MARCH 2012

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PAGE 1 MAR 2012 THE NUGGET

CULVER CITY ROCK AND MINERAL CLUB P.O. BOX 3324, Culver City, CA 90231

MARCH PROGRAM

Monday, MAR 12, 6:30 pm Exec CommitteeMonday, MAR 12, 7:30 pm General MeetingProgram:”Jewelry Design and Wax Sculpture”

Well, the silent auction at our February meeting was a huge success with six tables of items to pick from. It seemed that there were people all over the place. We ended with eleven visitors at our meeting and over thirty members showing up, all to do battle over the great items brought together for the occasion. Kudos to Ellen Moe, Ken Rogers and Steve Dover for all of their hard work towards making this event a success. Ken went through the shop with a fine tooth comb making sure he got as many articles as he could. It seemed such a good idea that the club’s officers think we should have a silent auction every February as well as August at our picnic. This will make six months between auctions. I also want to thank each of our new executive officers for volunteering for an office and following through. For one more time I want to ask for further volunteers, not to head-up an office, but to help out the existing staff, making their jobs easier. As I’ve said over and over, this is just a little club and you don’t want to burn out our chairpersons. They need time to grow into their positions and the club needs these volunteers to get the club’s work done. We’re getting close to having a memorandum of understanding/lease with the city for the work shop, more to follow later this month.

Stay warm and safe, Rick Shaffer

President

GRETCHEN KRUTZpresents

“JEWELRY DESIGN AND WAX SCULPTURE”

At our Best Ever Silent Auction in February, many of us bought fantastic rough and gems. To help us now create amazing jewelry with our wins, Gretchen Krutz will talk to us about the jewelry design process including theory and methods. She will also talk about wax sculpture. Gretchen Krutz is a local artist with over 30 years of experience in custom jewelry design and has won national and international awards. She will have handouts and her portfolio and is interested in taking your design and lapidary questions.

Ellen Moe,Program ChairMARCH 20TH

MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE MEETINGFEB13, 2012

PAGE 2 THE NUGGETMAR 2012

In attendance:

Ellen Moe: Federation DirectorSteve Dover: Vice President

Rick Shaffer: Interim PresidentMary Ellen Shaffer: Board of Directors

Lynne Lukert: PublicationsSue Acosta: Social

Felice Ganz: MembershipBruce Mensinger: Librarian/Historian

Charlene Aspray: Publicity ChairRobert Thirlaway: Show Chair

Anna Marie and Darrell Robb: TreasurerSylvia Binkley: Recording Secretary

Jette Sorensen: WebmasterLeda Rogers: Corresponding Secretary

Anna Yori: Education ChairGrace Bruno: Vendor Chairman

• We are returning to our pre-2011 size show this year. Robert says we’ll have Flyers and postcards ready to go soon. Theme for the show: we went around the table getting suggestions. Robert will draw the winning mineral later and report to the group during the regular meeting. • We went over the 2011 budget expenditures and allocated for next year. New items on this year’s budget are the club library and the meeting room rental. No discussion; budget for 2012 accepted. • Membership is going well, and we’re going to have an offsite meeting with Rick, Lynne, Felice and Grace to discuss in more detail. • Treasurer states that we are solvent, and the results of

the 2011 Treasury Audit were signed by 2 members of the Board of Directors, Robert Thirlaway and Lynne Lukert. The Executive Committee has accepted the Audit. • President proposed to Executive Committee to include a semi-permanent advertisement for the Fiesta of Gems in the Nugget starting with the January issue. Publicity Chair recommends publicizing new Dealers in the advertisement. Nugget chair, Librarian and Publicity Chair to arrive at consensus on the form of this advertisement and to report back in subsequent meetings. • Corresponding Secretary sent 2 letters – 1 to John Riordan thanking him for his donation, and 1 to Sunshine (Lili) for the use of the facility for our Holiday Party. Motion to send letter of thanks to Fred Ward for his donation and to Rotary as thanks for the use of the Holiday Party facility. • Webmaster – website is currently being overhauled. • Education Chair: The Education Program is almost ready to be shown to Culver City Elementary School. Science Teacher from 4th grade contacted Education and is very happy the program is coming back. The plan is to get a field trip to Palos Verdes and be more hands-on. Samples and rock kits are currently being prepared. • Proposal to have a silent auction every February, due to it being the Quarzite and Tucson seasons. Proposal to have both in February and in August. • CCRMC Summer Picnic will be on Saturday, 8/18/12 at Lindbergh Park.

