I became a member of CTGMS in October, 2000. The first time I went out to the club house, several members got me started making a cabochon, which I still have and enjoy. They showed me around the shop, gave me a piece of agate, helped me cut it and sent me to the pol-isher. I discovered their love for rocks was just as crazy as my love for rocks.

My love for rocks came early on as my Dad and Mom loved rock hunting and collecting rocks. Many of our family out-ings and vacations brought home rocks. Even now my 85 year old Mom has her rocks in HER rock garden.

I have hunted and col-lected rocks & minerals in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Idaho,

New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and most of-ten, here in Texas. Gem Trails Books have led me on many exciting trips.

Colorado summer vaca-tions have made great rock hunting experi-ences. I have hunted and found garnet; oli-vine and peridot, near Nathrop, pyrite, galena and gold around Lead-ville, mahogany obsidian north of Pagosa Springs, rhyolite north of Du-rango, aquamarine, Mount Antero, apache tears south of Gunnison, quartz and topaz at Tar-ryall, marble from Mar-ble, fossilized wood, di-nosaur bone, coprolite, picture rock, and agates near Cortez.

In Wyoming, near Jeffery City, I found jade and Sweetwater River Agate.

In Montana, I went sap-

phire digging near He-lena and Phillipsburg where I found pale blue, yellow and clear sap-phire. You did not just find them on top of the ground. You would screen river gravel from up on top of this hill that was mine tailings from years and years ago. You then shoveled these screenings into 5 gallon buckets, hauled them to the river to screen and wash, You would wash the gravel by wading out into the lake, shaking the screens in a rotating way, the heavy sapphire would move to the bot-tom center of the screens. EXCITING! I have a ring and a pen-dant of sapphire found and faceted there at the mine.

From Utah, I found pi-geon blood agate, grape agate nodules, Green River agate, and petrified wood.

J U N E 2 0 0 6

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6

T H E I N F O R M E R

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

F E A T U R E D M E M B E R C O N T .

2

F E A T U R E D M E M B E R C O N T .

3

F E A T U R E D M E M B E R C O N T .

4

T U R Q U O I S E , S I L V E R A N D C O P P E R A R T

5

S C E N E S F R O M G E M A N D M I N -E R A L S H O W

6

S H O W C O N T . 7

F O S S I L H U N T 8

R E P O R T A N D

C E L E B R A T I O N S

9

P R E S I D E N T ’ S

M E S S A G E

1 0

P O I N T S O F I N T E R E S T :

• Featured Member

• Scenes from Show

• Fossil Hunt

• Secretary’s Report

• President’s Message

F E A T U R E D M E M B E R J O A N W I L K S

C O N T D … .

Page 2 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6

Idaho’s Spencer Opal mine was hard rock mining. The best opal I got was some I bought at their shop. Memorable rock hunting, I would say for sure! Fun times with a sledge hammer, chisel, with the altitude much higher than here in Abilene and the sun was a lot hotter too.

Arkansas’ Mount Ida, I saw a lot of clear quartz crystals – big ones.

New Mexico, I have found fairy crosses, near Roswell, Pedernal agate, Abiquiu, and copper ore near Pecos. My favorite rocks, so far, from New Mexico is my beautiful tumbled granite. “LEAVERITES” from the Chama River. These beautiful rocks are on my back porch where friends also enjoy seeing them.

But here in Texas, I enjoy rock hunting the most. Gem quality topaz, crystal, tourmaline, from the Seaquist Ranch, Mason County, agates, jasper, petrified wood, cinnabar, Big Bend areas, llanite, Llano County, gypsum, flint, fluorite, mica, fossils, lime-stone from the West Texas area, just to list a few. Fossils are also great collecting around Cisco, Brownwood and south of Abilene.

My most unique rock collection is a 24” x 36” frame with 185 ar-rowheads mounted in it.

However, my favorite of all rocks and minerals is the very one I have never found…. Turquoise. SOMEDAY! SOMEDAY!

