no stone unturned - cairns mineral & lapidary club inc. · (these are the ones we know about…...

October 2010 Issue CLUB RULES are for your protection and wellbeing! 1

No Stone Unturned

President Bill Reece

Secretary Allan Rose

Editor & Publisher:

Jeanne Mora

News and views of the

Cairns Mineral & Lapidary

Club Inc

Opening Times:

Monday: 7:00pm-9:30pm Wednesday:

8:30-4:00pm (7:00pm-9:30pm tuition)

Saturday: 10:ooam-4:00pm

Club Rooms: Youth Centre Grounds, 129

Mulgrave Rd. Cairns, Queensland. PO Box

389, Westcourt Queensland 4870

Orbicular Granodiorite

A web description from the Western Australian Museum describes it as follows:-

“A large intrusion of orbicular granodiorite (a type of coarse-grained igneous rock) that formed some 2687 million years ago, occurs on Boogardie Station, west of Mt Magnet in Western Australia.

This attractive ornamental rock contains orbicular (rounded nodular to spherical) structures composed of shells of plagioclase, hornblende and biotite surrounding a core.

The orbicules probably had a complex, multi-stage history of development, growing during movement on convection currents along the margins of the magma chamber”

CLUB IDENTITY PASSES AWAY.

Life Member and long time club cabochon instructor, WILMA HILL passed away peacefully

on Wednesday, 6th, October, 2010 aged 94. Her funeral will be held at 10:00am, on Mon-

day, at the Chapel of Burkin Svendsons Funeral Directors, 411 Mulgrave Road, Cairns.

The committee and members of the Cairns Mineral & Lapidary Club Inc. wish to convey our

deepest sympathy to Husband, Keith, children, Mark & Sharon and their families.

Pictured right, Nevile Ridley’s pho-

to of a deposit of attractive orbic-

ular granodiorite near Mt Magnet

in Western Australia and above, a

polished nodule that is part of the

club mineral collection.


OFFICE BEARERS

CLUB PATRON HON. DESLEY BOYLE MP

President Bill Reece Ph 4054 2498

Vice President Trevor Hannam Ph 4045 5573

Secretary Allan Rose Ph 40545850

Mobile 0408252097

Treasurer Carolyn Whittaker

Assistant Secretary (position vacant)

Assistant Treasurer Betty Reece

OTHER PERSONNEL

Purchasers Bill Hall, Betty Reece

Specimen Curator David Croft,

Cabochon Advisors Chrissy Wilson

Silver Instructors Bill Hall, Sylvia Rose, Jan Saal, .

Faceting Advisor Jim Lidstone, Joe Ferk,

Carving Advisors (position vacant)

Field Trip Officer (position vacant)

Machinery Curators David Croft, Jim Lidstone

Specimen Testers David Croft, Trevor Hannam

QLACCA Delegate Bill Reece

Youth Centre Delegate Bill Reece

Librarians Betty Reece, Jean Morrow

Events Coordinators (position vacant)

Honorary Auditor Vic Cummings

The positions of Field Officers and carving advisors are yet to be filled.

Please give these people all the help you can!

MEETINGS

General Meetings are held at 1:00pm on the first Saturday of each month. (unless otherwise advised) Management Committee Meet-ings held at 10:30am last Saturday of the month (unless advised otherwise)

CLUB HOURS

Monday Nights: 7:00pm to 9:30pm

Wednesday; 8:30am to 4:00pm

Wednesday Night: 7:00pm to 9:30pm (Classes)

Saturday: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Club closed on long weekends and public holidays.

MEMBERSHIP FEES (due January 1st)

Family: New $60:00 / year

Family: Renewal $40:00 / year

Adult Member: New $30:00 / year

Adult Member: Renewal $20:00 / year

Junior Member: New $ 20:00 / year

Junior Member Renewal $10:00 / year

(Members are those over 12 years of age. Children under the age of 12 are

welcome on field trips and in the main Clubroom under their parents’ supervi-

sion. (They must not enter the workrooms.)

INSTRUCTION CLASS COSTS

Dates will be advertised on notice board..

