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Volume 72 Number 12 December 2019 Fire Agate Is Not Really Agate

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Volume 72 Number 12 December 2019 Fire Agate Is Not Really Agate DELVINGS The Newsletter of the Delvers Gem & Mineral Society Volume 72 Number 12 December 2019 Fire agate is not really agate. It is chalcedony with limonite inclusions of the kind that also gives quartz crystals a shiny orange surface. These inclusions initially covered the botryoidal surface of colorless chalcedony, and are later overgrown by other layers of chalcedony. When tumbled and polished, they show a nice and vivid play of orange, yellow, and green colors. This polished specimen is probably from Aguascalientes, Mexico. Compare this specimen in its natural state from the Opal Hill Mine, Mule Mountains, west of Palo Verde, Imperial County, California. Fire "agates" are only found at a few spots in California, Arizona, and Mexico. - By Amir Chossrow Akhavan From The Quartz Page Copyright © 2005-2010, A.C. A k h a v a n Verbatim copying and distribution of the text and code from this entire site are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved. Permission was received to use these photos. See the September 2017 Delvings for more about fire agate, and how to cut and polish it. Delvers Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. - mailing address: P.O. BOX 112, Wilmington, CA. 90748 Nov. 8th Board Meeting Minutes – Teresa Taylor & Andrew Hoekstra 2020 Board All board members present. The board voted to provide $100 to Charles President – Marvin Belcher Pierce for expenses of the holiday party. The board approved Dale [email protected] Harwood to spend up to $100 on door prize material at Jewel Tunnel or VP – Charles Pierce elsewhere. The board approved Andrew Hoekstra spending up to $150 [email protected] for a printer and supplies. Formal authority over the bank account for Treasurer – Emmalee Fowler our new treasurer Emmalee Fowler needs to be arranged with the bank. [email protected] She will be filing the required biannual Statement of Information form Secretary – Judy Belcher (and $20 payment) with the CA Secretary of State before December 31st. [email protected] Our treasurer reported that $244 was earned selling grab bags at the Director – Guynell Miller Long Beach show. We still have unsold grab bags for future use. The [email protected] board decided not to hire a speaker for January, due to people being Director – Dale Harwood 310-217-0551 busy at Quartzite during that month. Perhaps a member can do a Director - Peter German program in January? Teresa Taylor promises to give us a riveting (in [email protected] both senses) demonstration in February. Emmalee Fowler volunteered to be Field Trip Chair, and the board was pleased to appoint her to that position. She will need help from the rest of us in planning field trips. Minutes for the November 8th General Meeting– Teresa Taylor & Andrew Hoekstra Seventeen members were present for our silent auction in November, which raised more than $150. Thanks to all who donated and/or purchased items. Charles Pierce announced the holiday party will be Dec. 14 at his home. If you did not sign-up at the meeting, contact him before December 1st to attend. A slate was presented and voted for the 2020 board. We had eight volunteers for the seven positions. Members approved all eight and made it clear that all were wanted - so, to preserve a seven member board, Andrew Hoekstra withdrew his name, and he declines to serve as a voting member of the board. Andrew will continue to serve as editor. We had one visitor at our Nov. meeting, all the way from Australia: Admiral Lomi, a bearded dragon. Member News – Andrew Hoekstra Charles Pierce reported that long-time member Norberto Elicker passed away on 10/25/2019 at age 85. Norberto had lived in Crescent City for many years. Chuck recently visited him there, and Norberto donated some equipment and rocks, a few of which Chuck showed at the November meeting. Andrew Hoekstra has learned that past member Steve Howard passed away unexpectedly October 10th. Guynell Miller reports (11/27) that John Vincent passed away Nov. 10th, at age 98. John was an important member of the Delvers. More about him will appear in next month’s issue of the Delvings newsletter. Past President Lois Jean Fults suffered a heart attack in October but is recovering, her husband Jon told us at our November meeting. We wish her a speedy recovery and hope to see her at our holiday party. Teresa Taylor is still recovering from a knee injury, but we were glad to see that she was well enough to attend our November meeting. FIELD TRIPS Dec 8, Yuha Basin, Imperial Co., for fossils