Sylvia Binkley,Recording Secretary

THE NUGGET PAGE 3MAR 2012

MINUTES OF THE GENERAL MEETINGFEB 13, 2012

Pledge of Allegiance Opening:All members sign in. Do we have a quorum? Yes, 30 regular members, 11 guests Order of Business: • Motion to accept the January Nugget minutes accepted. • Something that looks like a Septarian nodule was left in the meeting room in November. Does anyone claim it? No one – so Vice President took it. • Guests were introduced to the regular members and thanked for their attendance.• Officers have accepted last year’s budget and CCRMC is financially stable. 2012 Budget has been accepted by the regular members. • Show Chair announced that the Fiesta of Gems is running June 29/30 – July 1 this year. Volunteers to set up and break down were requested. The Fiesta of Gems is CCRMC’s main source of income, so please volunteer if you have time!• Show Theme to be drawn: RHODONITE!!! Rhodonite is a very spiritual gemstone whose combination of deep pink, black and white inspires the freedom to search deeply within oneself while remaining grounded in the present and in reality. • Function of Vendor Chairman explained for one of the members who is interested in becoming a vendor. • Lorraine Murphy – Plant Chairman: Members are not allowed to be individual sellers according to the bylaws,

however, members are encouraged to make donations that will be sold for proceeds to go to the show and to CCRMC. She is encouraging members to donate Green Growing Things. Lorraine encourages everyone to think about volunteering to participate as a “break” person for an hour or two just to relieve the regulars who sit at their stations all weekend. Lorraine also is asking for plant pot donations to help pot all the plants she has for sale at the show. • Education Chair Anna Yori is asking for volunteers to help the Culver City Schools with Earth-Sciences Day. They are focusing on the Palos Verdes Area as an easily accessible venue. They would like to have something scheduled for next month. There are 4 classrooms, and so they are asking for volunteers to carry rocks, present to the kids, and help out in any way possible. The goal is to introduce kids to rocks and to foster any prospective rockhounds. Volunteers can also share some things if they don’t want to donate them. Another topic for investigation is showing kids the stone tumbling process. • Membership Chair: forms are now available for new members to complete or renew. Badges will be ordered for new members. We have a lot of badges that have never been picked up. Completed forms and dues are due at the March meeting. • Ellen Moe explained the process for a silent auction.

Sylvia Binkley,Recording Secretary

PAGE 4 MAR 2012 THE NUGGET

SHOP REPORT

If the Lapidary shop is to continue to be a place for us to gather and work, where we can cut and polish stone, fabricate beautiful or useful objects, use the Club Library, some basic rules must be followed. In addition, some difficult to legislate but easy to understand principles must be maintained.

Rules: The formal list of Shop rules are displayed under glass on the table where we sign-in and -out. Everyone using the Shop should be familiar with this list; everyone legally using the Shop has initiated and signed a legal document stating they have read and agree to be bound by these rules. Some of the rules pertain to organization and administration, others to what is required of users. Penalties for disregard of these rules are outlined. The Shop is used for additional purposes other than lapidary and jewelry making, such as the Club Library, as an occasional meeting place for various Club activities, and storage for Club owned materials. The rules were instituted primarily with the Lapidary use in mind. Never-the-less, all users are included. For example, Library users and other visitors must sign-in and -out. This record has

several purposes (past and future), for example: our insurance company can use it as an aid in verifying claims, the City has been influenced and aided in planning by how many users and how often the facility is used, the Club needs to charge users for the costs of running the Shop. While all users must sign-in and -out, only those using the Shop for lapidary related use pay user fees. Library use, club meetings, and moving Fiesta of Gems equipment are examples of activities that require sing-in and -out but are without fee. Why? The shop fees are for replacement of tools that break or wear out and for supplies that are used.

Principles:• Not rules, but arguably more important. The Shop is a shared resource. As such, every user must help maintain the facility and the atmosphere of helpful good-will among all users.• Everyone must accept that safety, of self and of others, is priority One.• Everyone is responsible for fostering and maintaining an atmosphere of cooperative and helpful good-will.• We share machine time, work space, and knowledge.• We operate the machines and tools in a manner that avoids excessive waste or premature wear-out.

•When we are done, we clean-up after ourselves so that the next user of the tools, machines, and the facility has a work-space ready to do work.•Trash goes in the trash cans; liquid goes down the drain. Never dump anything on the grounds outside the Shop.

