Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

PRESIDENT Robin Stoughton

(757) 340-531

1st VICE PRESIDENT (Membership) Mike Jackson

(757) 855-1207

2nd VICE PRESIDENT (Program/Entertainment)

Vacant

TREASURER (Finance)

Lloyd Schiffelbian (757) 495-7946

SECRETARY (History/Library)

Cheri Jackson (757) 855-1207

WORKSHOPS Bill Stoughton

(757) 340-5391

SHOWS Rosanne Hinshaw

(757) 467-8570

NEWSLETTER Judy Hyszczak (757) 533-1512

FIELD TRIPS Al Dehart

(757) 254-3844

WAYS & MEANS Roger Tiangco (757) 490-3768

HOSPITALITY Robin Stoughton (757) 340-5391

WEBSITE Brooks Britt

(757) 745-7104

PRESIDENT EMERITUS John ―Mac‖ Davis

1927 - 2014

Notes from the President by Robin Stoughton

Thanks to Mike, Lloyd and everyone who ran the meeting last month due to my being out of town. Thanks to Carl and Sandee for doing another great program. Also thank you to everyone who brought snacks to last month's meeting.. All members are welcome to bring snacks to any of our meetings. There will not be a workshop this month due to cold weather. However, if any member, current on dues, would like to come by during the week or on a weekend, on a day in the 40's or higher, to cut or polish rocks, call Bill at 343-8656 to schedule a day and time. Happy Valentine's Day! Happy Birthday to all members who have a birthday this month. REMINDER: Get all your newsletter input to Judy Hyszczak by the 3rd of the month. REMINDER: BOARD MEMBERS, I will be having s board meeting at our house on Sunday, February 18th at 12:00pm. We will also be going thru the collection we picked up last year for our upcoming auction. Items need to be photographed, numbered and priced. We need club members to volunteer to do programs at our meetings as we do not have anything scheduled from April-June. You can do them yourself or team up and do them.

The Tidewater Prospector

REMINDER: Our 1st show is almost here. It is March 9th-11th with setup on March 8th from 1-7pm. Rosanne Hinshaw is our new showchair so give her a call to help getting items from storage to the show. Her number is 467-8570. She will also need a couple other members who have trucks to help transport and return items to storage. We need volunteers all weekend to work the tables, including the pebble pups table and to also demonstrate your crafts. Show hours are: Friday, 9th: 12-6, Saturday. and Sunday. 10th/11th: 10-5 We need members to do displays! Please call Robin ASAP at 822-9631 if you can do one. REMINDER: Our annual club auction is also coming quite quickly. It will be on Friday, March16th at 7:00pm!!! We have a collection that was donated that will be up for auction so don't miss it. Some of this collection was acquired over 50 years ago!! Judy will be posting pix of some of the items in our March newsletter. If anyone has any items they would like to donate for our auction, please label them and put a minimum bid on them and bring them to the February meeting. The Richmond Club and the Peninsula Club are invited to our auction as always. Bill and I will be having a rock sale at our house sometime in April.

Club members are welcome to bring items they have made or collected to our meetings if they want to try and sell them. The only meetings you cannot do this at are our auction and Christmas party. See you all at the meeting!

THE TIDEWATER PROSPECTOR - Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February, 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

Page 2

Treasurer’s Two Cents by Lloyd Schiffelbian

January was a busy month for the club's treasury as we began collecting yearly membership dues.

In addition to an excellent program by the Bartons about collecting agates, the club raised $307.50 as 20 adults and 1 child paid their annual dues, including five new members.

Please welcome the following new members: Dena Cottle, Barbara Drori, Ray Harrison, Edward Sievers and daughter, Emma!

The paid raffle raised a record amount of $69.50.

Other expenses were routine and the treasury balance is about $2,309.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

The annual club dues are due now! The cost is $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under 16 years old. You can pay your dues at the monthly meetings or mail them to the club's P.O. box address listed on back of the newsletter. Be sure to pay by the April meeting or you will not receive our wonderful club newsletter or retain the benefits of membership.

January Meeting Minutes by Cheri Jackson

The meeting was called to order at 7:30pm by Vice President Mike Jackson where he welcomed visitors, guests, and new members.

It was announced that we will be having a TOTE show the second weekend in March (WAY earlier than normal) and that help would be needed for setup, teardown, and to work the table all three days. Lloyd gave his Treasurers report, reminded every-one that dues are due for the new year, and that there were sympathy cards on the front table for the families of members Tim Peak and Jackie Beltinck who passed away recently.

