sign in sign up
<<
Home , Blue diamond, Chrysocolla, Diopside, Malachite, Opal, Rhodolite

Crystals are the flowers of the Kingdom

THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER VOLUME 51 NO. 3 APRIL 2010

Also find information Gems of Peru on our Club Website: http://www.novamineralclub.org For our next meeting program, Mr. Lee and faceted , and Horowitz (biography on page 9) will pendants as well as sterling describe the unique gems of Peru , fo- with Peruvian and alpaca NVMC Schedule: cusing on Peruvian blue , pink opal, jewelry. 24 Apr. Field Trip to Vul- , opaline, - Our meeting will be at Long Branch Na- can Manassas Quarry , banded rhodocrosite, ortiz ture Center in Arlington, starting at 24-25 Apr. Sterling Hill Su- rhodocrosite, bubblegum pink rho- 7:45pm. per Diggg donite. He will also touch on more un- Following past practice the NVMC will usual stones such as leopard stone be hosting our speaker, Lee Horowitz, 26 Apr. General meeting (), blue aragonite, varascite, on April 26 the at the usual restaurant, of the NVMC at 7:45pm blue , angelite the Olive Garden in Bailey's Cross- 24 May General meeting of (anhydrite), blue shell, roads. The usual plan is to begin/meet the NVMC at 7:45pm spondyllus shell and mother of , at 6 pm at the Olive Garden. Please 28 June General meeting of pink manganocalcite, banded , contact Wayne (d8olite @ fastmail.fm) the NVMC at 7:45pm - this banded , etc. or Sue (r1haskins @ verizon.net) if you is the last meeting before The lecture will emphasize the distinc- anticipate coming so we can make res- the summer break. tions between natural blue opal—which ervation. Of course, the more the mer- is colored by —and simulated or rier, and the whole club is welcome, so treated materials. Similar distrinctions please share this information. between naural and treated or simu- WHERE: Olive Garden, Inside this issue: lated chrysocolla and also Bailley's Crossroads will be highlighted. A range of samples 3548 S. Jefferson Street March Minutes 2 will illustrate crucial differences, afford- Falls Church, VA The Prez Says ing invaluable first-hand experience It is across from Skyline Towers & Tar- with rough natural materials, cut get on King Street. An eye for 3-4 cabuchons, faceted cabuchons, beads EFMLS meeting 5 Vulcan Quarry Field Trip 24 April Our membership 6 The Gem and Mineral Society of the Va. Pen- been there, I don't need to tell you what's (a map) insula (GMSVP) is hosting a field trip to the there, how to get there or other site specific Vulcan Quarry in Manassas, VA, on Saturday, details. Word Find April 24th and we would like to extend an 7 Please let Ted Carver, your inexplicably Meteorite Men invitation to your club to join us. We under- wonderful trip coordinator, know whether April Agenda (N/A) stand some of you were just there several you will be interested in attending. If so, the weeks ago, but for those who weren't able to sign-up deadline is Wednesday, April attend we thought this would be a Sterling Hill Weekend 8 21st. Forward the thoroughly magnificent nice opportunity for your members. Ted the contact info at jtcarve @ msn.com. Other Clubs have expressed an interest in Pumice Candy 9 Don't hesitate to contact Ted, the miracu- attending as well. Horowitz Biography lously fantastic, with any questions you may Well’s Moving Sale The normal protocol for this location is arriv- have. We hope to have a safe and fun out- ing by 7:30 a.m. on April 24th at the office ing. We hope to see you there! for check-in and safety meeting. Then be out Club information 10 The Gem and Mineral Society of the Va. Pen- by noon. As many times as your clubs have insula (GMSVP) Humans, generally.

