Brevard Gems
Web address: www.centralbrevardgems.org
NEWSLETTER
FOR CENTRAL
BREVARD ROCK
AND GEM CLUB
REMINDERS:
Next regular
meeting is
May 7th at
6:00 p.m. at
the Merritt
Island Library.
Board Meeting
is Monday,
May 4th at
7:00 p.m.
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE:
Meeting
Minutes
2
Picnic
Pictures
3
Workshop
Pictures
3
Just for Kids 4
Calendar
5
Gem &
Mineral
Shows
6
May’s
Mineral
7
Open Shop Hours: Sun. 1-4 PM;
Wed. 9 AM-12 PM, 1-4 PM, and 6-9 PM; and
Thurs. 6-9 PM. (except on meeting nights)
V O L U M E
4 ,
I S S U E
President’s
Message
I wish to thank all those
who attended and
assisted at the annual
picnic and auction on
Saturday, April 18. It did
not rain, we had a
delicious variety of food,
and members were
generous in their
response to the auction.
It also helps to reduce
some of our inventory at
the workshop and make
room for future donations. Thank you to Bill,
Cheryl and Rick, Tom
and Eivor, Emily and
Josh.
Members have been
producing some beautiful
work in recent classes
and open shop. We
always hope they will
bring their finished work
to show and tell so the
rest of us can appreciate
them.
5
Our meetings are on the
first Thursday of every
month at 6 p.m. at the
Merritt Island Library on
Courtenay Ave (Rte. 3),
Merritt Island, across the
road from the Merritt
Island High School.
There are no meetings in
July and August.
Please see the class
schedule inside. Sign-up
sheets will be available at
the May 7 meeting. At the
meeting ask Bill about
Gem ID and wax carving
for casting, ask Bill or
Craig about faceting, ask
Lucy about fused glass
and beading, ask John
about casting or cold
connections work with
copper, ask Tom about
wirewrap, or ask Michele
about cutting opals or
wirewrap.
Shop open hours are
listed under classes. Shop
address is on next to last
page. We recommend
new members start with
cutting cabochons which
you can do at any open
shop. If you prefer to start
with metal work, ask John
about cold connections.
Faceting instruction will
Remember our Veterans
M A Y
2 0 1 5
continue to be available
at Wednesday morning
open shop. Silversmithing and cabbing
are taught by
supervisors at open
shop sessions.
Remember our next
meeting will be May 7, 6
p.m., at the Merritt
Island Library. Bill will
show a DVD entitled
“Gemstones of
America”.
You will find our website
at:
www.centralbrevardgems.
org.
Michele Huntington
2015 President
NOTE:
Workshop will be
closed on Sunday,
May 26th for
Memorial Day
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Meeting Minutes
CBRGC General Meeting—April 2, 2015
Michele called the meeting to order at 1800 hours at the Merritt Island Library. Pledge of
Allegiance
Approval of minutes for March 5, 2015 as published in the March newsletter was requested by
Michelle and approved by the general membership present. 26 members were present.
Treasurer’s report was submitted by Eivor Brown and filed for audit.
Membership report was presented by Michelle as Sara arrived after meeting had started. Membership total is 90 members for 2015.
Show 2016 is scheduled for February 6-7 at Kiwanis venue. No other updates per Roz.
Workshop report: Workshop committee met March 29, 2015 at 4 PM. Craig reviewed Genie 1 and
tightened the belt. Genie 3 had a hose leak which was fixed. No bids were received for the
Lortone saw/grinder. The 3 drum tumbler sold for $80.00 . Other surplus equipment listed in the
newsletter will be auctioned at picnic and rocks sold at $3.00 per lb. Current shop hours are
Sunday 1-4, Wed. 9-12, 1-4, 6-9, and Thurs. 6-9. Assistance with cabbing, metal or silversmithing, and any other projects will be provided during open shop as possible.