Cabbing $30:00 (includes material)

Jewellery $85:00 (includes material)

Faceting $72:00 (includes material)

Carving $8:00 (includes materials)

Casting $5:00 firing/flask (materials extra)

(You must purchase all materials for casting. Please see Bill Hall to order

commercial waxes, which take up to three weeks to arrive. We sell carv-

ing wax, for those who’d like to make their own wax mould. Investment

powder, wax & silver are all available for purchase at the counter.)

INSTRUCTION CLASSES ARE ADVERTISED ON THE

SANDWICH BOARD NEAR THE FRONT DOOR. MEMBERS

SHOULD CHECK DATES AND DETAILS AND SIGN UP AT THE

FRONT COUNTER IF INTERESTED.

Inquiries may also be made at the front counter

CUTTING FEES 30c / inch² (members)

50c / inch² (non-members)

We wish all members born in October a very Happy Birthday .

Jeanne Mora, Peter Moore, Kevin Voigt, Kylie and Anne

Blackshaw, Anne Barham, Debbie Davie, Leon

Dornonville, Lynda Henshaw, Dennis Kable, Vic

Cummings, Jenni Hedges, Graig Grogan.

(These are the ones we know about… if we missed

you, we apologise. Please let us know!)

Those of you born in month of October have aquamarine

as your birth stone. Opal is also said to be the birthstone

for October.

For those of you who believe in the zodiac, under the sign

Scorpio (24/10 to 22/11), your birthstone is deep red

carnelian, or as secondary choices, agate, aquamarine,

chalcedony, chrysoprase, garnet, obsidian, smoky quartz,

ruby or topaz. (There’s a great choice available)

Under the sign of Sagittarius (22/11—21/12), your birth-

stone is either sapphire or chalcedony, or you may choose

from amethyst, rock crystal, beryl, garnet, pyrope, sapphire

quartz, sodalite spinel or topaz.

A Big Welcome to Our New Members and those who have

recently rejoined

Geoffery Robins

Gary Lewis


PRESIDENT’S REPORT

Hi,

Well our AGM is over and as there are no major renovations to do, let’s all work on the reasons why the club was formed.

Firstly, it would help if all members, both old and new, reread the rules and safety notices in the club as a lot of them are not being adhered to. Follow them properly and, if you are not sure, ask!

In answer to a query I get regularly, about selling through the club… yes it is permissible. The rule is that anything sold incurs a commission of 10% payable to the club. I hope this helps all members, both old and new.

At the moment there are a few members investigating areas of interest to try and arrange field trips, so if you know of anywhere or have heard of anywhere, please let us know. Many of our members would like to participate in a field trip. At the moment we have no field trip officer, so everybody should help. Day trips seem to be the most popular option but an overnight stay would not matter. Remember that if you want to go somewhere, permission and camping conditions may apply.

Some classes are already up and running so if you are interested in a taking a course, please talk to the front counter people to register your name and find out what conditions apply.

Christmas is closing in on us so please think about club closure dates over that period. December 4th is the date of the last meeting for the year and that’s when we usually have our breakup party. This will be discussed at our next meeting.

I have said enough for this month.

Bill

CLUB RULES AND WORKROOM FEES REVISITED.

WORKROOM HOURS AND FEES.

MONDAY 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM $4:00

WEDNESDAY 8:30 AM to 12 NOON $4:00

or

WEDNESDAY 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM $8:00

SATURDAY 1:00 PM to 4:00 pm $4:00

or

SATURDAY 10:00 AM to 4:00 pm $6:00

WORKROOM FEES MUST BE PAID BEFORE COMMENCING WORK

As the new committee takes over the running of the club, this is a good time to revisit and reread the club rules

and become familiar with workroom fees. Always keep in mind that rules are established to keep you safe, the

clubrooms and machinery in good working order and to minimise the cross-contamination of your

finished product. It’s a condition of your membership that you abide by all rules.


CLUB RULES CLUB RULES CLUB RULES CLUB RULES CLUB RULES

CAIRNS MINERAL & LAPIDARY CLUB Inc.

