Spring 2011 Rockhounder
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B.C. Vol. 15 Spring 2011 Rockhounder Published Quarterly By the British Columbia Lapidary Society Contents 105–3240 Mt. Lehman Road, President’s Message 2 PO Box 10072, Abbotsford, BC V4X 2M0 Email: [email protected] Wire Wrap Jewellery 3 Tel: (604) 852-1307 www.lapidary.bc.ca Ancient Silver & Gold 5 Fossil DNA 10 Bead Trivia Fact 11 “My thanks to all that Gold Nugget Found in Sierra 12 have submitted articles Pitfalls of Rock Tumbling 12 and club news for Iron 13 publication. They are The Geology of Northern BC 14 greatly appreciated and Not Such a Silly Goose 19 enjoyed by our readers.” Messabi 20 The Largest … 22 Bam! Silver Prices Again! 23 Editor: Pearls 24 Win Robertson An Ant’s Misfortune 26 [email protected] (250) 376-4878 Dave Laurence Langevin 27 #6 – 2401 Ord Rd. Cover Photo: 10” Tile Saw 28 Kamloops, BC V2B 7V8 Vivianite, Fish River, YT Confscated Mammoth Tusks 29 Mesoamerican Jade 30 Design & Layout: Printing: Hammer Safety 32 Leah Jones Sure Kamloops [email protected] Print & Copy Centre Wagonmasters Field Trips 36 (250) 299-8990 (250) 554-1322 Summer Camp 2011 36 Kamloops, BC 552 Tranquille Rd. Around the Clubs 38 www.leahjones.ca Kamloops, BC Talk Shop 44 Club Shows and Sales 46 Submit articles for the next issue by Share your trips and August 1st, 2011 to: knowledge by sending an Win Robertson 6 – 2401 Ord Road Kamloops, BC V2B 7V8 article to the Rockhounder E mail: [email protected] Spring 2011 | 1 President’s Message By the time you read this, I will have handed my Tierney is the mastermind who selects the rock for the gavel over to the next in line, and have moved rock auction at the Rendezvous. I would like to thank on to the position of Past President. I have been these three gentlemen for looking after these areas. amazed, as president for the last two years, at the Sharon and Arn Hamelin manage the book sales amount of support that is given by the rockhound and dvd library for the bcls. They have been a membership to the president and the executive of traveling show, taking the books “On the road” to the bcls. There are so many people ready to help... the Gem Show, the Gemboree, the bcls agm and very talented and capable people who have stepped more. This is hard physical labor, and very time up to let me know about issues that have arisen, consuming. Thanks to both of you for maintaining and helped to provide solutions as needed. this educational aspect of the bcls, and to Sharon, for I would particularly like to thank my executive, selecting new books and interesting videos for us. Liz O’Hea, Pat Boden, and Doug Murray, Vice One fun and exciting aspect of the bcls is the field Presidents, Marie Adshead, Treasurer, and Andrew trips. I would like to thank Bob Morgan for organizing Danneffel, Recording Secretary. They have fulfilled and running the meetings for the wagonmasters to their duties faithfully, and have conducted the arrange field trips twice a year. Harley Waterson has business of the Lapidary Society along with me. sent out the details to Win Robertson, who posts them An important event put on by the bcls is the on the web site. Thank you all, for doing these jobs. BC Gem Show. There is a wonderfully dedicated The bcls has a web page, complete with news, committee that meets nearly every month. Each pictures and links, a glossy calendar displaying bc member of this committee looks after an aspect of the stones, and a beautiful, professional magazine which show. It is a very well organized show with a popular is published quarterly. Win Robertson, has produced following, not only with rockhounds, but with the them all. I would like to compliment her in developing general public as well. I would like to thank the chair, all three of these items into excellent products. She Cam Bacon, and the members of this committee for has been the one person maintaining them over their time commitment, good ideas and hard work the years. Thank you, Win, and very well done! while serving on the BC Gem Show Committee. The next general meeting of the bcls will be Another important event is the Rendezvous, held held on October 2nd, 2011, at Sullivan Hall. These on the long weekend in May. A dedicated committee general bcls meetings have been a huge success, and of five looks after the organization and details of this well attended. Special thanks to Jennifer Moore for event, and it continues to be very popular and successful. the food, Frank Tierney and Bob Morgan for door I would like to send my sincere