1 1. EVENTS Pala Trip On September 8 th , a group of 22 members visited the Oceanview and Pala Chief mines. The Council had not visited these mines since 2007 and it was amazing to see the changes. The tunnels of the Oceanview now extend more than 600 feet and to a depth over 80 feet. A tour of the underground tunnels was really special – not something that most visitors to the mine get to experience. In addition, we had a jeep tour up the hill to the Pala Chief (with great views of the valley), and the rest of the day to screen for gems in the mine tailings. A tour underground, with lectures on pegmatite geology by Tony Kampf. Screening for gems. Lecture by Rock Currier Rock Currier, a longtime supporter of the Mineral Sciences Department, gave us an informative talk about “How to tell a great mineral specimen from a piece of… rock!”. To illustrate his talk, Rock brought some goodies: a variety of Tsumeb dioptase specimens from his collection. His question: “Which one is the best?” By the end of his talk, Rock told us that the price of a mineral specimen in reality simply depends upon the amount that someone is willing to pay for it. But to assist in the quest for the perfect mineral specimen, one should use online resources, such as Mindat.org, which gives a lot of information, and provides many pictures of minerals (including the “best minerals”). Gem & Mineral Council Newsletter September-October 2013
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Gem & Mineral Council Newsletter · Gem & Mineral Council Newsletter September-October 2013 . Lkklj 2 Rock showed us how to use the Mindat.org website. Also, Rock emphasized the importance
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1. EVENTS
Pala Trip
On September 8th, a group of 22 members visited the Oceanview and Pala Chief mines. The Council had not visited
these mines since 2007 and it was amazing to see the changes. The tunnels of the Oceanview now extend more than
600 feet and to a depth over 80 feet. A tour of the underground tunnels was really special – not something that
most visitors to the mine get to experience. In addition, we had a jeep tour up the hill to the Pala Chief (with great
views of the valley), and the rest of the day to screen for gems in the mine tailings.
A tour underground, with lectures on pegmatite geology by
Tony Kampf. Screening for gems.
Lecture by Rock Currier
Rock Currier, a longtime supporter of the Mineral Sciences Department, gave us an informative talk about “How to
tell a great mineral specimen from a piece of… rock!”. To illustrate his talk, Rock brought some goodies: a variety of
Tsumeb dioptase specimens from his collection. His question: “Which one is the best?” By the end of his talk, Rock
told us that the price of a mineral specimen in reality simply depends upon the amount that someone is willing to
pay for it. But to assist in the quest for the perfect mineral specimen, one should use online resources, such as
Mindat.org, which gives a lot of information, and provides many pictures of minerals (including the “best minerals”).
Gem & Mineral Council Newsletter
September-October 2013
Lkklj
2
Rock showed us how to use the Mindat.org website. Also, Rock emphasized the importance of curating one’s own
collection, including keeping a database and making labels for each specimen, which increases significantly the value
of the collection. At the end of his talk, Rock offered for sale reprints of his comprehensive Mineralogical Record
article on “About Mineral Collecting”. Generously, Rock donated all the money received to the Gem & Mineral
Council.
2. COLLECTION
Acquisition
The Mineral Sciences Department purchased a scheelite
crystal from China at the Munich Gem & Mineral Show. We
have been looking for a good scheelite for over a year now,
and we were happy to find a specimen with a great shape and
color. We purchased it with GMC funds for about $2,500, so it
is now adoptable! It is at the moment being shipped to the
US, but here is a photo taken quickly at the show.
Temporary exhibition
The Aurora Butterfly of Peace
On of December 4th, 2013, The Gem Vault of the museum’s Gem and Mineral Hall will become the temporary home
of the world’s most fanciful butterfly – The Aurora Butterfly of Peace. The 240 natural fancy-colored diamonds, with
a total weight of 167 carats, artistically depict the figure of a butterfly, a universal symbol of a peaceful and happy
spirit. Alan Bronstein, the owner and curator, spent 12 years assembling this spectacular collection, one stone at a
time, in partnership with Harry Rodman. For over 25 years Bronstein, has been one of the world’s most respected
consultants on colored diamonds to fine jewelers, designers, and private investors.
This spectacular array of very rare fancy-color diamonds, encompassing a complete rainbow of colors, is
unprecedented. Among the exotic hues are purples from Russia, blues and oranges from South Africa, lime greens
from Brazil, violets and dozens of pinks from the Argyle mine in Australia. Like fragments of a rainbow, frozen in time
for eternity, they are hypnotic to the gaze. The Aurora Butterfly of Peace was conceived by the artist as an eternal
icon of love, beauty, energy, nature and peace – symbolizing a spiritual connection to earth for all mankind.
We purchased this Chinese scheelite at the Munich Show. It is now up for adoption!
The systematic gallery, at the mim museum in Lebanon.
Denver Show
The Denver Gem and Mineral Show is the second most important such show in the U.S. each year. This year the show’s theme was tourmaline. Tony Kampf, our Curator Emeritus, brought an exhibit with just one specimen – a remarkable slice of liddicoatite tourmaline from Madagascar. This was enhanced with lots of educational information on the species and on the origin of its dramatic color zones. Our exhibit was voted one of the five best museum exhibits at the show.
The NHM exhibit at Denver: Liddicoatite: A tourmaline whose beauty is more than skin deep.