RULES Effective 22/7/1999

GENERAL

1. Write name clearly in attendance book on entry to the club on all occasions.

2. Visitors should be introduced to the executive officer in attendance.

3. All members are responsible for keeping the clubrooms neat & tidy at all times.

4. Read and heed all notices posted on noticeboards and clubroom walls.

5. Smoking laws are to be adhered to.

6. ONLY authorised persons are permitted behind the counter.

7. ONLY committee members are permitted in the storeroom.

8. Always ask if you are unsure about something.

WORKROOMS

9. Prior instruction is needed before using machinery

10. Always check with officer in charge before using machinery.

11. Children under 12 years of age are not permitted in the workrooms.

12. Children under 16 years of age require adult supervision in the clubrooms.

13. Please read safety and care notices/information regarding all machines.

14. All members are responsible for payment for use of machinery.

15. Covered footwear must be worn in the workrooms.

16. Safety glasses are available and are RECOMMENDED FOR USE.

17. Long hair is to be tied back whet operating machinery.

18. Loose clothing is to be kept clear of machines.

19. Aprons are for use in workrooms only and should be cleaned after use. Aprons are

not to be worn from one room to another.

20. Clean up any spillage immediately to prevent accidents/injury.

21. Switch machine power off before attempting to retrieve lost stones.

22. Each machine is to be cleaned when finished and water emptied.

23. ALL damage is to be reported immediately.

24. Damage to equipment due to misuse or neglect will be paid for by the operator.

Please be aware that serious or continuous breaches of these

rules may result in cancellation of membership.

CLUB RULES CLUB RULES CLUB RULES CLUB RULES CLUB RULES

C

L

U

B

R

U

L

E

S

C

L

U

B

R

U

L

E

S

C

L

U

B

R

U

L

E

S

C

L

U

B

R

U

L

E

S

C

L

U

B

R

U

L

E

S

C

L

U

B

R

U

L

E

S


FROM SMALL THINGS, BIG THINGS GROW!

or

The Power of Wishful Thinking!

In this case the small things that grew out of all proportion were groups of tourmaline crystals in cavities in quartz clusters. These were only easily visible at magnifications of 80X. As some of them are partly transparent, instead of the common opaque black or brown, there is a suggestion of colour. This has led to the rumour that there is gem quality and size watermelon tourmaline specimens amongst them.

Well, wouldn’t they be terrific to find?

Unfortunately they never existed except in the fertile imaginations of some very impressionable fossickers.

THE MINER

(From “ Angor to Zillmanton stories of North Queensland’s deserted towns” by Colin Hooper)

“The miner died and went to heaven. He was greeted at the Pearly Gates by St Peter who said, “Welcome, old-timer. Your trials and tribulations are over. Just head on over to that ridge and stake out your claim.”

On looking at the ridge the miner saw it was alive with workings and other miners. Cupping his hands to his mouth he cooed and yelled, “Hey, mates, there’s a new rush four miles this side if Hades.”

At this, all work stopped and packing up their gear, the entire ridge filed out of the Pearly Gates to the new rush.

“That was clever,” said St Peter, “Now you have the pick of the claims.”

But the miner picked up his swag and turned around and walked out of the gates.

“Be blowed”, he said, “I’m off to the new rush! There might be gold there.”

Happenings from

around the Club

FOUND AGAIN!

Robyn and Neville Ridley have found their way back to the club after weeks away exploring Australia. You will remember the photos in the last edition of “No Stone Unturned” of very unusual rocks. Check the front page of the magazine for a description of them.

They also collected specimens of gaspeite from the nickel mine at Norseman, Western Australia and lepidolite specimens in interesting colour variations of violet, green, grey and blue from Tantalum Mine, near Mt Magnet, Western Australia. These will be included in the clubs mineral collection.

MONTHLY RAFFLE

The raffle was a free form carved chalcedony which was donated by Denis Hellyer. The prize was won by Car-olyn Lennox with ticket number 2010. Congratulations Carolyn.

ALLAN’S MUSINGS

Be Prepared…

The Scout’s motto stands

relevant to each and every

one of us. One could also

say… be alert, be aware,

be focused or any of so

many imperatives.

Considering that it is already October, in a rainy

year, we might direct our attention to the

oncoming summer affairs . Weather predictions

are for particularly wet and turbulent weather.

The sensible thing is to be prepared at our

clubrooms. All litter should be cleared from our

gutters and drains. Unnecessary clutter should

be removed from outdoor areas.

Remember wheelie bins . I find occy-straps

particularly useful for securing bins that are laid

horizontally.

In the event of a cyclone alert, most of the prep-

aration should have been done beforehand.