thanks to the members prizes, Ron Wade and Elmer Beck for set up, Don of this committee who worked to keep it all running Wolf for sound, and Win Robertson for arranging so well: Win Robertson, Ken Dewerson, Lorne Morris, speakers. Thanks to the club members for attending and Pat Boden. I also want to include Pam Lott, who these meetings and making them a success! has been an enormous help to us on this committee. As you can see from all of the above paragraphs, This August, we will be meeting for a week-long my years as president would have been ineffective summer camp at Texada Island. The members of the without the help of all of you in the clubs of the committee to organize this event are Win Robertson bcls. Thank you every member, for giving me this and Doug Murray. I thank them for all the planning support and for doing the jobs you do so cheerfully and arranging they have done on our behalf. I and enthusiastically for the bcls. It’s been a good two know it will be a popular and successful event. years, and a privilege to have held this position. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the storage locker and bcls trailer. These are maintained by Arn Respectfully submitted, Hamelin. His many hours of work in keeping these two De Morgan, areas functional and repaired. are very much appreciated. President, BCLS, 2009 – 2011 Lui Porc organizes the trailer’s contents during the year and while it is loaded after the Gem Show. Frank 2 | B.C. Rockhounder Wire Wrap Jewellery: A History from the Past to the Present by Diane Mason We should begin this journey by has samples of jewellery from the shaped into natural forms like shells defining just what jewellery is and Sumerian dynasty found in the and flowers were made on a fairly does. Jewellery is comprised of those Cemetery of Ur that contain spiraled large scale. Beautiful and ornate items that we wear toadorn our wire components. It is known that necklaces using wire to mount these clothes, bodies, and personalities. Egyptian and Phoenician artists items were found in burial sites as Wire wrap jewellery began as an practiced this craft over 4,000 early as 300 bce. Certainly as the ancient craft and continues today. years ago, and pieces have been ancient world grew and empires fell, It is the only known metal jewellery found in the Pyramids as well as the use of wire expanded and was craft that is created completely in ancient Pharaohs tombs. moved around the world by traveling without soldering or casting: this The art of wire wrapping has armies. Early explorers carried simply means that there is no heat been clearly identified around the pieces with them, and eventually applied; there is no flame or torch time of the Phoenician empire this included moving the pieces and used to melt the metals together. about 1,000 bce. At that time gold their craft across vast oceans. When Consequently, creating wire wrap or silver was hammered into thin early settlers to America became jewellery is more of a challenge since sheets, cut into thin strips, and the friendly with Native Americans, the piece must be held together only edges filed smooth to make the wire. they became extremely intrigued by the wires themselves. Wire was then woven into a basket with another form of jewellery. It is a logical assumption to of filigree and set into a breastplate. Native Americans made jewellery believe that the first items made Artisans would also use this process with bones, animal heads, claws, were of organic materials that to decorate family crests or coat of and sinew. Thus, it is believed that were available to primitive man. arms. At approximately the same this new form of craftsmanship was Such items may have included time, in the Book of Exodus, detailed incorporated into some of the pieces wood, grass, nuts, seeds, bones, instructions and shells. At some point in time were given about gemstones and metals were added. setting gemstones Beautiful and ornate necklaces It is unknown which metal was into the priestly using wire to mount these items first found. A copper pendant was garments. Biblical discovered in what is now Iraq and scholars have were found in burial sites as has been dated at about 8,700 bce. placed this event It is believed that gold appeared on near 1446 bce. It is early as 300 BCE. the scene around 4,000 bce. Artisans unknown exactly of ancient Egypt used gold to adorn which of these forms of wire the settlers were used to creating. their bodies more than 5,000 years usage might have occurred first. In the 1800s, the Bohemian ago.