On behalf of the Shop Committee,Bruce Mensinger

PAGE 5THE NUGGET MAR 2012

MINERAL REPORT

Not from Lord of the Rings

Aragonite is one of the forms of calcium carbonate, CaCO3 , with the other form being calcite. Its crystal lattice is different from that of calcite, which results in a different crystal shape. It forms acicular crystals with repeated twinning that sometimes results in pseudo-hexagonal forms. It occasionally occurs in stalactitic-like forms named flos-ferri , or flowers of iron, from their association with iron ores at Carinthian iron mines. It is formed by precipitation from marine and freshwater environments.

Aragonite can be found colored white, red, yellow, orange, green, blue, and/or brown. It is a 3.5-4 on the Mohs scale of hardness, with a specific gravity of 2.95. It has a vitreous luster which turns resinous on its fracture surfaces. Its streak is white.

Its type location is Molina de Aragón in Guadalajara, Spain. The mineral was named after the former kingdom of Aragon in 1797. Aragonite occurs in a cave in Slovakia, called the Ochtinská Aragonite Cave. Within the USA, it occurs in the Carlsbad Caverns as stalacites and “cave flowers”. It is also

found in the seafloor sand in the Bahamas. Aragonite forms naturally in most mollusk shells, as well as forming the exoskeleton of some warm-and-cold water corals. Since it is biologically controlled in mollusk shells, the crystals form differently than in inorganic aragonite. In some mollusks, the whole shell consists of aragonite, while it combines with calcite in other shells. In some fossil shells of ammonites, the aragonite in the shell has formed into ammolite, a valuable and iridescent gem.

As aragonite is metastable, it is often replaced by calcite in fossils. As a result of this, no samples of aragonite from before the Carboniferous Age have been discovered. It is thermochemically unstable at standard temperature and pressure, altering into calcite in a time period from 107 to 108 years.

Minda Moe,Mineral Chair

PAGE 6 THE NUGGETMAR 2012

BENCH TIPS

PROBLEMS WITH SMALL DRILLS

When drilling small holes, you sometimes encounter new problems. We’re talking about drills that are less than 1 mm (which is 18 gauge or .040 inches). Often the chuck will not tighten down far enough to grip a small twist drill. You can solve this two ways - with a chuck adapter or by buying your small drills with a 3/32 inch shank size. Either way you have a 3/32 shank to go into the chuck of your drill press, Foredom or Dremel, so changing bits is fast and easy. Remember that small drills are much more prone to breaking because of too much pressure or if you tilt the drill or the workpiece when the drill is in the hole. And drilling always goes easier with a little wax or oil on the tip. Almost anything will work - Three and One, injection wax, mineral oil, Burr Life, car oil, olive oil, etc.

USING PRE-MADE BEZEL CUPS

As a general rule of thumb I assume it’s going to take me 15 - 20 minutes to make a bezel for an ordinary cabochon, so for some projects buying pre-made cups can save a lot of time. But if you go this route, keep in mind three things. First, try to get cups made from fine silver, not sterling. Remember that fine silver is softer and burnishes over the stone more easily. Second, you may have trouble matching the shape and size of the stone with the shape and size of the bezel cup. Purchased cups can only be found in a limited number of standard sizes. You may have to adjust your choice of gemstone to match the cup. The other consideration is that pre-made cups often have fairly low side walls. While these are fine for low-dome stones, they will not adequately secure stones with steep side walls. Lastly before setting, check the fit of your gemstone in the cup, particularly around the bottom. The bottom corners of a stamped cup are much more rounded than a bezel you would fabricate yourself. This causes a problem with some stones. If your stone has a sharp edge around the bottom, burnishing over the bezel will place a lot of stress on the stone and may cause it to crack. To avoid this, I round off the bottom edge of the stone with a diamond file (or use sandpaper on soft stones).

More Bench Tips by Brad Smith are at::groups.yahoo.com/group/BenchTips/

or facebook.com/BenchTips

2012 CFMS

GOLD AND GEM SHOW &

CONVENTION

JULY 13, 14 & 15

Riverside Municipal Auditorium 3485 Mission Inn Ave

RIVERSIDE CALIFORNIA

Hours:Friday & Saturday 10 - 5

Sunday 10- 4

Hosted by Valley Prospectors

of San Bernardino, CA

Contact: Steve Schubert, Show Chair, ( 951) 943-0535

meschubert@hotmail.com

JULY 2011THE NUGGET PAGE 11

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

Our February meeting was very lively. Everyone had a great time with another at one of our exciting silent auctions! Thanks to all of you that have renewed your membership. Please remember that the deadline for paying your dues is Monday, March 12, 2012. Complete the application form which was in the January newsletter. Make sure to check the box stating whether or not you want your information published. You can mail it to:

Culver City Rock & Mineral ClubBox 3324,

Culver City, CA 90231OR

bring it to our March meeting

WELCOME!

