January 2012 Collector’s Guide to the Beryl Group, by Robert J. Lauf Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, PA 19310, (610) 593-1777; www.schifferbooks.com February 2012 Gems and Minerals: Earth Treasures of the Royal Ontario Museum, by Dr. Kimberly Tait Firefly Books Ltd., (800) 387-5085; www.fireflybooks.com Cenozoic...
Read More »
by Christopher Wertenberger January 2012 “My project started with an end piece of jade (jadeite) that I found many years ago in Clear Creek, California,” writes January Lapidary of the Month Christopher Wertenberger. “A member of my rock club offered a class on carving stones using an arbor unit. In 40-plus years of doing...
Read More »
Rock & Gem Kids is a monthly feature that offers articles, puzzles, and a quiz with prizes for junior rockhounds. DECEMBER 2011 QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Needlelike rutiles are called “Venus hair” crystals. 2. Bundles of rutile fibers in minerals like corundum create the optical effect known as asterism. 3. Brilliant white powdered rutile is...
Read More »
Rock & Gem Kids is a monthly feature that offers articles, puzzles, and a quiz with prizes for junior rockhounds. NOVEMBER 2011 QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Chalcopyrite and pyrite both have the elements iron and sulfur in their chemical formulas. 2. Chalcopyrite crystals are tetrahedral (four-sided) in form. 3. Tarnished chalcopyrite has a colorful iridescent...
Read More »
December 2011 Geology Underfoot in Yellowstone Country, by Marc S. Hendrix Mountain Press Publishing Co., P.O. Box 2399, Missoula, MT 59806, (406) 728-1900; Info@mtnpress.com; http://mountain-press.com
Read More »
by Homer Barrs December 2011 “As I was cutting a large piece of Pasco Marble,” writes December Craftsman of the Month Homer Barrs, of San Diego, California, “I laid two slabs together and saw an ice-covered pond on Mount St. Helens with the dead trees, bare rocks and snow. I had a picture and...
Read More »
Rock & Gem Kids is a monthly feature that offers articles, puzzles, and a quiz with prizes for junior rockhounds. OCTOBER 2011 QUIZ ANSWERS 1. The three traditional categories of meteorites are based on nickel-iron content. 2. Chemical signatures help scientists determine the origin of some meteorites. 3. Arkansas diamonds occur in a volcanic...
Read More »
by Janet Lynn Burgess November 2011 I began this project in a metal foldforming class where I folded, unfolded, hammered, and otherwise stressed metal into interesting shapes,” says November Craftsman of the Month Janet Lynn Burgess. “I chose this particular piece of 20 gauge copper for making my pendant because it caught my eye...
Read More »
by Caleb Harris October 2011 “I had become interested in scarabs,” writes October Craftsman of the Month Caleb Harris, of Cottonwood, California, “so I decided to make one. As a member of the Shasta Gem & Mineral Society, through which I found out about Rock & Gem, I first ground and polished a 7-gram...
Read More »
Rock & Gem Kids is a monthly feature that offers articles, puzzles, and a quiz with prizes for junior rockhounds. SEPTEMBER 2011 QUIZ ANSWERS 1. Malachite is a hydrous copper carbonate because its chemical formula contains water. 2. Malachite and azurite form in an “oxidation zone” where cool, oxygen-rich water alters the copper. 3....
Read More »
