Rocky Mountain Federation News—April 2014 Page Volume 45 Issue 4 April 2014 The official publication of the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. The RMFMS is a regional member of the American Feder- ation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. and is issued monthly (except June and July). It is a privilege of membership of the RMFMS and cannot be exchanged by the editor for individual club newsletters from other regional federations. www.rmfms.org Inside this Issue: Ramblings from Tucson 2014 by Dr. Mike Nelson Klicks & Klacks from the Editor 6 n or about New Year’s Day most rockhounds begin to dream AFMS Endowment Raffle 7 about “Tucson” and fanaticize about finding a big hunk of crys- The Lure & Lore of Rocks 8 O tals during one of their field excursions---at least I do! I have nev- World Rock Tumbling Contest 8 er located one of those worthy crystals but have lived out some [email protected], www.csmsgeologypost.blog ACROY 9 of my dreams by attending the Tucson “shows” for the last few spot.com years. I suppose that luxury is probably reserved for ole guys like RMFMS Juniors Rockhounds Excel 9 me who are no longer gainfully employed. At any rate, Tucson is probably near the News from AFMS 11 top of the bucket list for most rockhounds. The official 2014 Show poster. Directory Edits 12 When the word “Tucson” is mentioned most rockhounds think of the four day Protecting Junior Authors 12 “official” show held in the Convention Center during the second full weekend in Create Your Own Mineral Book 13 February (beginning on Thursday). The show is sponsored by The Tucson Gem and Helpful Tips 14 Mineral Society, Inc. and is the largest gem and mineral show in the U.S. although we Invitation from Grand Junction 14 often hear largest in the world. Approximately 250 dealers provide a variety of goods for sale ranging from reasonably priced mineral specimens for the average Tooele G&M Society’s 50th Anniv. 15 collector (smaller number of these dealers every year) to high end dealers selling Hour Glass Selenite Field Trip 16 crystals for tens of thousands of dollars to all types of jewelry shops (CZ to large emer- Laughter is the Best Medicine 16 alds). The number of booths is overwhelming and essentially impossible to observe in Diamonds of New York State 17 a single day. In addition to dealers, the show is “dedicated to presenting extraordi- Wanna Trade? 18 nary mineral, gem, fossil, lapidary and jewelry exhibits…and [providing] a rare win- dow into private and museum collections from around the world.” These exhibits SCRIBE Meeting 18 form the core of the show and always offer some outstanding pieces, often cen- Shows & More 20 tered on the show theme. Kids and adults alike flock to the show to see specimens AFMS Land Use Policy 21 usually reserved for displays in major museums. AFMS Code of Conduct 21 But, the official “show” is not the only game in town. Starting around February 1st, Delegate Credential Form 22 dealers begin to establish their selling booths at one of the satellite shows scattered Proxy Form 23 around the city. These shows are sometimes centered around a motel/hotel such as nd Officers & Committees 24 the Hotel Tucson City Center, or a “really large” tent-like structure (22 Street Show), a permanent building (Mineral and Fossil Co-Op), individual booths/tents/trucks in a parking lot (Miner’s Co-Op), or a mixture of booths and the really large tent-like structures (Kino Gem and Mineral Show). Some handle only high-end gems (The Westward Look Show) while several specialize in beads (Tucson Bead Show). I have even seen pickups parked in empty lots selling rocks or whatever (not associated with any official show). Usually the official vendors sell items associated with rocks, gems, minerals, beads, and equipment, but I have seen sunglasses and coon skin hats for sale. These entire activities make for a fantastic array of sale items at all prices—from two minerals for a dollar to individual crystals costing tens of thousands of dollars. And these public sales don’t take into account all of the private transac- tions taking place around the city, often before the shows even begin. Rather than duplicate material, I have a small article on satellite shows in the April CSMS Pick & Pack, the Newsletter of the Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society (www.csms.us). Rocky Mountain Federation News—April 2014 Page 2 The BIG day arrived on Thursday, February 13, as the 60th show opened with a PUBLICATIONS theme of Diamonds, Gems, Silver and Gold; I was in line for a ticket at the opening bell! As usual, the events and booths inside the