Page 2 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER

Sheryl Sims…won Fifth Place Award for Original Educational Articles: , Stock and "Berylling" in March Meeting Minutes Over My Head; and Seventh Place Award for Original Non-Technical Articles: The National Gem Collection By Wayne Sukow and Sheryl Sims, Acting Secretary George Rheimherr… EFMLS (BEAC) won 2nd Place 22 March 2010 Award for Original Non-Technical Article: Lunar Rocks from Soviet Space Program; and Honorable President, Barry Remer called the meeting to order Mention-Written Feature: Lincoln Penny and Lunar at 7:50 p.m. Thirty-four members and guests were in Rocks attendance. Guests introduced themselves and were recognized by the members. Among the welcomed Wayne Sukow… EFMLS (BEAC) Award for "The Prez newcomers were Mike Pabst and Carolyn Evers. Says 'U' per or Yuper " Mary Bateman, EFMLS Immediate Past President, Congratulations to all. presented several Eastern Federation Bulletin Edi- President Remer announced that following the ad- tors Advisory Council (BEAC) awards that were journment of the meeting refreshments would be made at the 2010 EFMLS Annual meeting earlier this available for 15 minutes while members did more month. Those receiving awards were: bidding and then the first NVMC auction of 2010 Matt Charsky…EFMLS 2010 Citation Award for his would begin. The meeting was adjourned. Refresh- overall contributions over the years ments were provided by Karen Lewis and Lois Dowell. Thanks you, the peanut butter cookies were Kathy Hrechka…The EFMLS (BEAC) Trophy for excellent. Original Educational Article: Adventure to NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston Texas The auction commenced with “Colonel” Matt Char- sky as the solo auctioneer and Dave Hennessey, Jim Robert Winsor…won 1st Place Award for Newsletter Kostka and Jeff Gueber as spotters. The bidding was Editor, 2nd Place for Original Educational Article: spirited with mostly double digit winning bids on the Growing Crystals; and 7th Place for Written Fea- numerous excellent mineral specimens. The auction ture: Field Trip to JMU" ended at 9:50 pm. Thank you to those who partici- pated in the cleanup of the room. The Prez Says By Barry Remer Next, Sue Marcus, our VP contacted several of us by As a member of NVMC since 1986 it is my pleasure to email that she wanted a speaker for our meeting this guide our club and help it become a part of our edu- month. Sue was contacted by Wayne, our previ- cational commitment furthering our hobby. ous (and long serving) Past President with the name of a possible speaker. Thus we will have a speaker for Part of what I see happening is on the part of Rick our meeting on April 26. Reiber, our Treasurer. With the cooperation of three club members and Rick contacted me this past week ad informed me he Robert Winsor, our Bulletin Editor, you will see this solved the problem of getting the minutes for the club. article and be stimulated to come to the meeting. His solution was to purchase a recorder for the club Bring a friend and introduce them to our hobby. that will make a record of our meeting. As he explains it to this non-techie the recorder can then transcribe Warm regards, the copy and make it available to Kathy, our Secretary and Robert as well making it easy to keep track of the Barry meeting

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER Page 3

AN EYE FOR DIAMONDS by Sheryl Sims

any of us remember the colorful song of our youth pertaining to rainbows: Red and yellow, and pink and , orange and purple, and M blue—well, the same reference may be made for diamonds. They come in all ! The color, along with clarity, cut, and number of carats, determines their value. This was further explained by visiting scientist to the Smithsonian Institution, Eloise Gaillou, Ph D. Dr. Gail- lou is a French scientist from the Universite de Nantes. (photo by Sheryl Sims)