Class Schedule: Bill will teach Faceting 9-12 am Weds mornings. Bill will teach wax carving Sat
mornings 9-12 through April. Michelle and Roz will teach Intermediate wirewrap on Tues evenings
6-9. John and Mario will teach cabbing on Tues evenings from 6-9. Sign-up sheets are available
for classes. Roz will collect a $10 fee when classes are signed up for as a deposit for the first
class and to hold your place in class. Members are encouraged not to wait for a class to learn to
cut cabochons, silversmithing, chain making, or fused glass. They can come into the open shop to
learn and find out what materials are needed for just $5.00. Shop supervisors are still being
sought.
New Business: Cheryl Ostman has volunteered to function as Picnic Coordinator for Picnic/
Auction on April 18th at KARS Park. Roberta will complete the audit for 2014. Roz continues to
collect aluminum cans toward shop revenue. Club mugs are available at the meeting for $5.00
each. Club tote bags will be available at shop for $3.00 each. No new status on cookbook.
Announcements: SFMS Federation website is afms.org/sfms. Their newsletter is the Lodestar in
which members can receive by signing up via email. There will be a SFMS Meeting in Melbourne
in September 2015. Details will be available as received from SFMS in the coming months. SFMS
has suspended the stamp program so we are no longer collecting stamps.
A break was taken for refreshments and Mario selected four raffle prize winners. Bill Dewey presented a DVD “All that Glitters” regarding gold mining in North Carolina which was informative and
well received by the members present. Meeting was adjourned at 1925 hours.
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Picnic Pictures
Workshop Pictures
Norma’s Pendant
Pam Faceting
Pam’s Bracelet
BREVARD
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Tom & Carol’s Cabochons
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Just For Kids
The Rock Cycle
Rocks are the most common material on Earth. They are naturally occurring aggregates of
one or more minerals.
Rock divisions occur in three major families based on how they formed: igneous, sedimentary,
and metamorphic. Each group contains a collection of rock types that differ from each other on the
basis of the size, shape, and arrangement of mineral grains.
The rock cycle is an illustration that is used to explain how the three rock types are related to each
other and how Earth processes change a rock from one type to another through geologic time.
Plate tectonic movement is responsible for the recycling of rock materials and is the driving force
of the rock cycle.
From Mineralogy4Kids.com
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Calendar
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Gem & Mineral Shows
May 3-4, 2014: North Charleston, SC
Lowcountry Gem & Mineral Society Annual Jewelry, Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, “Art by
Nature”. Location: Charleston Area Convention Center; Exhibit Hall A; 5000 Coliseum Drive,
North Charleston, SC 29418. Hours: Sat. & Sun 10-5.
Directions: I-26 East to I-526 West. Take Exit 16 (first exit), stay in right lane, and turn left onto
International Blvd. Turn right at the second stop light and you will be facing the convention
center. Follow the road to the left to the parking lot.
FREE admission and FREE parking; hourly door prizes, club hospitality table, demonstrations,
fossil dig, geode cracking.
Contact Karen Havenstein of Charleston, SC at (843) 795-2956; e-mail: [email protected];
Web site: www.lowcountrygemandmineralsociety.org
May 9 -11, 2014, Marietta, GA
46th Annual; The Georgia Mineral Society's 2014 Mother's Day Weekend Gem & Mineral
Show; Over 30 Dealers; Free Parking; Free Admission; Door Prizes (Special Door Prize for
Students! (Win a Great Prize for Yourself and for Your School!)); Cobb County Civic Center,
548 Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30339
May 9 Friday 1000 to 1800, May 10 Saturday 1000 to 1800, May 11 Sunday Noon to 1700
Exciting Auction Saturday at 1300
May 23 - 25, 2014, Gulfport, MS
Harrison County Gem & Mineral Society, Inc.'s 35th Anniversary Gem, Mineral and Jewelry
Show; Courtyard Marriott; 1600 E. Beach Blvd., Gulfport, MS; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-4;
adults $5, children (10 and under) free with adult; demonstrations, displays, Stump the
Expert, hourly door prizes; contact Karen Johnston at (228) 467-5465; or e-mail:
johnstonkaren@bellsouth or Kathleen Becnel at [email protected].
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May’s Mineral— Fairburn Agate
What Is A Fairburn Agate?
Agates, in nodules and geodes, are some of the most
popular varieties of silica.
