1 JULY2020 EDITION No Stone Unturned

CLUB REOPENS 18th JULY You will appreciate that this may be is subject to change. An operation plan has been submitted for approval by the Management Committee Please keep watch on our Facebook page for further information.

SILVER ARTISTS Now you have mastered the art of using silver wire, have you ever tried using macramé knots in your weaving? You’ll need to keep your silver wire well annealed for maximum flexibility. It may help if you practice the knots on string first until you become confident. To learn how to make basic knots try

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/basic-macrame-knots-4176636

Here are some examples

WORK OUTSIDE THE SQUARE

Inside are notes on different mediums you may like to try and some of the pros and cons of working with them. . 2

WE WISH TO THANK THE FEDERAL MEMBER CONTACT INFORMATION: FOR LEICHHARDT, HON. WARREN ENTSCH, Phone: 0450 185 250 FOR FACILITATING THE PRINTING OF THIS Email: [email protected] MAGAZINE. Postal Address: PO Box 389, Westcourt. 4870. NQ 129 Mulgrave Road (in the Youth Centre Grounds) USUALLY CLUB HOURS ARE: MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Monday 4:00pm to 9:30 pm President: Michael Hardcastle Vice-president: Mike Rashleigh Wednesday *8:30am to 12:30 Secretary: Jan Hannam *1:00pm to 4:00pm Treasurer: Joe Venables Saturday *9:00am to 1:00 Assistant Secretary: Allan Rose Assistant Treasurer: Richie Williams *12:00pm to 4:00pm Extra Members MC: Debbie Bloomfield Workroom fees are $4 per session or part OTHER PERSONNEL: thereof and must be paid before session begins. Purchasing Officer: Jan Saal Specimen Curator: David Croft The Club provides tuition in cabbing, faceting, Specimen Testers: David Croft, Vic Lahtinen, silver-smithing and lost wax casting Trevor Hannam USUALLY GENERAL MEETINGS: Cabochon Advisors: Jodi Sawyer Faceting Instructors: Jim Lidstone, Joe Ferk, General meetings are held on the 1st Saturday of Trevor Hannam each month. When this is a public holiday, the Silver Instructors: Sylvia Rose, Jan Saal meeting is deferred until the following Saturday. Machinery Curators: volunteers needed Note: Your Attendance at General Meetings Gem Testing: Vic Lahtinen, Trevor Hannam ensures that your voice will be heard when it comes Librarian: David Croft to making decisions concerning the running of the Facebook Admin: Tammi Saal, Peggy Walker club. Webpage Admin: Richie Williams, John Heenan QLACCA Delegate: Bill Reece CLUB PURCHASING POLICY: Youth Centre Rep: Bill Reece If you wish to purchase something on behalf of the Field Trip Advisors: Allan Gale, Craig Walker, club, please notify the purchasing officer, Jan Saal John Heenan, Leigh Twine Gem Festival: Trevor Hannam, Michael PLEASE CONSIDER CONTRIBUTING MATERIAL Hardcastle, Allan Gale, for “No Stone Unturned”. Tammi Saal, Mike Rashleigh Auditor: Carey Accountancy Magazine Editor and Publisher: Jeanne Mora Safety Officers positions vacant The Editor reserves the right to choose and edit all material featured in this magazine. Club Banking details for anyone wishing to pay Although all care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the membership fees electronically: material herein, the Editor does not accept Bendigo bank Acc: 165026436 BSB: 633 000 responsibility for any inaccuracies which may Gem Festival and Membership inadvertently occur. 3

Brian (Youth Centre President) has painted the whole of the Fulton complex and it looks great. Despite COVID-!9 lurking around, our members are finding that the hobby of lapidary has enough variety to keeps them busy. Damien, David and Tim ventured up Clark’s Creek in search of rhodonite. There were thrills and spills but (unfortunately) no specimens found. Trevor and Jan went to Chudleigh Park seeking peace of mind, moonstone and peridot. Rick, Saumi, and Peggy made jewellery in their unique styles (as I’m sure many other members are). See some pictures below. Michael is surfing the web and including fabulous pictures of mineral specimens on the Facebook page. The Management Committee are working hard to find a way to get the club up and running so members will be able to use our excellent facilities again. Any conditions they impose MUST be followed to the letter for the opening to work. Members will al need to chip in to keep the rooms germ free.