National Museum of Natural History (photos by Sheryl Sims) display a so-called “graining,” she stated, and this is due to At the April 7, 2010 club meeting of the Mineralogical Soci- plastic deformation. ety of the District of Columbia, Dr. Gaillou gave a brief lec- ture on, “The Beauty of Defects: Color in Diamonds”. Be- Diamonds can be found in almost every color of the rain- cause diamonds are indeed a girl’s (or a guy’s) best friend, bow: steel gray, white, blue, yellow, orange, red, green, I attended that meeting and learned more than I ever hoped pink to purple, brown, and black. to know about diamonds. As in my case, one need not have What causes coloration in diamonds? Colored diamonds a background in geology or to appreciate the contain impurities and structural defects. These defects beauty and value of diamonds. One only needs eyes to see cause the coloration. However, pure diamonds are trans- their beauty, and the desire and money, to possess them. parent and colorless. They are classified into two main Webster’s II New College Dictionary defines a as: types and several subtypes. This is done based on how the “a very hard, highly refractive colorless or white crystalline impurities in them affect absorption and on the type of allotrope of , used when pure as a and impurities found. otherwise chiefly in abrasives.” While they are defined as Type I diamond[s] [have] nitrogen atoms as the main impu- being colorless, diamonds actually range from one end of rity, commonly at a concentration of 0.1%. If the nitrogen the spectrum to another in terms of atoms are in pairs they do not color and rarity. They are made up of affect the diamond's color; these carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and . are Type IaA. If the nitrogen Diamonds are formed at 150km deep in atoms are in large even- the and need a thick crust on top numbered aggregates they im- of them called a “craton”. part a yellow to brown tint (Type The most common color for diamonds is IaB). About 98% of gem dia- yellow or brown. The brown colored monds are type Ia, and most of diamonds, according to Dr. Gaillou, are these are a of IaA and frequently referred to as champagne, Jewellers diamonds. IaB material: these diamonds National Museum of Natural History cognac, or chocolate. Brown diamonds (medium brown color.) belong to the Cape series,

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010

Page 4 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER

AN EYE FOR DIAMONDS (continued) named after the diamond-rich region formerly known as center. Cape Province in , whose deposits are largely Green diamonds are very rare and Type Ia. If the nitrogen atoms are dispersed throughout the very popular. Their color comes crystal in isolated sites (not paired or grouped), they give from natural irradiation and their the stone an intense yellow or occasionally brown tint (Type strong absorption of light. All of the Ib); the rare canary diamonds belong to this type, which red and blue is absorbed from them represents only 0.1% of known natural diamonds. Synthetic leaving only the green color. diamonds containing nitrogen is Type Ib. Type I diamonds absorb in both the infrared and region, from 320 Blue diamonds are the purest. They nm. They also have a characteristic and visible are also the most desired and expen- absorption spectrum. sive. Most diamond fluoresce blue or white. Interestingly, the famous Type II diamonds have no measurable nitrogen impurities. Wikipedia Photo fluoresces red. The Type II diamonds absorb in a different range of the infrared. same is true of the Wittelsbach-Graff diamond. They also have different fluorescence characteristics (but no discernible visible absorption spectrum). Type IIa diamond All blue diamonds are type II and contain boron which can be colored pink, red, or brown due to plastic deforma- gives them their blue color. tion during crystal growth—these diamonds are rare. Type IIb diamonds, are usually light blue due to scattered boron Note the Hope Diamond below. It has 45.52 carats (9.104 g) within the crystal . A blue-grey color may also occur and is a fancy dark grayish-blue. Fancy-colored diamonds in Type Ia diamonds and be unrelated to boron. Green dia- such as the deep blue Hope Diamond are among the most monds get their color from exposure to varying amounts of valuable and sought-after diamonds in the world. (It is re- radiation. ported that in 2009 a 7- sold for the high- est price per carat ever paid for a diamond. It sold at auc- Black or grey diamonds. What are they and why are they tion for 10.5 million Swiss francs or $9.5 million. Each carat black? Diamonds have a carbon element which they have in sold for more than $1.3 million per carat. common with charcoal and graphite. Their molecular struc- ture makes them different from that of other diamonds. Pink diamonds can have color modifiers like brown and Black diamonds have lots of black or grey inclusions and purple. (Red diamonds are really just dark pink diamonds.) fractures. Most are actually treated and if you look closely, The cause of their color is not really known, however, the you will find that they are actually brown. color is concentrated in the pink graining. The Darya-I-Nur Diamond (translated: River of Light) is one of the world's Colorless diamonds are clear and have no strong absorp- largest diamonds. It is one of the rarest diamonds because tion to light in the visible range. According to experts: of its pale pink color, and it weighs about 182 carats (36.4 g). Its exact weight is not known because it has been A chemically pure and structurally perfect diamond is per- mounted in its setting for over 130 years. fectly transparent with no hue, or color. However, in reality almost no gem-sized natural diamonds are absolutely per- References: fect. J. Walker (1979). "Optical absorption and luminescence in dia- The color of a diamond may be affected mond". Rep. Prog. Phys. 4: 1605–1659. by chemical impurities and/or structural defects in the crystal lattice. Wikipedia. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ White diamonds have a milky appear- Diamond_color) and references therein. ance due to tiny inclusions that diffract light. They have a very strong fluores- cence aspect to them. Most white dia- monds lose value when a yellow hue is detected. Vivid Yellow diamonds are very valu- able and are called “cape diamonds”. Museum of Natural His- Their color comes from their N3 color tory, The Smithsonian Institution

