Pebble Press April 2016 Page 1

Next Executive Meeting Tuesday, April 19, 2016 at 7:00 PM

NOTICE BOARD

Richmond Gem and Mineral Society’s

PEBBLE PRESS For April 2016

NEXT GENERAL MEETING Tuesday, April 26, 2016

6:45 pm start

PROGRAM

Video on the Smaller Agates

SHOW & TELL

Minerals / Micromounts

REFRESHMENT TABLE

If your last name starts with the following letter, then it is your turn to bring a finger food or other type of snack for the refresh-ment table:

L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, & Z

If possible, please bring your own cup to drink from.

Workshop Calendar April to June 2016

Lapidary Studio

“Waiting for Tender Closing”

While we are patiently waiting to get back to the Lapi-dary Studio and have some fun, many of our club mem-bers have volunteered their time to help in refreshing it.

The new drip systems for the lapidary arbors have been installed. The Centrifugal Casting machine has been re-paired and we now have a portable lapidary arbor that we can use for promotional events. Most of our materials from the cabinets we lost, has been relocated to other cabinets we retained.

There is work still to be done before the Lapidary Studio is usable for us. Once the existing drainage piping is re-moved from inside the west wall cabinets, we will need to complete the reorganization and labelling of the stor-age cabinets to hold the materials and equipment required for the various activities we do. We will also need to set-up the soldering stations in both the silversmithing room and lapidary studio.

We have been informed that once the tendering process has been completed, The City’s Facility Department will make the final decision and if approved, then renovations should start soon after. The Cultural Centre’s expecta-tion is for all the work to be completed before June 30.

Our Annual Show “55 Shades of Turquoise”

Saturday, April 30 & Sunday, May 1

Let’s make this show a success! Tell your friends and family about our show.

PLEASE JOIN US

For an insight into the World of Lapidary, Rock and Min-erals, and Silversmithing at the Richmond Gem and Min-eral Society’s 55th Annual Rock Show. The Richmond Gem and Mineral Society is presenting

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Rendezvous 2016 Hope, BC

May 21, 22, & 23

This is a great weekend to participate in field trips, take part in a live rock auction, and if you buy tickets a chance to win priz-es at the bucket draw. It also a great event to meet new people and maybe find answers to all those questions you have. You can also take part in the Pot Luck Dinner on Friday night, May 20.

Pebble Press April 2016 Page 2

General Meeting

Month

Executive Meeting

Tuesday the 22nd March Tuesday the 15th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 26th April Tuesday the 19th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 24th May Tuesday the 17th. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 28th June Tuesday the 21st. 7:00 pm

Tuesday the 23rd August Tuesday the 16th. 7:00 pm

FUTURE MEETING PLANNER 2016

Executive Positions 2015-2016

President Anthony Young

Vice-President Office to be filled

Secretary Jan McRobb

Treasurer George Howe

Program Chairperson Livia Waterson

Show Chairperson Lisa Kew

Workshop Chairperson Lui Porc

Ways & Means Chairperson Linda Boyce

Field Trip Chairperson Harley Waterson

Publicity Chairperson Natalie Helmstetter

Librarian Kay Eichacker

Pebble Press Editor Eugenia Kurganska

Social Convenor Bellamy Ho

Membership Chairperson Darlene Howe

Senior Delegate Sharon Hamelin

Past President Bob Gregory

Non-Executive Positions

Contact at Large Darlene Howe

Intermediate Delegate Darlene Howe

Junior Delegate Arn Hamelin

Workshop Assistants George Howe Tom Braund

Membership Assistant Dorreh Jahanshahi

Ways & Means Assistant Joan Turrell

“55 Shades of Turquoise” at the Richmond Arts Centre, 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond on Saturday, April 30th, 10 am to 5 pm, and Sunday, May 1st, 2016, 10 am to 4 pm. This year's annual show features mini educational seminars on Turquoise and Jade identification. Society members will demonstrate lapidary, silversmithing/jewelry making techniques. Families fun activities include; Spin & Win, Rock Identification, Roll the Dice to Win, and necklace or bracelet making for kids. Find out more about rocks at the 'Rock & Mineral' identification table. Check out display cases of members works or participate in the lively silent 'rock' auction. In addition, beautiful handcraft-ed jewelry, rough rock, mineral specimens, books, jewelry supplies and much more will be for sale. The RGMS supports & encourages our members’ interests in lapidary, gems & miner-als, and many forms of jewelry making. Our lapidary studio located at Richmond Arts Centre is fully equipped for stone cutting & polishing as well as silversmithing. Come join us at our general meetings held on the 4th Tuesday every month (except July). This fun event is for all ages and admission is by donation. Free parking is available. The Richmond Arts Centre is located on Minoru Blvd. across from Richmond Centre Mall and close to public transit. 55 Years in the Richmond Community and still going strong! Please visit richmondbclapidary.wordpress.com for more show and club information. Contact Information: Richmond Gem and Mineral Society Lisa Kew - rgms.bc.ca@gmail.com