etc., with the Yucaipa G&MS: https://www.yvgms.org/field-trips For information or to sign-up, contact Dennis Gibbs, 909-553-8018 Dec 14, Kramer Hills, with the Searchers: contact [email protected], or text only (571)-217-9536 DELVINGS December 2019 Page 2 Delvers Holiday Party, Saturday December 14th in Fullerton 1318 Kroeger Av., Fullerton. Appetizers, Craft & Club rock sale-4:00-5:30, Dinner 5:30 PM Cost: $15 (youth $7.50). If you would like to participate in the gift exchange, bring a wrapped (covered) gift or you can add $5 to cost of meal and Charlie will supply a gift for exchange. I INVITE YOU ALL TO COME TO THE DELVERS CHRISTMAS PARTY AND OFFICER INSTALL WE'LL HAVE GREAT FOOD AND LOTS OF GOOD CHEER PLUS PRESENTS GALORE AND SO MUCH MORE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS ARE ALL WELCOME TO SHARE SO LET'S ALL COME TOGETHER FOR THIS FANTASTIC FAIR SO MAKE A NOTE - FILL IN THAT SQUARE THE DELVERS ARE HAVING A PARTY - SEE YOU THERE! RSVP by 12/01: 714-595-3862, [email protected]. To cancel, please inform me by 12/10 Turn left onto Raymond and head north for approximately 2 miles, passing Chapman Ave. and Dorothy Lane. Turn left on the first street, Melody Lane, after you pass Dorothy Lane. Go west two blocks and turn right on Kroeger Ave. We are the fourth house from the corner. An invitation for the members and friends of the Delvers Gem & Mineral Society to attend an open house at Jewel Tunnel Imports Saturday December 7th, 2019 - 10 AM to 4PM 13100 Spring Street, Baldwin Park, CA 91706 Tel 626-814-2257 ▪ www.jeweltunnel.com Jewel Tunnel Imports is a leading wholesale distributor of mineral specimens, crystals, fossils, tumbled stones and many different kinds of lapidary items. For the open house, sales tax will be charged unless you can provide your seller’s permit. Most items sold at half of the marked price. All sales are final. Refreshments will be served. Take the 605 FWY north (past I-10) and exit Los Angeles St. Turn right (east) onto Los Angeles St., then left (north) onto Littlejohn, then take the 2nd left to Spring St. DELVINGS December 2019 Page 3 Textured Jewelry purchased, ready to go, from several By Brad Smith suppliers (just Google it). I’ve always liked having textures Once you have the sheet, it is first on a piece of jewelry, especially depletion gilded, and then torch if they balance and contrast with fired to produce the wrinkling. This areas that are smooth and is the fun part: teasing the wrinkles polished. Some of the boldest into forming by carefully controlling textures can be accomplished the amount of heat applied with the with reticulation. torch. Too little heat and no wrinkles will form. Too much heat It’s a process in which a deeply wrinkled surface is formed as a and the piece will start to melt. result of the properties of the A medium flame will let you metal and the way it’s heated wrinkle the whole sheet rapidly, and processed. I’ve made quite while a small, hot flame lets you a bit of it with an alloy of create special patterns. My silver/copper, and have read favorite is what I call the that it can also be done with “sunburst” pattern. gold. Pieces of the reticulated sheet are The alloy mixture I’ve had best cleaned up in the pickle, and then results with is 80% silver and 20% copper. I make up brass wire brushed. Then they are ready to be used sheet myself from scrap; 22 gauge is a good starting for earrings, bracelets and pendants. point. It’s a bit of work, but I enjoy it. Because the wrinkling is quite random, I tend to make If you don’t have the equipment to melt 4 to 5 a lot of pieces and select the areas I want to cut out ounces of silver, pour an ingot, and roll it out as and use in my jewelry. sheet, the reticulation material can also be From June 2019 Ventura G&MS Rockhound Rambling The Center for Land Use Interpretation is a non-profit organization headquartered in Culver City, California, where they have an exhibit gallery. But you don’t need to visit: they publish an annual online newsletter with fascinating illustrated articles about the nature and extent of human interaction with the surface of the earth. I first learned about the Center for Land Use Interpretation when Dale Harwood mentioned to me a L.A. Times article about their exhibit on fertilizer mines across the USA (2018 exhibit, titled The Ground Our Food Eats). The Center for Land Use Interpretation was founded in 1994 by Matthew Coolidge, and has additional facilities located at Wendover, Utah, on the Great Salt Lake, and in the Mojave Desert of California. Here are 33 of their newsletters - The Lay of the Land: (each issue can be downloaded as a PDF, or individual articles may be read online.
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