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER Page 5

Eastern Federation Annual Meeting

By Wayne Sukow, your 2010 NVMC Delegate about what is being done in Earth Science classes and what other ways clubs could help. The discussion was spirited! March 5-7, 2010 There was strong support from others. On the other hand Just a bit over 4-months has passed since the 2009 EFMLS some people felt that the topic was not in order since it cen- Annual Meeting In November 2009. For those not familiar tered on an AFMS program. That’s the advantage of the with Eastern Federation by-laws that is not an unexpected Cracker Barrel session; you can still discuss it and not be happening. Host clubs invite the Federation to hold their ruled out-of-order. The AFMS President was in attendance annual meeting and when the Federation accepts it’s under- at the session and encouraged Wayne to write an article for stood that the meeting will be in conjunction with the host the American Federation’s newsletter discussing the issue. club’s annual show. So, if one club has their annual show in The Annual meeting followed that evening; it was called to November as the NVMC does and hosts the Federation order by 2010 President Loren Patterson. Following greet- meeting one year and the next year the host club has its ing by President Patterson, a Welcome from the 2010 Show annual show in March the 4-months between annual meet- Committee, and adoption of Rules, Procedures and Agenda ings results. Of course the opposite happens as well, result- the minutes the 2008 meeting were approved. Then the 9 ing in more than a year and a half between annual meetings EFMLS Officers’ reports were given followed by reports of the Federation. It does indicate that the Federation is sen- from the 7 regional Vice-Presidents. The reports of the 27 sitive to the traditions and customs of the host club, which Federation committees and other Federation function - encourages clubs to invite the Federation. ers, such as the Webmaster, Historian and Uniform Rules The 2010 meeting was held at the Hilton Christiana Hotel, Chair brought these non-action items to a close. just a mile from the club’s show site at the Delaware Techni- There was no old business. cal College. It is traditional is to have a Cracker Barrel ses- sion before the annual meeting. The Cracker Barrel session The first action item of new business was the election of the is an informal meeting where issues and question of mem- Federation Officers for 2011. The following were elected by bers can be discussed in an amiable atmosphere with no acclamation: “Robert’s Rules” in effect and not action taken. The intent is President…………………..Betsy Oberheim to provide a setting where both difficult and mundane is- sues can be raised. Disagreements are not uncommon and 1st Vice President……..…..R.J. Harris the discussion is both animated and spirited. The session 2nd Vice President…………Vacant began about 3 pm. At this session two issues were raised. The first item raised by Revian Zelsnik was, why the Federa- Secretary……………………..Gerry Cox tion didn’t save money by not providing, on the order of $600 a year, for the supplies chairman to attend the Federa- Assistant Treasurer………Michael Patterson. tion’s Wildacres Workshops since yearly receipts are less You’ll recognize Gerry Cox a member of the NVMC as the than that amount? Alternatives were suggested such as hav- new Eastern Federation Secretary. Congratulations Gerry. ing a volunteer take needed materials to the workshops or have people order them online or as hard copy. On the Also elected were nominating Committee members, for other side it was noted that the EFMLS Supplies Chairman 20011-2012, Matt Charsky and Jim Doran. provides a service to members by being at Wildacres, the The 2010-2011 budget was presented and after several in- show associated with the annual meeting and will send ma- formation requests the budget was approved. terials to members and EFMLS officers upon request. Following a Vote of Thanks to the Host Club the meeting The second issue raised by Wayne Sukow was, what is the was adjourned. benefit to the mineral and hobby of the scholar- ships provided by the American Federation to a graduate student, each year for each Federation of which there are 7? He advocated using the money to provide support and rec- ognition to several outstanding Earth Science teachers in each Federation, which he felt would not only support the local clubs’, the Regional Federations, and the AFMS’s com- mitment to education. He also believed the recognition of local earth science teachers was a plus and also encourages more junior club members to join clubs along with one or both parent. Both the teachers recognized and honored with an award would provide a program for one or more local clubs that would further enlighten local club members