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BCLS Calendar Photo Contest

Found a great rock? Want to share it with others? Like winning prizes? Then enter the BCLS 2017 Calendar Photo Contest. The contest entry deadline is June 30th, 2016. Contact Denise Cullen, BCLS Calendar Coordinator at denisecullen@telus.net or 604-944-

4842 for further information, or http://www.bclapidary.com/2017%20Calendar%20Contest.pdf

Pebble Press April 2016 Page 3

Minutes of the March 22, 2016 General Meeting

Meeting called to order at 7:00 pm by Anthony Young Welcome to new members

Minutes: Chair moved to accept minutes as posted in Pebble Press. Seconded by: Jean M. Motion passed.

Correspondence: None

Vice-President’s Report: None

Treasurer’s Report: As of March 19, 2016: Revenue: $7,378.49 Expenses: $7,074.23 Balance: $304.26

Program Report: Video on small agates. Show and Tell: Mineral Specimens / Micromounts

Show Chairperson’s Report: Lisa has posters and handbills. Handbills are available for

members to pick up and hand out to others. Lisa reminded everyone that volunteers are required to have

a successful show. Marketing of our show is now in its final phase. News re-

leases are being made and posters will be distributed to community centers.

Workshop: Refreshing of the Studio has began and will continue until it

is reopened. Equipment is being repaired.

Ways & Means: Do not forget to purchase your Ways & Means tickets; 4 for

a $1.00. Mostly rocks and minerals tonight.

Field Trip Report: The Yale Bar visit produced a great piece of jade found by a

new member of the Abbotsford Club. Rendezvous is being held in Hope this year, hope you take

the time to visit, and take part. Summer camp takes place in Quesnel this year. See BCLS’s website for other scheduled field tr ips

Publicity Report: No report

Librarian Report: No report

Pebble Press: If you are not getting an email copy of the Pebble Press contact Darlene Howe at darhowe@shaw.ca

Social Convenor: Thank-you for the goodies and assistance. Coffee and Tea is ready.

Membership: Celebration of Life for Trapper will be held on April 3,

2016. For those members who have not signed in, please do so. Lynn Henderson was our guest tonight. Special thank-you to those members who are helping with

the refreshing of the Lapidary Studio.

Senior Delegate Report: March 26/27 is the Mt. Baker Rock and Gem Show. Rendezvous will have a guest speaker talking about the

“Big Freeze” and a guided tour of some of the geology around Hope. Pot Luck dinner will take place on Friday evening. Demonstrators are required. Guest vendor is Rock & Gem Essentials.

Summer Camp, August 2 - 6, it’s to be exploration. Main campsite is Lazy Days Resort around 10 Mile Lake.

Art Council Report No Report.

President’s Report: No Report.

Old Business: None New Business: None Show & Tell: A great selection of various crystals. Next Executive Meeting: Tuesday, April 19

Next General Meeting: Tuesday, April 26 Meeting Adjourned at 7:35 PM.

RICHMOND GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY Minutes of the General Meeting held on Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Pebble Press April 2016 Page 4

Birthstone of The Month (credit to earthsky.org )

Happy birthday April babies! Your birthstone, the diamond, is the rich cousin of graphite. Diamonds are the rich cousins of graphite. Both are crystalline forms of pure carbon. The enormous differences in their proper-ties are a result of the way the carbon atoms are bonded togeth-er. In graphite, carbon atoms are arranged in sheets that easily slide past each other, which makes graphite ideal as a lubricant and, of course, pencil lead. Diamond crystals, on the other hand,

are a tight-fisted network of carbon atoms securely held in four directions, making it the hardest naturally-occurring substance in the world. In order to achieve such a compact and strongly-held network of carbon atoms, it is believed that diamonds must have crystal-lized deep under the Earth’s surface. At these depths the proper conditions for the formation of diamonds exist; at 90 to 120 miles deep, pressures are more than 65,000 times that of the atmosphere at the Earth’s surface, with temperatures exceeding 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. Such pressures and temperatures re-produced in laboratories have successfully yielded synthetic diamonds. There are many kinds of diamonds: transparent, translucent, or opaque; ranging from colorless to sooty black, with many colors in between. Mostly transparent diamonds, colorless or tinted, are used as jewelry. Others are used widely in industry. The color of a diamond depends on the kind of impurities embedded inside it. Yellow diamonds, for example, betray minute quantities of ni-trogen, while boron imparts a bluish hue. There are other inclu-sions in diamonds that have great scientific value. Such samples are time capsules that yield valuable information about condi-tions deep in the Earth’s upper mantle where diamonds formed, as well as clues to the formation and age of the diamond. Diamonds are found in alluvial deposits – gravel swept by streams, rivers, glaciers, and ocean currents. They are also found in sedimentary rock where gravel deposits and organic material

