Article Idea Exchange
The Rock & Gem Article Idea Exchange is designed to let our readers communicate the article topics they’d like to see covered in the pages of Rock & Gem to writers across the United States. To submit an idea for posting on this page, e-mail it to editor@rockngem.com.
Writers who intend to follow up a story idea should contact the editor of Rock & Gem prior to preparing a submission. All submissions are taken on speculation. Use of the ideas on this page implies no contract or guarantee to accept any submission. Articles will be considered on a first come, first served basis. The editor reserves the right to accept any article that best meets her needs.
Consult Rock & Gem's Writers’ Guidelines before preparing a submission. A completed Contributor Agreement and W-9 must accompany your first submission. Contact the editor at (805) 644-3824 ext. 29 or editor@rockngem.com for these materials.
Article Ideas:
Posted 10/26/07: I would be interested in an article on how to work fire agate. It seems that a lot would have to be freeform, but how close to the fire can one get without destroying the stone? There must be a bunch of good tips stored in the minds of your writers.
--Becky Krause
07/17/07: I buy and sell a few gemstones on the Internet. I am always hearing about how there are so many imitations of stones like turquoise, onyx, lapis, and others being made and sent from Thailand and China. I have not been buying and selling stones for very long, but have never run into these imitations. All of the stones I buy come from both China and Thailand. I just thought maybe there could be some discussion and maybe some pictures of these imitations. How to recognize them and how to avoid finding ourselves in the position of falling prey to these imitations.
--George, TaoGem
Posted 04/23/07: I would like to see an article related to caring for and cleaning mineral specimens in a collection. As you are well aware, many minerals are soft, fragile, brittle, soluble, etc. Could someone share some information on how to keep that ever present dust off or remove it once it settles on specimens and detracts from the wonderful colours and lusters of minerals?
--Louis Kamenka, Alberta, Canada
Posted 04/23/07: As a collector, I would like to know which minerals can be damaged by artificial or natural light. Certain minerals are really susceptible to sunlight. For example, amethyst will fade in bright sunlight, clear vivianite will turn darker when exposed to light, and pink flourite loses its color over time if exposed to light. An article that details which minerals should be "kept in the dark" would be greatly appreciated!
--Louis Kamenka, Alberta, Canada
Posted 03/06/07: We are repeatedly seeing and hearing how show attendance has been declining and how interest in our hobby is shrinking because of clubs failing to attract new members. We were set up as a dealer in the Jackson (MS) Gem & Mineral Society club show in February, and the attendance was phenomenal! The show is small, with 24 dealers, but they got in close to an amazing 5,000 people! There were wall to wall people, the sales were great, the attendees had fun, and the club made money and signed up new members. We have been doing shows for 20 years, and this was the best-promoted and -run show we have ever attended. The two people who spearheaded this were Stan Bennet and Sharon McClanahan (contact editor for phone number). The different ideas and methods they used to accomplish this during a time of declining attendance could and should be used as a blueprint by every club wanting to build their show and club numbers. I think their story and success would make interesting and useful reading for your readers and club members everywhere.
--Richard Hightower, Stones & Bones Fossils
Posted 12/29/06: I think it would be interesting to have an article on how different colors can be achieved when a rock is heat treated and what methods are used. Not thinking in terms of "precious" gems (facetable), but rock materials that we generally slab, cab, carve or make into beads. We already know yellow tiger's-eye will turn red, but variscite can change to purple and Indonesian coral can become more colorful by heating. Beyond these examples, I imagine there are many more that different folks have experimented with.
Posted 08/04/06: I recently got more and more interested in opals and opal mining. I also learned about these mining claims, but I can't get great information about these claims and how they work/what they include. Could you write a story about the different claims, what they mean, what you can do with them and pros and cons about these claims. Maybe some tips in investing in those would be highly appreciated.
--Sven Poelmans
Editor's Note: Rather than a blanket article on opal claims, concentrate on one state (i.e., Idaho, Nevada, etc.).