Roger held our drawings for raffle and door prizes. The meeting was then turned over to Carl and Sandee Barton who did a really nice program on their agate collection trip out west. They had many great pictures and specimens to show and it was a great program to start 2018. We had a really good turnout and hope to see more of you at future meetings. The meeting was adjourned at 9pm.

SHOW DISPLAYS NEEDED!

This is Tom Parnell‘s Herkimer Diamond Display from a past show. We have several displays and one could show off your collection at one of the shows!

ANNUAL AUCTION

TO BE HELD

AT THE MARCH

MEETING

THE TIDEWATER PROSPECTOR - Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February, 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

Page 3

Call it Bombogenesis, call it Arctic Blasts, call it

the Waves of Snowstorm – yet, all thru these, it

didn‘t dampen our spirits in appreciating the

wonders of the mineral world and being with our

friends. Yes, our TGMS meeting on January

19, 2018, was another enjoyable evening we

can remember. Also, the support to our Club‘s

PAID RAFFLES, didn‘t diminish at all. Below

were the gems that raffle winners went home

with:

QUARTZ CRYSTAL from Mt

Ida. The winner was beaming

with pride when he realized

that his ticket number was the

one that got pulled out of the

jar. He will now provide a

new home to this beautiful

twin orthorhombic clear crystal.

COPPER from Michigan. The winner of this Copper

specimen was jolted out of his

seat when his ticket number

was called to claim this

precious metal - the size of

which is 40 mm x 25 mm and

weighs over 8 grams. The

copper mines of the

Keeweenaw Peninsula in

Michigan, have yielded an

excellent specimen.

PYRITE A metallic brass-

yellow iron sulfide, having

substantial amounts of nickel

and cobalt, it is the most

widespread and abundant of

sulfide minerals. The winner

gushed with all smiles upon

realizing, her ticket number is the one that was to

claim this sparkling specimen. It weighs over 96

grams and measured at 50 mm x 35 mm.

Roger’s Ways and Means Reflections by Roger Tiangco

GEMSTONE NECKLACE

Stunning, bold, colorful

and elegant is the best

way to describe this

necklace. Almost all the

lady-members, have their

eyes on this gemstone

necklace. It is composed

of such polished gems of

Aventurines, Carnelians,

Feldspars, Jaspers, Mother-of-Pearl, Onyx and

Tiger-eyes. Each gemstone is of ―marquise‖ shape,

and there are over 100 pieces – each gemstone‘s

size is 25 mm x 11 mm. The necklace is over 18

inches in length, with over 4-inch cascading gem-

stones at the midpoint. The whole necklace weighs

over 176 grams. The lady winner was so excited to

have won this treasure in addition to winning the

Pyrite specimen – How lucky can you get!

AMEYTHYST CLUSTER

This variety of crystalline

quartz, exudes a hazy tinge of

purple refulgence inside its

lattices. Together with a

series of attractive varieties of

Quartz, this gemstone, emanates mostly from the

pegmatitic rocks, principally from the hydrothermal

phase. The very young lady winner could not hide

her excitement when she beheld this prized

Amethyst specimen from Brazil. It measured at 120

mm x 80 mm x 50 mm and weighs over 500

grams.

Some lucky members are

now providing a new home to

these beautiful gems – Blue

Calcite, Desert Roses,

Alunite from Quartzite, Onyx

and Apatite.

FREE MONTHLY

DOOR PRIZE RAFFLES

THE TIDEWATER PROSPECTOR - Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February, 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

Page 4

If your family is current on dues and your Pebble Pup is interested in earning patches and expanding their understanding of Earth Science, please follow the steps below: 1) Contact me via e-mail at r_s_hinshaw@msn.com. Please write in the subject line with "Interest in earning a patch" 2) Please include in the email body the names of the Junior members and their age, and your contact information (address, phone/cell number, email). I will send you a worksheet with an answer key. If you have questions or do not have the required samples, please let me know and we will work something out to assist you. In order to earn the patch, the Junior member needs to:

1) Complete all tasks on the worksheet.

2) Type a short explanation about what they learned. If writing is difficult, they may dictate what they learned to someone who can type. Younger Pups may submit a captioned drawing. Drawings or photos from older Pups is also encouraged.