have been compressed into rock. Diamonds can be found in some samples of kimberlite – a type of volcanic rock first identi-fied in Kimberley, South Africa. Diamonds found in kimberlite are thought to be very old, perhaps as much as three billion years old. Tiny flecks of diamond have even been found inside meteorites – bits of rocky space debris that land on Earth. Diamonds are crystals. Crystals are the ultimate form of sym-metry in nature. Their shape reflects the internal orderly ar-rangement of atoms within the crystal. In diamonds, atoms of carbon are held tightly by covalent bonding, where two neigh-boring atoms share an electron, endowing the diamond crystal with great strength. But despite that hardness, diamonds can be cut with saws and polished with grinding wheels coated with tiny industrial diamond fragments. In their natural form, dia-monds can appear quite unimpressive. They are cut and polished by skilled craftsmen in a pattern that reflects and refracts the light among its facets to reveal the hidden beauty of the stone. Diamonds’ cold, sparkling fire has held us spell-bound for cen-turies, inspiring rich, passionate myths of romance, intrigue, power, greed, and magic. Ancient Hindus, finding diamonds washed out of the ground after thunderstorms, believed they were created by bolts of lightning. In our place and time, the diamond is a symbol of enduring love, and often graces engage-ment rings. Some diamonds seem to have lived lives of their own. One leg-endary stone in the diamond hall of fame is the Koh-i-noor (“Mountain of Light”). The Koh-i-noor diamond’s early history is shrouded in time. It is believed to be 5,000 years old, and was featured in the great Sanskrit epic The Mahabharata. Originally owned by the Rajah of Malwa in India, the Koh-i-noor has since been a player in victories and defeats spanning India, Persia, and Afghanistan. It was in the possession of the great Mogul dynasty from 1526 to 1739. Its owners included Shah Jehan, who built the Taj Mahal in memory of his queen Mumtaz. The Persian invader Nadir Shah briefly possessed it until his assassination in 1747. The jewel then fell into the hands of Afghan rulers who eventually surrendered it to the Rajah of Punjab, Ranjit Singh. Two years after Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839, Punjab became part of India under British rule. The stone was presented to Queen Victoria, who had it cut from its original 187 carats to 108 carats in an attempt to further enhance its beauty. After her death, the diamond became part of the British crown jewels. Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother) wore it in her crown at her 1937 coronation.

Pebble Press April 2016 Page 5

How to make your own openwork wire pendant (credit to http://diy-is-fun.com/)

To create original handmade jewelry sometimes not require

large investments. You can make a pretty pendant with your

own hands. To do this, you should stock up a little bit of pa-

tience and accuracy – and your efforts will be rewarded.

We need: silver wire of different thicknesses; pliers and round-

nosed pliers; clippers; paper; pencil.

To create original handmade jewelry sometimes not require

large investments. You can make a pretty pendant with your

own hands. To do this, you should stock up a little bit of pa-

tience and accuracy – and your efforts will be rewarded.

Step 1. Draw a sketch of the future pendant on a sheet of paper.

Draw it in real size, so that the manufacturing process you can

apply to it blank.

In this case, the pendant is a circle with delicate swirls inside.

Step 2. After preparation of the sketch you can move on to

the direct production of the pendant. To start take the main cir-

cle. In order to form, you will need a wire of larger diameter. Its

fold with in a circle using round-nosed pliers. Wire take a length

greater than the circumference of your sketch.

In the course of the manufacture of the circle, apply it to the

sketch, checking dimensional accuracy.

Fold the long ends of the wire loop. Connect them. Cut extra

piece of material.

Step 3. Cut another piece of wire and using plier s form dou-

ble curl of it. Cut all unnecessary.

Step 4. Create a second cur l of the smaller pieces of thick

wire. Both curl attach to the sketch and workpiece. Make sure

that all parts of the future pendant match the sketch.

Pebble Press April 2016 Page 6

How to make your own openwork wire pendant (credit to http://diy-is-fun.com/)

.

Step 5. To attach to the outside of the openwork pendant fram-

ing, use a thin wire. Connect all the details on the outer circle

with tight turns. Cut and bend inward with pliers the ends of the

coils, so they are not stuck and could not scratch you.

Step 6. The internal parts of curls on the pendant also need to be

fixed to each other. Otherwise, they will hang out and gradually

shattered. Attach them neat and small coils of thin wire.

Step 7. From a small piece of thick wire make a mount for the

pendant. Fold it in the form of eight with round-nosed pliers and

cut the excess material ends.

Step 8. Attach the pendant on the middle of the wire the same

color as the decoration. Don’t forget to attach clasps to chain.

Your delicate handmade pendant is ready!