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7 11 CLUB MEMBERS WORK

Clockwise from top left 1 Cuff by Aura 10 2,3,4 Pendants by Rick 8 9 5, 6, 7 gem set silver rings by Peggy 8 Pendant by Peggy 9 Bolder opal buttons by Saumi 10 Pendants by Saumi 11 Bolder opal pendant by Saumi 4 Think Outside the Box and Try a New Medium for Jewellery Making As lapidaries you are probably well aware of the properties of both silver and gold, so they are not included in this particular article. Some of the other materials may be of interest to you. With respect to shells , those on beaches and in the ocean in national parks Australia are protected and must not be taken. If in doubt , ask . Further information on working with the various materials can be readily found on the internet or in one of many books available.

Pros Cons Platinum is about 30 times rarer than gold and four Denser and rarer than gold, more is needed to times stronger….so is far more hard wearing. make a ring. It will never tarnish and is entirely corrosion It is more expensive than gold or white gold. resistant and non allergenic. It is heavier to wear than gold jewellery. It is naturally white and will not fade to yellow 5

Pros Cons Titanium is completely hypoallergenic Titanium is extremely difficult to solder unless it is It is scratch resistant, lightweight and easy to mixed with other metals. colour. It is not easy to resize eg a ring. It is highly resistant to chemicals and can be easily It is very expensive and rare. recycled. It is resistant to corrosion.

What can Titanium be Used for

It is used for watch parts, as machine parts in harsh environments, tennis racquets, bicycles and gold clubs, body-piercing jewellery, prosthetics, dental work and surgical instruments (due to it being hypoallergenic

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The Pros and Cons of Using Base Metals for Jewellery Making:

Pros Cons An affordable choice. Their surfaces are usually quick to tarnish and Widely available and widely stocked. oxidise in air. Can be used in 3D printing. More people are allergic to base metals than precious metals. They allow for a wide range of colouring techniques. They can’t be hall marked or used in pieces that will When tackling a very complex pattern, copper is a be hallmarked. good metal to practice on as it is relatively cheap. Older base metals may contain traces of lead. It makes a nice contrast to silver in a complex pattern. Base metals need to use pickles that will not be used for silver . Clean it with Coke. 7

The Pros and Cons of Using Pearls for Jewellery Making:

Pros Cons Pearls can be modified with dyes, bleached or coat- Pearls may lose their lustre over time as the nacre ed with lacquer. wears away. Pearl jewellery is easy to care for and polished with Natural pearls are very expensive. beeswax and, with proper care, can last a lifetime. They are soft and easily damaged.

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Pros Cons Cultured pearls are affordable. Constant contact with even the mildest of acids or In its natural form, the pearl is a thing of beauty so it chlorine will erode the nacre of the pearl and they doesn’t need to be cut, polished or manipulated in will lose their lustre. any way before making jewellery with it.

The Pros and Cons of Using Shell for Jewellery Making:

Pros Cons

Since 2018, shell jewellery has been on trend, so If drilling, cutting, carving and manipulating care now’s the time to go beach combing MUST be taken not to inhale any dust as it is extremely toxic. Always wear a mask. Shell can be easily drilled, cut and carved using commonly available jewellery making tools. The industry of harvesting sea shells is crippling our marine life. (only use sea shells you’ve found on the Shells can e easily cleaned, strung and polished. beach and check first with the local authority that When its found on the beach it’s free. (It is illegal to it is OK to do so) take some shells from some beaches so check first!) 9

For thousands of years, seeds, nuts and roots from plants have been used to adorn the body in various cultures across the world. Popular choices of seeds and nuts for making od beads or for using in jewellery making are Tagu (Ivory Palm Nut), Betel, Rudraksha, Acai and Buri . (Go online to see what these plants are.)