Avery Ock MichalakLisa Kim Wiener

- re-instated -Caroyn BennettKevin BennettSteve Willing

Felice GanzMembership Chair

FEDERATION REPORT

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW CALIFORNIA STATE SYMBOLS?

Some of the California state symbols Jim Brace-Thompson lists in his Juniors Activities article in the March CFMS Newsletter are easy to guess. Some are a little more esoteric. How many do you know? 1. State flower 2. State tree 3. State animal 4. State bird 5. State fish 6. State insect 7. State marine mammal 8. State reptile 9. State grass 10. State marine fish 11. State dirt And especially the four rockhound-related symbols 12. State rock 13. State mineral 14. State gem 15. State fossil Read the article at www.cfmsinc.org for the answers. Just click on “Newsletter” and then on “March” on the 2012 line. Jim’s article begins on page 3. He also includes some interesting details about the politics involved in the designation of some of the symbols

Ellen Moe,Federation Chair

MAR BIRTHDAYS

Terry McKiernan MarCatherine McPhersoon MarKaren Nathanson Mar 2Beth Zarem Mar 4Nancy C. Krim Mar 9Mike A. Halahan Mar 12Sylvia Binkley Mar 20Bruce Mensinger Mar 23Kenneth Jaffe Mar 30

PAGE 7MAR 2012THE NUGGET

MAR SHOWS

MAR 2 - 4: NEWARK, CA: Mineral & Gem Society of Castro Valley; Newark Pavilion, 6430 Thornton Avenue; Hours: Fri. & Sat. 10 - 6; Sun. 10 - 5Website: www.mgscv.org

MAR 3-4: ARCADIA, CA: Monrovia Rockhounds, Inc.:LA County Arboretum, 301 Baldwin AvenueHours: 9 - 4:30 dailyWebsite: www.Moroks.com

MAR 3 - 4: VENTURA, CA: Ventura Gem & Mineral Society:Ventura County Fairgrounds,10 W. Harbor Blvd.; Hours: Sat 10 - 5; Sun 10 - 4Website: www.vgms.org

MAR 9 - 11: VICTORVILLE, CA: (Stoddard Well): Victorville Valley Gem & Mineral Society; Tailgate at Verde Antique Quarry (Stoddard Well); Bell Mountain/Stoddard Well exit from I-15; Hours: 9 - 5 dailyWebsite: www.vvgmc.org

MAR 10 - 11: PASADENA, CA: Pasadena Lapidary Society; Masonic Hall, 3130 Huntington Drive, San Marino, CA 91108: Hours: Sat 10 - 6, Sun 10 - 5

MAR 10 - 11: SALINAS, CA : Salinas Valley Rock & Gem Club,Veteran’s Hall, Spreckels, CA; 5th & Llano Streets; Hours: 10 - 5 daily

MAR 10 - 11: TURLOCK, CA: Mother Lode Mineral Society; Turlock Fairgrounds, 900 North Broadway; Hours: Hours 10 - 5 dailyWebsite: www.turlockgemshow.com

March 16 - 18: SAN BERNADINO, CA: Orange Belt Mineralogical Society; Western Regional Little League Ball Park, 6707 Little League Drive: 9am to Dusk dailyWebsite: www.obmsrocks.yolasite.com

March 17 - 18: VALLEJO, CA: Vallejo Gem & Mineral Society; Solano County Fairgrounds, McCormack Hall; Hours: 10 - 5 dailyWebsite: www.vallejogemandmineral.com

March 24 - 25: ANGELS CAMP, CA: Calaveras Gem & Mineral Society; Calaveras Co. Fairgrounds (Frog Town USA), 101 Frogtown Road; Hours: Sat 10 – 5; Sun 10 – 4

March 24 - 25: ROSEVILLE, CA: Roseville Rock Rollers;Roseville-Placer County Fairgrounds, 800 All American City Blvd. (off Washington); Hours: Sat. 10 - 5; Sun. 10 - 4; Website: www.rockrollers.com

March 31 - April 1: LEMOORE, CA: Lemoore Gem & Mineral Society; Trinity Hall, 470 Champion Street; Hrs: 10 - 6 daily

FRED BALL’S EXPERIMENTAL ENAMELING TECHNIQUES WORKSHOP

FRI through SUN; April 20, 21, 22; 10am - 5pmInstructor: JUDY STONE

$320 materials includedAt the studio of Gian Joller

5086 Alhambra Ave.Los Angeles, CA 90032

Contact/Rgeister:jewelryandenamelworkshops@gmail.com

Manon Tree: 818-284-9583

MARCH 11th

MAR 2012PAGE 8 THE NUGGET

The purpose of the CULVER CITY ROCK & MINERAL CLUB is to bring together persons interested in the earth sciences, to engage in research and study in this realm, and to assist members in the collection and preservation of rocks and minerals and in the study of lapidary and related arts...............................................................................................................................http://www.culvercityrocks.org

MEETING SCHEDULES

General Meetings are held the second Monday of every month* at 7:30 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Veterans Bldg., 4117 Overland Ave. Enter from the rear door. Guests are always welcome.