3) Send the completed worksheet, write up, and pictures of their drawing/photos to me at r_s_hinshaw@msn.com. (Check off each task completed. If you want (optional), send a picture attachment of the completed hands-on or 3D task), with your address and Pup‘s name(s).

4) Upon completion, a patch can be mailed to you, however, we prefer and encourage you to attend one of our monthly meetings so we can present the patch to the Pup, and give them an opportunity to show their photos and/or share what they learned in person. Just let me know if you plan on doing this and which meeting that you will be attending.

Hello, my name is Rosanne Hinshaw, and I am the coordinator for the club‘s Pebble Pups. The purpose of Pebble Pups is to encourage a fun way to learn about Earth Science. We do this by providing our Junior members with a hands-on approach to learn Earth Science, encourage the family learning experience, and give our Junior members the chance to share their Earth Science adventures through submission of photos, drawings, or articles to be published in our monthly newsletter.

This space is dedicated to our Junior members. We would encourage you and your Pups to share your Earth Science adventure with a short presentation at one of our meetings- Just let us know!

You can also send your submissions to me at r_s_hinshaw@msn.com and I will include it my next submission, or you can send it directly to the club‘s newsletter editor, Judy Hyszczak, at hyszczak@cox.net. Just make sure you let her know it‘s for the Pebble Pup section.

Junior members also have the opportunity to earn patches by completing supplemental worksheets and tasks. These worksheets and tasks are best done as a family (or at least with a parent‘s guid-ance), and encourages learning through specific tasks for the Junior member to do, such as, reading, creating, hands-on exploration, and critical thinking.

PEBBLE PUPS

Mount Rushmore is one of the world's greatest mountain carvings. The faces of four great American presidents are carved in the side of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mount Rushmore is what type of rock?

A. granite B. sandstone C. limestone D. basalt Layers of this type of rock can be found at the Grand Canyon. What is the name of this rock?

A. Sandstone B. Limestone C. Shale D. All of these Answers are on page 6.

FUN QUESTIONS

Something you can color!

THE TIDEWATER PROSPECTOR - Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February, 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

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Brad‘s Bench Tips for February by Brad Smith

MOBILE FLEXSHAFT STAND A handy mobile stand for your flexshaft can be made easily and quickly from the base of an old swivel office chair. You can find these chairs being thrown out at office buildings and schools. I just asked the custodian in my building to set one aside for me. To separate the chair from the wheeled base, simply remove the spring clip from the center bottom. I use a small screwdriver or a pair of pliers. To make the stand, you'll need two pieces of threaded galvanized steel pipe and a pipe fitting from a hardware store. The first length of pipe is 3/4 inch diameter to fit the hole in most chair bases. The second piece is a length of less expensive 1/2 inch pipe. The total length of the two pipes should be five feet. I used a two foot length of 3/4 pipe and a three foot length of 1/2 pipe. They are joined together by a pipe fitting called a 3/4 to 1/2 reducing coupler.

Learn New Jewelry Skills With Brad's How-To-Do-It Books Amazon.com/author/bradfordsmith

The end result!

LOCAL METALS SOURCE

Local companies that use sheet metal typically have barrels of scrap copper, brass and aluminum sheet that they save for recycling. The shop owner/manager will usually let you go through it to select the shapes and thicknesses you want. Prices vary but will generally be close to the wholesale per pound scrap value. For me at this time, that's $3 per pound for copper. I've found it's much cheaper to buy metal this way than ordering from a catalog. There are no shipping charges, and you'll be supporting a local small business in your community. Remember to bring your work gloves if you try this. Also useful is a thickness gauge. When I asked if they had any 14 gauge, they didn't know. Turns out they measure the thickness of copper by its weight per square foot.

THE TIDEWATER PROSPECTOR - Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February, 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

Page 6

Cabochon – A rock that has been cut in such a manner that its top has a

smooth domed surface with no facets. Oftentimes oval or round in shape.

Calcareous – Composed of calcite or calcium carbonate.

Calcite – The main mineral in limestone and chalk. Its chemical name is calcium carbonate.

Carat – The standard measure of weight for precious gems and minerals. One carat is equiva-

lent to 0.006 ounces (0.2 grams).

Cat’s-eye effect – See chatoyancy.

Cavern – A large chamber within a cave.