The Pros and Cons of Using Seeds and Nuts for Jewellery Making:

Pros Cons Widely available. These are fragile and can break if Very economical. Try growing your own plants and drying the bumped, knocked or dropped. seeds. They are not water resistant and may Easy to carve, drill and polish. swell or germinate if wet. Extremely light weight so ideal for beading Many seeds are fast growing so are very sustainable

Earrings made from white Necklace made from pistachio nuts vegetable ivory 10

Pros Cons Economical especially if you are using salvaged Wood absorbs water so avoid soaking. driftwood . It will be prone to knocks, bumps and bashes so Can be easily manipulated, carved, shaped cut and special care must be taken when wearing polished. The natural colours of wooden jewellery may fade Wood is lightweight so makes a good choice for or darken over time due to statement necklaces and other large jewellery perspiration and weathering. items.

As lapidaries work with stones of varying qualities, this section is short.

Pros Cons The variety of texture , colours and finish is vast. Some stone can be affected by chemicals, greases and contaminants. Can be cabbed, facetted, carved , drilled, polished and manipulated in many ways. Chips and breakages may occur 11

Pros Cons Possible investment - If the stone is precious. Special tools are required to manipulate stone so it can be expensive to work with.

Pros Cons Glass can be heated to create various different shapes Glass is very fragile. Whilst it is very hard, it can also be and forms easily chipped or broken. Available in a myriad of colours Glass jewellery can be heavy so it is best to make Glass beads can be easily and cheaply produced and are delicate beads, earrings, necklaces and pendants. more economical than crystal (glass with lead in) Cold working tools have to be made with synthetic diamond grit coating making the tools expensive.

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Pros Cons Lightweight Can scratch and mark easily. (but can also be buffed out easily) Affordable, especially when buying wholesale or in bulk. Acrylic is a good alternative to glass as it is lighter, yet Will melt if exposed to a flame. stronger, and stays cool in hot weather. Acrylics release toxic fumes at high temperature so you need to be Durable and flexible in that it can be formed into shapes careful when using any rotary tools to cut or grind the acrylic. Wear and all sorts of colours. a mask. Resin can have items added to it whilst in the mould, Not as shiny as glass. making it fun and explorative.

Pros Cons Very hard wearing and scratch-resistant and lightweight. Porcelain in particular is extremely hard to cut, drill or grind. Hypoallergenic, so ceramic wedding bands are a good alternative for those who have allergic reactions to met- Can be brittle making them easy to chip or crack. als.

Polymer Clay In it's many forms and colours, Polymer clay is an affordable, versatile and durable material to work with when jewellery making. Polymer clay is a good material for beginners as it is super easy to use and comes in an array of colours and sheens, as in the wide range of metal clay's available. 13

Triangles: Cute but a bit demanding. You may have to adjust the inside diameter of the rings a little as you go. This pattern was transposed from inches to centimetres (a very tricky process).

Each triangle uses: 9X1.3 wire rings with an ID of 8mm, 6X1.02mm wire rings with an ID of 6.5mm 3X1.02mm wire rings with an ID of 5mm 9X1.02mm wire rings with an ID of 4mm To get the correct sized wire you are going to have to draw out thicker wire to the correct diameter. Try the pattern out using copper (inexpensive) wire before you tackle silver wire.

Close six 1.02mm X Join the ends with another 1.02mm 6.5mm rings and X 4.0mm ring to make a triangle connect them in pairs as shown of two with 1.02mm X 4.0mm rings as shown

Put a 1.3cmm X 8mm ring around one of the smaller rings (that joins the 1.02mm and 6.5mm rings.) That is the larger ring top left.

Here’s the side view

Add two more of the 8mm Put two 1.3mm X 8mm ID rings to fill up the rings through one of the pattern. This is tight and it 1.02mm X 6.5mm ring needs to be made so as to pairs as shown. make the shape rigid.

Repeat on the other two Link the just added 1.3mm X sides. 8mm rings together at each point with two 1.02mm X4mm rings. 14

Loop a 1.02mm X 5mm ring through the two rings you added.

Make sure the ring will go through the 1.3mm X 8mm 'base' ring and between the two large, vertical rings.

As seen from above. See complete triangle at the top of the pre- vious page.

Link together a few to make a bracelet or necklace or make just one for a pretty pendant or two for a pair of earrings. Use one colour or more.

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD. HOW WELL DID YOU DO? 15