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010

Page 6 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER

Our Membership By Robert Winsor

Have you ever wondered where our members come from? Here are a couple maps showing the loca- tions of our membership for the last several years (one “push pin” for each member). Although some of these people are no longer mem- bers, it can be interesting to look at the distribution. This raises a question. Is the Long Branch Nature Center (shown with the green circle on the map) the best place for us to have our meet- ings? We would like members to com- ment on this issue. Would it be easier to attend the meetings if the location was somewhere else? Send email (or regular mail) to the Editor (see back page) to let us know. Or just tell us your response to the following survey:

1. I would prefer meetings remain at the Long This is a completely informal survey, and does not mean Branch Nature Center that we will be changing our meeting location, but if we 2. I would prefer meetings were held near a need to make changes to serve out membership better, Metro Station such as West Falls Church (i.e. we will certainly take it into consideration. possibly the Northern Virginia Technology Campus). Maps provided by Google Maps. 3. I would prefer the meetings were held further West 4. I would prefer the meetings were held further East or South (i.e. Alexandria) 5. I really can’t make it to meetings, regardless of where they are held. 6. Meetings? I am just a member so I can attend the really cool field trips! (That’s OK!)

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER Page 7

ROCK, MINERAL & GEMSTONE WORD FIND by Sheryl Sims O Z I R C O N D I A M O N D R OPAL BALMA T O R E T I N H E R P T U F A PEAT E D A J E T I C L A C S A N D BORAX PREHNITE E T I L A D O S L T D L O G R CALCITE M I B E T A G A D O S P E A H CLAY O F O S S I L P A P O A L P O DIAMOND E T R N T A E P M A I Y R W D SAND D E A M Y W Z H L Z R Q U D O O N X I B X R I A E C N I Z L GEODE SARD E R Y C U O E R B K C U T E I SODA G A E A R X B E V L P R Z O T GYPSUM ICE T G Y P S U M V A Q A G H L E H E T A L C A Y E U Q V J I M TUFA U C E T I R Y P Q A M O E T H LAPIS S I P A L P D O L O M I T E R

April Meeting Agenda Meteorite Men The business agenda for the April meeting was not received in time for By Robert Winsor publication this month. Rock, Mineral and space enthusiasts may find a show on The Science Channel (one of the Discovery Chan- nels) to be enjoyable and interesting to . The Reminder! program is called Meteorite Men and is on every Renew Your Membership Wednesday at 9pm (Eastern Time). Check your local listings for the channel and perhaps alternate viewing time. The show is typically broad- It is still OK to renew your membership cast a few times each week following the Wednesday in the Northern Virginia Mineral Club if evening airing. you have not already done so. Please send your membership dues to the fol- On February 24th, the show covered the Meteorite lowing address: Men investigating the recent meteorite in Lor- ton, VA, and their unsuccessful attempts to find other RICK REIBER, TREASURER fragments that may have landed in areas near the NORTHERN VIRGINIA MINERAL CLUB documented site. PO BOX 9851

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010

Page 8 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER

Photo by R. Winsor of ore pulled off the Sterling Hill conveyor belt, 2007 Sterling Hill Weekend