Chatoyancy – An optical effect popularly known as ‗cat‘s-eye effect‘ in which certain gemstones,

when polished, will reflect bright light as a single, thin ray (like a cat‘s eye pupil). Chatoyancy is

caused by fibrous inclusion that run parallel to one another. Rounding the stone (a polished

cabochon or sphere) concentrates the light and increases the effect. Polished tiger‘s eye quartz,

for example, can exhibit chatoyancy.

Chitin – The horny substance that forms the shell of arthropods.

Clast – Fragment of broken rock.

Cleavage – The way certain minerals break along certain planes according to the mineral‘s

atomic structure.

Conchoidal – Term used to describe a concave (curved or shell-like) fracture in a glassy min-

eral. For example, obsidian will make a conchoidal fracture.

Concretion – A distinct, hard, compact mass or aggregate of mineral matter that normally is

rounded but may be very odd shaped. They usually are formed by chemical precipitation.

Conodonts – Teeth of very early fish-like creatures that lived about 515 million years to 210 mil-

lion years ago.

Coprolite – Fossilized dung.

Coral – This gem comes from the skeletons of tiny sea animals that live in colonies. A coral

polyp takes up calcium carbonate minerals from the sea and builds itself a hard limestone

home. The most valuable coral is red.

Craton – Ancient part of a continent unaltered for at least one billion years.

Cretaceous – Geological time period that stretches from about 145 – 65 million years ago.

Crinoids – A large class of echinoderms usually having a somewhat cup-shaped body with five

or more feathery arms.

AMERICA’S BEST ROCKHOUND GLOSSARY—There were so many under the letter ―C‖ that I couldn‘t include them all! To see what was left out, you can visit Gator Girl‘s glossary at: www.gatorgirlrocks.com/resources/glossary.htm

Answers from page 4: Mount Rushmore: A. granite Grand Canyon: D. All of them

THE TIDEWATER PROSPECTOR - Newsletter for the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, February, 2018, Virginia Beach, VA

Page 7

Crystal – The special shape (geometric form) in which many minerals form. A crystal has fixed

properties and the sides usually are flat and regular. For example, a quartz crystal has six sides.

Crystal Form – The way in which the different faces of the crystals are arranged.

Crystal Habit – The typical shape in which a crystal or cluster of crystals grows.

Crystal System – One of the different groups into which crystals may be placed according to how

they are symmetrical.

CABOCHON

CALCAREOUS

CARAT

CAVERN

CHATOYANCY

CHITIN

CLAST

CLEAVAGE

CONCHOIDAL

CONCRETION

CONODONTS

COPROLITE

CORAL

CRATON

CRETACEOUS

CRYSTAL

BIZMUTH CRYSTALS

FLUORITE CRYSTALS

FOSSIL SHELL

WITH CALCITE

CRYSTALS

HERKIMER DIAMOND CRYSTALS

Tidewater Gem & Mineral Society P.O. Box 61021 Virginia Beach, Va. 23466-1021

About This Publication The Tidewater Prospector is the monthly newsletter of the Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society, Virginia Beach, Virginia, associated with the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. and the American Federa-tion of Mineralogical Societies. Permission to copy freely granted when proper credit given to both the publication and the author. The Tidewater Gem and Mineral Society is a non-profit organization devoted to the collecting and study of minerals, gemstones, geology, paleontology and the lapidary arts as well as the love and deep appreciation of the great outdoors. Meetings are the third Friday of each month at 7:30 PM at Memorial United Methodist Church located at 804 Gammon Road, Virginia Beach, VA Our monthly meetings are open to everyone, no admission is charged. Website: http://tgms.weebly.com/ Please contact Brooks Britt with any photos that you would like to add to our site. Email him at: bhbritt@verizon.net You can also view this newsletter on the site. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com Login to FB, then go to Groups and in the search box, type in ―Tidewater Gem & Mineral Society‖, The page is open to view by anyone. Click ―join‖ to join the group to add photos of your own and to post information. Brooks administrates the site and will get back with you. The American Glossary is provided by Gator Girl to ex-pand our knowledge of rock terms and information. All copyrightable text and graphics, the selection, arrange-ment, and presentation of all materials (including informa-tion in the public domain), and the overall design of that Web Site are copyright © 2007 Sirius Business, LLC. All rights reserved. The puzzle was made using the Word Search Generator on www.atozteacherstuff.com.

Our meeting in February is on Friday the 16th at 7:30 pm at Memorial United Methodist Church,

804 Gammon Road, Virginia Beach, VA. (Gammon Road is off of Indian River Road, in

between Military Highway and Providence Road)