My favorite club activities have been our field trips. Field trips, I feel, are one of our club’s best activities. I really enjoy our club field trips! Thanks to Tony and Judy Steele, field trip coordina-tors, we have had some really good trips. I have been to Cortez, CO. (May - 2001), Study Butte, TX (Big Bend Area) (2001 & 2002; Alpine (November - 2003); Brenholtz Ranch (2004 & 2005); and Stillwell Ranch (November - 2005). My favorite field trip was our trip to Cortez, CO. (May - 2001) when the San-chez’s (SAN JUAN GEMS) led our daily trips finding coprolite and fossilized bone.

I have worked with our annual Gem & Mineral Show each year since April 2001. I have been the photographer, demonstrated silversmithing, beading, exhibited minerals and artifacts, and ex-hibited my silver jewelry and lapi-dary art.

I have served as club Treasurer, on the Scholarship Search Com-mittee, and Editor of our newslet-ter, the INFORMER. I have en-joyed our club’s participation in many community projects. I feel that our club has some really fun opportunities available for all

members.

This is a good opportunity to say thanks again to members of CTGMS who have been generous with their time and knowledge teaching me creative lapidary arts, sawing, polishing stones; Don Brenholtz, Charlie Lightfoot and Allen McDaniel, sterling sil-ver chain making; Ray Castle, SS wire wrapping; Sallie Lightfoot, faceting gemstones. Jim Owens, and silversmithing/metalsmithing (Level l – 4); Jerry Davis. Many of our generous members have given me rocks to work with when I first came to the club, and they got me started. I learned right on that I could get our experienced mem-bers to check the polish on my cabochon when I thought I had it completed; they would send me right back to the polisher. And, they were always right.

There just does not seem to be enough time to do all I want to do. However, next field trip…. Lord willing....... I’M GOING!

JoAn

Rock hunting has its serious moments as

JoAn tries to decide whether to leave this one.

J O A N A N D O T H E R S A T S T I L L W E L L R A N C H

Page 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6

“This is the agate I have been looking for!”

“What do you think about this one, Penny?”

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6 Page 4

I T T A K E S A N A R T I S T T O K N O W H O W T O M A K E S I L V E R L O O K L I K E A R T W O R K … J O A N I S A B L E T O D O T H A T .

Bracelets like this one require several hours of planning and work. This was accomplished as a level 4

project in silversmithing. JoAn used patina techniques to color this bracelet.

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6 Page 5

J O A N ’ S A R T W O R K I N C O P P E R , L E A T H E R , S I L V E R A N D T U R Q U O I S E

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6 Page 6

Scenes from the Gem and Mineral Show 2006

Ricky is a winner!

Gary with his sand box.

“Ok boys, decide!”

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6 Page 7

Jim Owens and his

girl show off his

winning jewelry.

“Calvin, how do you

do that ?”

“Jerry, leave

me alone, I

am not writ-

ing any

stories

about my-

self.”

“Zack, don’t look too

closely at my work.”

“It’s your move

Carolyn.”

Page 8 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6

Fossil Hunt .. Other rock hounds made this hunt but didn’t get caught in pictures.

Our club joined up with the Arlington Gem Club and Lockheed-Martin Rock and Gem club to collect Horn Coral,

Saturday May 20, 2006. The hunt was near Lake Brownwood State Park. We had a good time and got acquainted

with some new members of our club and members from other clubs. We would like to thank Bob Boyd (blue shirt,

top center) for leading the hunt and inviting us to go along. Bob Boyd and club members from Arlington have

hunted with our club several times also.

Photos by Willis L. Knight (yellow shirt) except as indicated.

Photo by Lou Jane Davis

Photo by Jerry

Diagram of Corals copied from TEXAS FOSSILS by William H. Mathews III collector’s handbook.

S E C R E T A R Y ’ S R E P O R T

Page 9 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6

CTGMS met May 1, 2006 at 7 pm.

• There were 32 members present and 3 guests, 2 of the guests joined the club the same night.

• Charlie Lightfoot reported that he, Dave and Beverly Vargo, and Bob & Helen Patterson attended the Lubbock show April 29th and 30th. The CTGMS had a total of 10 cases on display at the Lubbock show. Charlie said it was an

enjoyable weekend and all of our club members were treated very well by the Lubbock peo-ple.

• Carlos Talley and Don Brenholtz gave a program at the Anson Lions Club on April 19th. The Lions Club had 20 members present and the president said it was the best program they had ever had.