By Patricia Rehill 37th Annual NJ Earth and Science Assoc (NJESA) Gem & Mineral Show / Outdoor Swap & Sell Where: Franklin School - Franklin, NJ Time: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m. Description: This show is held the last full weekend in April and features both indoor and outdoor mineral, fossil, and gem dealers. April 24 (Saturday) - NJESA Gem and Min- eral Show [9:00AM - 5:30PM (indoors); 8:00AM – 5:30PM (outdoor swap and sell)] - Annual Show Banquet and Auction (6:30PM - 9:30PM) Attendance limited to 60 people. Geotech Center, SHMM - Sterling Hill Garage Sale The Sterling Hill Museum Christiansen Pavilion, SHMM (10:00 AM - 3:00 PM) - An enduring geological mystery. A world-famous min- Day-and-Night Mineral Collecting at Sterling Hill eral deposit. And, it’s all right here in New Jersey, just (9:00AM - 11:00PM) Organized by the Delaware Val- an hour’s drive from midtown New York! ley Earth Science Society and North East Field Trip Alliance. $20/person includes extended mine tour and The industrial complex that was once the Sterling Hill registration; $1.50/lb. for material collected. Preregis- zinc mine is now open to the public as the Sterling Hill tration required; see www.uvworld.org for informa- Mining Museum. Underground mine tours, fantastic tion. displays of "glow-in-the-dark" fluorescent , extensive outdoor displays of mining machinery, and April 25 (Sunday) - NJESA Gem and Mineral Show exhibit halls packed with things you've probably [10:00AM - 5:00PM (indoors); 9:00AM – 5:00PM never seen before! (outdoor swap and sell)] - Sterling Hill Garage Sale (10:00AM - 3:00PM) Christiansen Pavilion, SHMM - What you may find Mineral collecting at SHMM (9:00AM – 3:00PM) Col- Fine specimens of zinc ore, consisting of variable pro- lecting allowed on Mine Run dump and in the Fill portions of brown willemite, red zincite, black frank- quarry, Passaic pit, and “Saddle” area. Open to the linite, and white calcite, can be collected on the dump public with ease. Much of the willemite and calcite are Fees: Open to the Public. Mineral Collecting Fee: $5 brightly fluorescent, green and red respec- admission plus $1.50 for each pound of material taken tively. Fluorescent is commonly found as well, fluorescing variably orange, pink, or Age Requirements: 7 years and up for Mine Run blue. White calcite marble from a nearby excavation dump; 13 and up elsewhere contains pale blue-fluorescing and yellow- The Sterling Hill Mining Museum website is: fluorescing norbergite. Also found here are some of the rare species that made Sterling Hill famous as a http://sterlinghillminingmuseum.org/index.php mineral locality, but please note that these minerals are not called “rare” for nothing.

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010 THE MINERAL NEWSLETTER Page 9

you can relax while stirring. Remove from heat immedi- ately and add the baking soda. Stir in the baking soda as Pumice Candy by Robert Winsor thoroughly and rapidly as possible. A whisk does a nice job. The mixture will rap- You have probably heard of rock candy, but idly expand like foam. Pour pumice candy? What IS this stuff! mixture on a non-stick cookie sheet that has been Here is a recipe for candy that looks likes lightly coated with butter or pumice and has nearly the same as shortening. It will continue pumice. Even more interesting is that the to expand and flow until it key ingredients that make this stuff look like cools quite a bit. the famous are the same key ingredients that kids use to make a model Allow to cool undisturbed volcano. Here’s how it’s made: for several hours. Break into odd-shaped pieces (no 1 cup sugar need to get out the crack 7/8 cup corn sugar (can be light or dark) ). The candy will be darker and have larger 1/8 cup molasses open spaces in the middle. 1 tablespoon vinegar (white vinegar is best) Optional: to improve the 1 tablespoon baking soda appearance and make it look even more like pum- The proportion of corn sugar to molasses will affect the fla- ice, place the cookie sheet on a layer of ice so that it cools vor and color of the result. I like to fill a 1-cup measuring more quickly. Then place another cookie sheet on top to cup roughly 7/8 full with plain clear corn syrup and then top compress the foam. Place ice on top, but be careful not to it off to a full cup with molasses. get the foam wet. Mix all ingredients except the soda and heat in a medium This candy is often called sponge candy and even some- saucepan (preferably non-stick coated) under low heat. times called honeycomb candy. Some people like to coat Stir constantly to prevent scalding while bringing the tem- the broken pieces with chocolate, but then it wouldn’t look perature to 300°F (check using a candy thermometer). Be like pumice, would it? patient, this takes a while! Pull up a chair to the stove so Biography, Mr. Lee Horowitz