Agate forms under sedimentary conditions.
Whitlock (1946) states as an analogy that the quartz
varieties are like six-sided snow crystals, and agates
are like rounded icicles of freezing water. Agates
consist of alternating layers of fibrous chalcedony
with circular to semicircular layers, patterns, or
bands like rings of targets. These layers may be
composed of different thicknesses and colors. The
layers are usually concentric and parallel to the walls
of the rock cavity in which they are deposited. Fairburn agates are formed in this way.
Fairburn agates are noted for their strikingly contrasted, thin bands of wonderful natural colors
(Sanborn, 1976). Roberts and Rapp (1965) state
that the color patterns are generally yellowish-brown
with narrow opaque white bands, or dark red with
white bands. However, another beautiful combination shows salmon-pink bands alternating with white
bands. Other colors included in these agates are
black, yellow, grayish-blue and milky-pink.
These agates were originally named after a prolific
locality 10 miles east of Fairburn, South Dakota, in
the southern Black Hills area. According to Roberts
and Rapp (1965), Fairburn agates occur in a broad
elliptical belt extending from Creston in Pennington
County, South Dakota, to near Orella in Sioux County, Nebraska, with the maximum width approaching
15 miles near Red Shirt, South Dakota. According to
Fritzsch (S.D. School of Mines and Technology, personal communication, 1993), the area is more restricted (Figure 1). The Fairburn agate fields cover
thousands of acres of very stony land and most of it
is rugged terrain, well decorated with cactus, weeds,
and cedar trees (Zeitner, 1964).
Physical Properties of Agate
Chemical Formula
SiO2 - Silicon dioxide
Crystal Structure
Cryptocrystalline - microcrystalline
aggregate (trigonal)
Color
All colors, multicolored and banded
Luster
Waxy to dull
Specific Gravity
2.60 - 2.7
Cleavage
None
Mohs Hardness
6.5—7
Refractive Index
1.530 - 1.540
Transparency
Translucent to Opaque
What Is The Value Of Agate?
The Fairburn agate was designated as
South Dakota's state gemstone on February 11, 1966. In the literature, Fairburn
agates are reported as quite scarce, and
highly prized by collectors (Campbell and
Roberts, 1985). The price of a Fairburn
agate ranges up to $150, depending on
the size and quality of the geode (Eric
Fritzsch, Geology Museum, South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology, personal communication, July, 1993). As with
other agates, a larger Fairburn agate is
not necessarily a better-quality agate. Agates are primarily used as decorative
pieces, as mineral specimens, and in lapidary work.
Information from: Northern State University (http://www3.northern.edu/natsource/EARTH/Fairbu1.htm) and Minerals.net
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Club Purpose:
The purpose of this club is to foster interest in and to promote knowledge
and appreciation of minerals, gems, fossils, and the earth sciences.
We also disseminate information and instruction in the lapidary arts and the
utilization of precious metals in our crafts.
These purposes are accomplished through regular meetings with informative
programs, workshops, study groups, and field trips.
OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers:
President:
1st Vice President:
2nd Vice President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:
Directors:
Emily Holston
Roz Mestre
Tom Brown
Lucy Caracoglia
Michele Huntington
Bill Dewey
Sara Fellows
Cheryl Ostman
Eivor Brown
2016
2016
2015
2015
(321) 799-8536
(321) 453-5594
(321) 453-6901
(321) 890-7530
(321) 635-6572
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Shop Location:
407 Imperial Blvd, Unit D
Cape Canaveral, FL
(Imperial is located off A1A just south of the Port)
Member of Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. - www.amfed.org/sfms/
Affiliated with the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies - www.amfed.org
Club Fundraising
We need a Fundraising Coordinator to bring in some cash! Do you have an idea for raising
money? Would you be willing to lead our efforts? Please contact Michele Huntington at
[email protected]
Don’t forget—The club collects soda-type cans. Bring your cans to the shop
during open workshop hours OR to the monthly meeting.
NOTE: We are no longer collecting stamps.
Mary MacLaughlin, Editor
(321) 322-7907
[email protected]
Deadline for items for June issue is May 20th.
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