the various hobby related categories to be judged at the Alabama National Fair. the meeting was then adjourned.

Secretary, David Sherrod

Page 2

THE GOLDEN NUGGET

Ocean Jasper - David Sherrod If you love ocean jasper as much as he does to check out these items on Ebay. Hide your credit card first.

151482915520, 281756876313, 131969387374, 221709096439, 301903933217

3

Saturday November 19, 2016 Diamond Hill Mine 100 Diamond Hill Road Anterville, SC 8AM eastern 9AM central until dusk Fee 15 dollars per person regardless of age.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather, if it has rained then the grounds will be very

muddy, so boots will be very helpful, a potato rake, a bucket, safety glasses, a rock

hammer and chisel, gloves, small bags for delicate specimens like mica, and paper

for wrapping your finds.

REMOVING SOLDER FROM A BEZEL

Sometimes when you solder a bezel to a base plate, you end up with

excess solder that needs to be removed before setting the stone. My

choice of tool for this is called an "Inverse Cone" bur used in a rotary

tool or flexshaft. It cuts on both the bottom and the side and is

shaped so that there's less chance of cutting into the bezel wall than

if you used the more common cylinder bur shape. I find the 2 mm size

useful for almost any bezel.

See all Brad's jewelry books at

Amazon.com/author/BradfordSmith

Web site www.BradSmithJewelry.com

FIELD TRIPPIN’

BENCH TIP - BRAD SMITH

GEM AND MINERAL SHOW IN DECEMBER

Just a reminder that the sign up sheets will be put out at the No-

vember meeting and everyone that is a member of the Montgomery

Gem and Mineral club is suppose to help out in some compactly.

So be thinking about where and what you are willing to contribute

to the biggest money maker for our club.

Page 3

ISSUE NUMBER

4

SCHEDULING A GEM SHOW John Martin

Most rock and gem clubs sponsor annual shows. Most of them do a great deal of planning to deter-

mine good venues and schedule them to avoid conflicts with other shows that their dealers also at-

tend. However, over the last several years of attending many shows, I have noticed that some shows pros-

per and others do not. There are various causes for this difference—the local economies, new rules

and regulations imposed by the local governments, and the local clienteles. There is very little the

clubs can do about these. But there is one thing that many clubs seem to mostly overlook—the season. There are certain times

of the year when shows do very well and others when they do very poorly. One example is Virginia

Beach. Ten years ago, this location had two shows—one in August and another in October. The Au-

gust shows did very well, and huge crowds of people came. The dealers made very good profits, and

everybody was happy. The October shows were just the opposite—poor attendance and even poorer

sales. After a few years, many dealers quit coming. Another example is the fairground at Indianapo-

lis, Indiana. One show is in late March (or sometimes the first week in April to avoid Easter week-

end). It does very well. The other show in early October does very poorly. Both of these shows are

done at the same venue by the same promoter. Both last 3 days—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The

only difference is the season. Why? There are certain times of the year when a large number of people have plenty of time and are

in a good mood to attend shows. There are other times when many are too busy doing various other

activities—vacations, outdoor work, special events, etc., so they skip them. Any club with a show during an unfavorable season could greatly improve it by scheduling it into a

better time of the year. Here in the Southeast, January, February, and March are excellent. Nearly all shows during this time

do very well. March is well booked, but there are plenty of open weekends in January and February. April, especially early April, is fairly good. But by this time people start to get busy. May is the second busiest month of the year. Unless a show is outdoors where good weather is neces-

sary, May should be avoided. June is also fairly busy. Early June is good for outdoor shows. Late June is better for indoor shows. The hot days of July and August are good for indoor shows. They can be great next to the coast where

beach traffic can provide additional customers. In the mountains, they are satisfactory for outdoor

shows. Early September is great for outdoor shows. It is satisfactory for indoor shows, although some people

start to get busy at this time. The busiest time of the year is late September and all of October. This is a time of vacations, outdoor

activities, Octoberfests, art shows, college football, and the World Series. The good weather is tempt-

ing for an outdoor show, but indoor shows should avoid this time. November and the first half of December are excellent show dates. Several clubs host their shows at

this time, and nearly all of them do very well.

Page 4

THE GOLDEN NUGGET

5

If you are interested in submitting an article for the Golden Nugget please do. This newsletter is our club’s

publication and it takes the help of out members to keep it interesting each month. The articles can be about

personal experiences with rock hounding or can be about techniques in the lapidary arts, or any thing else that

is related to Gem and Minerals.

I ask that the articles be no longer then 1000 words so it will be easier to fit into the newsletter. I also ask that

you provide no more than three pictures if any with your article.

Thank you I hope to see more articles from the Montgomery Gem and Mineral club members in the future.

Newsletter Editor

Therese Frank

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/

Articles for the Golden Nugget

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.. David Grant will also open the shop on Wednesdays at 5:30 if you call him at462-7105 by Tuesday evening.

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.

Page 5

ISSUE NUMBER

6

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 contribute,

the Golden Nugget cannot meet this latter purpose.

Copyright 2016 by Montgomery Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. Except for items that are specifically copyrighted by their au-

thors, all material in this bulletin may be freely copied. Please give credit to The Golden Nugget and the appropriate 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 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 Mineralogical 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 ex-

pressed a prior interest in receiving this information.

General Information

MONTGOMERY GEM AND MINERAL SOCIETY

Club Officers for 2016 President: Morning Sherrod 850-4495725 1st VP/Programs Committee: Chris Rutherford 372-2507 2nd V P/Field Trips: Jeff Edwards 312-0572 Secretary: David Sherrod 201-4460 Treasurer: Iris McGehee 262-7275 Directors: Chris Evey and Leslie Amato 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

Therese P. Frank, Editor

The Golden Nugget

P. O. Box 801

Wetumpka, AL 36092-0801

WE’RE ON THE WEB! http://www.montgomerygemandmineralsociety.com/

If you are on Facebook, like our page. If you're not on Facebook, you can still

view our page by going to https://www.facebook.com/MontgomeryGemClub