No March Newsletter Our April Program Speaker, Mr Lee Horowitz is an au- There was no Mineral Newsletter for the month of thority on gemstones of Peru. After obtaining a series March due to a death in the family of the Editor. of undergraduate and graduate degrees, including a Travel to Iowa was necessary during the week that Master's in Education and advanced graduate degree the newsletter is normally prepared, and since it certificate, from colleges in Pennsylvania and New Jer- could not be distributed prior to the meeting, the sey, Mr Horowitz turned his attention to the gem indus- March newsletter was cancelled. try. He received a certificate in from the Inter- national Gem Society in 1986 and embarked upon a Wells’ Collection Sale wide ranging areer of business ventures focused on gems and jewelry. Mr Horowitz began as an associ- John, Barbara, and Kathryn Wells are moving next ate with Cleveland Gem nd Mineral Company in month to the Houghton area of Michigan's Upper Pen- Ohio. He subsequently established the partner- insula. Most of their mineral collection near and ex- ship with Marcel Ryzenberg of Lima Peru of the part- ceeding cabinet specimen size is not going to make nership Peru Blue Opal Ltd in Lima, Peru Mr Horowitz the trip. Club members are invited to a mineral ga- also founded the Kingdom of Cambodia International rage sale Saturday - Sunday, April 24-25, 9 am - 5 pm Gemstone Co. Ltd. (KCIG Co Ltd), a gemstone cut- at their Springfield, VA home: 6020 Commack Ct., ting and heat treatment facility in Cambodia. Mr. 22152. There also will be an MT-4 Mini Sonic tumbler Horowitz also serves as a consulting gemologist for do- with Vibra-Dry supplies and $1 and $5 tables of mestic and international mine owners and gemstone specimens of all sizes. Rain or shine. companies . He is currently researching the history of Peruvian gemstones. The Northern Virginia Mineral Club April 2010 NVMC Newsletter Editor Robert Winsor 35740 Roundleaf Ct. Round Hill, VA 20141

Phone: 540-751-0922 Please call between 7pm and 9pm E-mail: photech @ comcast.net

P LEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE: HTTP:\\www.novamineralclub.org

The Northern Virginia Mineral Club

You can send your Newsletter articles to: Purpose: To promote, educate and encourage Robert Winsor interest in geology, mineralogy, lapidary arts and 35740 Roundleaf Ct. related sciences. The society is a member of Eastern Round Hill, VA 20141 Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies Or via email: photech @ comcast.net (EFMLS) http://www.amfed.org/efmls and American Federa- Visitors are Always Welcome at our Club tion of Mineralogica1 Societies (AFMS)

Meetings. http://www.amfed.org." Dues: Due by 1 January of each year; $15.00 Individual, $20.00 Family, and $6.00 TIME TO RENEW YOUR Junior (under 16, sponsored by an adult MEMBERSHIP! member). SEND YOUR DUES TO: Meetings are held at 7:45 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month (except Rick Reiber Treasurer, NVMC May and December*) at Long Branch

PO Box 9851 Nature Center, 625 Carlin Springs Road, Alexandria, VA 22304 Arlington, VA 22204. Phone (703) 228-6535. OR (No meeting in July & August.) Bring your dues to the (*Changes announced in the newsletter.) Snow meeting schedule - Arlington county schools.