Executive Committee Meetings are held the second Monday of every month*in the Multi-Purpose Room in the Veterans Bldg Auditorium. All club members are welcome.

*Meeting days occasionally change due to Monday holidays or, in July, because of the Fiesta Of Gems show (July 2007).

Officers for 2012

Interim President - Rick ShafferVice- president - Steve Dover

Treasurer - Anna Marie and Darrell RobbRecording Secretary - Sylvia Binkley,

Charlene Aspray, et.al.Corresponding Secretary - Leda Rogers

Education - Co-chairs Anna Yori and Anthony FerrariFederation Director - Ellen Moe

Field trips - Co-chairs Rocky and Cole RhodesHistorian - Bruce Mensinger

Bruce MensingerLibrarian Co-chairs - Bruce Mensinger and

Paul MadisonMembership - Felice Ganz

Minerals - Minda MoeParliamentarian - Jette Sorensen

Photography - Sylvia BinkleyPrograms - Ellen Moe

Publications - Co-chairs - Lynne Lukert, Barbara Fier, and Jan Ferguson

Publicity -Co-chairs Charlene Aspray, Ken RogersShop Committee ( President, Vice President,

committee members)Show - Robert Thirlaway

Social - Sue AcostaSunshine - Lili Gelberg

Trading Post - Steve DoverWeb Master - Jette Sorensen

Board of Directors:Lynne Lukert (2012)

Woody Shaffer (2012)

Mary Ellen Shaffer (2013)Robert Thirlaway (2013)

DUES & FEES

One time Initiation Fees:Individuals $20.002 Persons/Same Address $25.00Juniors $15.00

Yearly Membership Dues:Individuals $25.002 Persons/Same Address $35.00Juniors $10.00

(After July 1, dues are $15.00, $25.00 and $5.00 respectively.)

SHOP INFORMATION

The shop is open to all members in good standing over the age of 18 who sign an indemnification form. Instruction is available at all sessions. Practice slabs are available.Location: 10866 Culver Blvd. in Culver City (behind the Boy Scout clubhouse and next to the paddle tennis courts)Shop Phone: (310)836-4611Hours: Tuesday 7:00pm - 9:30pm Lynne LukertWednesday 10:00am - 2:00pm Vern Lowe (open by appointment)Thurdsay 10:00am - 2:00pm Woody ShafferSaturday 12:00am - 4:00pm Lynne LukertSunday 1:00pm - 4:00pm Rick Shafferr

If no one shows, the shop may close early. If you plan to arrive at the shop more than a half hour after the opening time, phone the instructor

The Nugget The deadline for all submissions is generally the 15th of every month. All articles or notes without a byline are written by the Editor. Permission to copy is freely given as long as proper credit is noted. The Nugget accepts paid advertisements by club members and non-members. The cost for an eighth of a page (approx. 2” high x 3.5” wide) is $7 per insertion, payable in advance. Ad location is at the discretion of the Editor. Ad layouts, copy, or business cards must be received by the 10th of the month. Send materials directly to Lynne Lukert, Editor, 513 1/2 N. Norton Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90004

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CULVER CITY ROCK & MINERAL CLUB

the Nugget Lynne Lukert, editor 513 1/2 N. Norton Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004

FIESTA OF GEMS 2012Saturday June 30th 10am to 6pm

Sunday July 1st 10am to 5pm

Culver City Veterans Memorial Auditorium4117 Overland Avenue

Culver City, California 90230

Rhodonite will be the mineral featured at this

years’ show. It is named

after the Greek word for rose, rhodon.

While the mineral’s color is normally pinkish red

to brownish red with black veins it is also found

in a transparent crystal form

in vivid red to orange red.

Besides being found in notable localities of the

Ural Mountains, Russia; Broken Hill, Australia

Rhodonite is also found in the U.S. including

New Jersey, North Carolina, Massachusetts

and RhodeIsland.

Even closer to home Rhodonite has been found

in a very rare California locale –

the SherryAnn Mine of San Diego County.