Center were almost overwhelming. Editor: I made my way through the many jewelry dealers crowded in a large preliminary room to what I presume is the main hall—I wanted to see the diamonds, gems, sil- Betty Cain ver, and gold! 2702 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Colo. Springs, CO 80909 719-634-8205 [email protected] Circulation Manager: Made for a mistress! The Cartier Bandeau was created in the Cartier Paris House in 1920. The 58 carats of dia- Bill Cain (see above) monds set in platinum converts to a choker, earrings, 719-322-6089 bracelet, lapel clip pins, and pendant drop. Does anyone do [email protected] the Charleston? Maybe the Lindy Hop? Subscriptions: Gene Maggard 8318 SE Highway 77 Leon, KS 67076 This tiara from the Smithsonian Institution with 1198 “old mine” 316-742-3746 and rose cut diamonds set in [email protected] silver and gold in a garland of wild roses. The gems are set Rates—$3.50 a year for “en tremblant” where the flow- the Rocky Mountain Fed- ers are mounted on trembler eration News only. $7.75 springs so that every movement a year for both the Rocky enhances the brilliance and sparkle. It was created in the Mountain Federation News mid-1800s. and the RMFMS Directory. Directory only—$5.00 Order from Supplies Chair, Kim Blanton 728 E. Sandy Dunes Dr. Sandy, UT 84094 801-604-1263 Not full of fire, a ~740 carat carbonado dia- mond from Africa. This is a polycrystalline [email protected] diamond composed of numerous micro- and cryptocrystalline crystallites. Deadline Bulletin submissions dead- line is the third week of the month prior to publica- tion date; i.e., the dead- line for the May bulletin is the third week of April or earlier as requested. Tiffany and Company created Unless otherwise marked, (1950s) this Colombian emerald materials from this publica- and diamond necklace. The three large emeralds average about 7 tion may be reprinted by carats each. members, giving credit to the author and the Rocky Mountain Federation News. Rocky Mountain Federation News—April 2014 Page 3 This piece features diamonds and a 39.80 carat pink topaz. ~3.4 pounds of mine run diamonds from Zimbabwe seized by the U.S Customs Office and now in the possession of the Smithsonian Institution. My assessment, and only mine, is that the show displays were not as spectacular as in previous shows. For one thing, diamonds are small, and the crystals are tough to really see in a showcase behind glass. Unfortunately, cuts like the Hope Diamonds are too valuable and perhaps too fragile for travel outside their museum home. And who could forget the AUSROX gold nugget of over 60 pounds displayed a couple of years ago. Perhaps my favorite year was the Arizona Centennial display of Arizona minerals—wow. At any rate, I enjoyed observing the many cases at this year’s event and continued to marvel at the many wonders of nature. Some of my favorites are shown. Nearly 40 carats of faceted tanzanite. That is a real gem! The famous Farncomb Hill in Summit County, CO, has produced beautiful wire gold. California gold on quartz. Rocky Mountain Federation News—April 2014 Page 4 Would I ever like to spot this little beauty in the wild! From Western Australia. With all of those really nice gems and pieces of gold, it might be difficult to pick a favorite display; however, I have done so! It is not as flashy as the emeralds or as valuable as the gold, but the geology behind the specimen is fasci- nating (after all I am a geologist rather than a mineralogist). My vote for the best: a small display of amethyst from Four Peaks Arizona. Why--the geology of the quartz deposit in the Mazatzal Highlands. The Mazatzal Mountains are located immediately northeast of the Phoenix metro area trending north to their mergence with the Mongollon Rim near the small com- munity of Pine. The Rim is the transitional boundary between the Colorado Plateau (north) and the Basin and Range (south) physiographic provinces. Much of the Mazatzal landscape is protected as the Mazatzal Wilderness Area although there is major access via AZ 87 (Beeline Highway) from Fountain Hills to Payson. More rug- ged access via forest roads and mine roads may be found to the northeast of the Cave Creek area where I have briefly explored. The south end of the Mazatzals is buttressed by Four Peaks, a mountain visible to much of the Phoenix area, especial- ly the eastern metro area. During my many camping trips to Lost Dutchman State Park, (far eastern metro Phoenix), I note that Four Peaks is quite visible and is the first local area to be covered by periodic winter snow. The only named peak of Four Peaks is Brown’s Peak at 7644 feet.