ON THE COVER
Maine is famous for its wealth of pegmatite gems and minerals. This 5-inch-tall tourmaline is from the famous 1972 find at the Dunton mine in Oxford County. (Joe Budd photo/Courtesy The Arkenstone)
FEATURES
Maine’s Best Minerals
Pegmatites produce industrial and collector
minerals and gems
by Steve Voynick
Lead’s Dangerous Beauty
This element has a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality
by Bob Jones
Bumble Bee “Jasper”
A colorful volcanic lapidary material
by Helen Serras-Herman
Water: The Great Dissolver
It moves the process of mineral crystallization
by Bob Jones
Rock & Gem Kids
Feldspar, a mineral dictionary, and a quiz
FIELD TRIPS
The Trona Gem-O-Rama
Collect evaporite minerals from briny Lake Searles
by Stuart “Tate” Wilson
Giant Geodes in Middle Tennessee
A 30-year quest ends in success
by Richard Gross
Dinosaur Hunting in Montana
Fossil-collecting trips on private land
by Jim Landon
REGULAR COLUMNS
Picks & Pans
Museum exhibits, book reviews, hobby news
Lapidary of the Month
Inlaid coffee table
by Doug Schroeder
Show Dates
Mark your calendar!
Shop Talk
Cool It
by William A. Kappele
Rock Science
The Ongoing Drama of Gold
by Steve Voynick
What to Cut
Feather Ridge Plume Agate
by Scott Empey
Many Facets
Bi-Color Amethyst Guernsey
Maze Cut
by Larry Mattos
On the Rocks
The Origin of Elements
by Bob Jones
Field Notes
Reader Letters