• Sallie Lightfoot thanked everyone for their work and help at our show and a special thanks to Tony and Judy Steele for dealing with the dealers.

• JoAn Wilks introduced her guest, Kathy Hampton. JoAn will be our featured rockhound in the June issue. Look for that soon.

• Jerry Davis thanked everyone who helped on the show demonstration table. He reported there were 8 of our club members who helped out at the silver ring production at the Cisco Folklife Festival.

• Greg and Sue Forrest were also guests this night and joined the club. Welcome to Greg and Sue.

• Calvin Donaghey presented a good program on descriptive crystal habits.

• June refreshments to be furnished by Nell Gee, Donna Johnson, and Julie McCray.

• The next board meeting will be May 29th. If you are a member of the board please try to be there.... The budget for 2006 - 2007 will be discussed and approved to go before the members at the meet-ing on June 5, 2006.

BIRTHDAYS

Larry Ross June 4

Randy Ward June 13

Betty Scarborough June 17

Joanne Bilskie June 21

Floyd Gee June 22

Marlene Bilberry June 25

JoAn Wilks June 25

Lynne Beddoe June 30

ANNIVERSARIES

Floyd and Nell Gee June 17

Charles & Sallie Lightfoot June 30

C E L E B R A T I O N S

C E L E B R A T I O N S

Zack Stockton is back home from the

hospital and recovering well.

Jerry Davis is in Cardiac Rehab three

days a week and doing well.

President …………….. Carlos Talley 325 692-0063

Past President ………. Don Brenholtz 325 554-7854

Vice President ………. Charlie Lightfoot 325 692 4642

Sec/Treasurer ……... Norma Ann Harrison 325 548-2199

Editor …………………… Jerry Davis 254 643-4586

M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T

PO Box 7343

Abilene, TX 79608-7343

Editor: Jerry Davis

Email: jde@txol.net

MISSION STATEMENT

The Central Texas Gem and

Mineral Society is a non-profit

organization dedicated to the

study of rocks, minerals and

fossils. We offer field trips

and provide educational

opportunities and instruction

to members in a variety of

areas related to the Lapidary

Arts and Jewelry making. We

also award a scholarship to a

student enrolled at a local

college in a field closely re-

lated to geology. We provide

educational displays related

to this hobby at shows of a

similar interest. —- Jerry C L U B O F F I C E R S F O R 2 0 0 6

A R T I C L E S F O R T H E N E X T M O N T H ’ S N E W S L E T T E R M U S T B E S U B M I T T E D B Y T H E 2 0 T H O F E A C H M O N T H .

We are on the web:

www.txol.net/rockclub

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 6 Page 10

C T G M S

Committees/Chairpersons

Show ………………………….. Sallie Lightfoot

Field Trips …………………… Tony & Judy Steele

Classes ……………………… Zack Stockton

Nominating …………………. Ian Johnson

Programs …………………….. Ian Johnson

Club House/Workshop ….Charley Harrison

Dealers for show ……. ……Tony & Judy Steele

Budget ………………………… Norma Ann Harrison

Scholarship ………………… JoAn Wilks

Show Demonstrations …. Jerry Davis

P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S A G E

A special thanks to Charlie Lightfoot, Bob and Helen Patter-son and Dave and Beverly Vargo for making the trip to the Lubbock show. They took a number of our cases along with their own cases for display. Also, kudos to Dave Vargo, for his outstanding work. He walked away with the best dis-play of the show. This is not the first time for Dave. He has accom-plished the same credits at other shows. Congratulations, Dave.

May 29th, we will be having our Board meeting. We will be dis-cussing our 2006 show and new ideas for the 2007 show and up-coming classes. If you have any suggestions please advise a Board member so we can discuss it at our meeting. All Board mem-bers please plan to be at this meeting at 7:30pm May 29th.

The Arlington Gem and Mineral Club invited our club to join them on May 20, at the Lake Brown-wood area to collect Horn Coral. We had about ten members from our club attend the hunt. Every-one had a most enjoyable hunt. Thanks to the Arlington Club for the invite.

….. Carlos

What will I write this week?