Remember the Scout’s motto. Be Prepared!

Allan


In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button press-es required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows: 1-- To make an appointment to see me. 2-- To query a missing payment. 3-- To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there. 4-- To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping. 5-- To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature. 6-- To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home. 7-- To leave a message on my computer (a password to access my computer is required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorised Contact.) 8-- To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 8 9-- To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my au-tomated answering service. While this may, on occa-sion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement. May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosper-ous, New Year. Your Humble Client

Could we use a similar technique to deal with telephone “voices” of many companies that NEVER have an option that you want?

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

A SENIOR MOMENT - An elderly lady actually wrote

this letter to her bank. The bank manager thought it

amusing enough to have it published in The Times

and this newspaper thanks him most sincerely.

Dear Sir,

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my cheque with

which I endeavoured to pay my plumber last month.

By my calculations, three 'nanoseconds' must have

elapsed between his presenting the cheque and the

arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it.

I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of

my Pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has

been in place for only thirty eight years. You are to be

commended for seizing that brief window

of opportunity, and also for debiting my account

£30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused

to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this

incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial

ways.

I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your tele-

phone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I

am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, re-

recorded, faceless entity which your bank

has become.

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with

a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and

loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer

be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by

cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to

an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.

Be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for

any other person to open such an envelope.

Please find attached an Application Contact Status

which I require your chosen employee to complete. I

am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I

know as much about him or her as your bank knows

about me, there is no alternative. Please note that

all copies of his or her medical history must

be countersigned by a Solicitor, and the mandato-

ry details of his/her financial situation (income, debts,

assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by docu-

mented proof.


COMMON FACETING GEMSTONES & THEIR PROPERTIES

Quartz: Silicone Dioxide

Chemical Formula: (SiO2)

General properties:

• Colour: Colourless (Clear), Yellow, Brown, Grey, Pink, Green & Purple + variations

• Transparency: Crystal Clear to opaque

• Hardness: 7.00

• Streak: White

• Cleavage: None

• Fracture: Conchoidal fracture - brittle

• Crystal Structure: Hexagonal (Trigonal)

• Specific Gravity: 2.63 to 2.65

• Refractive Index: 1.544 to 1.553

• Dispersion: 0.013

• Pleochroism: None to strong - depending on the colour variations

• Birefringence: Slightly double refractive in most varieties (+ 0.009). Shows colour interference

between polarized plates

• Spectrum Depends on Colour and variety

• Lustre: Vitreous

Names according to colour:-

Colourless (Clear) Rock Crystal (ice)

Yellow Citrine Quartz - weak (Natural, yellow to very

light yellow),

Brown Cairngorm Quartz (Brown to reddish brown)

Grey Smoky Quartz (Brown to reddish brown)

Pink Rose Quartz—weak (pink to a very pale pink),

Green Prase Quartz (prasiolite) (pale green to light

green).

Purple (Violet) Amethyst - weak (purple to grey purple)

Treated quartz:

Most citrines are heat treated amethyst or smoky quartz. Prasiolite is heat treated amethyst and citrine from only one

location in the world. All blue colour quartz is synthetic and nearly all amethyst on the market being sold is also

synthetic. Synthetic ametrine and some citrine is now being sold as natural stones and buyers should be aware of

what they are buying, especially from overseas or from unscrupulous dealers.


CUTTING

This mineral cuts well and is pre-polished with 1200 mesh diamond on copper or crystallite laps.

Polishing can be a problem with quartz - polish scratches. If this occurs try a different combination of laps and polish

media.

Use cerium oxide with a small amount of vinegar added. The mixture should be made into a slurry and pasted onto a

Lucite (plexi glass) lap. Keep the lap wet and never let it dry as you are using it as this will definitely cause severe

scratching.

Polishing can prove a problem with some facets due to polish scratches. If cerium does not work try using 50,000

Diamond grit on a Tin/Lead Lap that is medium to dry. Work at a very slow speed and use Olive Oil as the base

lubricant and spread over the lap. Wipe over the lap thoroughly with a tissue and then dab polish powder around the

lap and spread with a finger. Should this combination prove to ineffective try using a different lap with cerium or add

a small amount of vinegar on the lap.

Use a slow to medium speed for polishing (100 to 500rpm)

Quartz should be orientated to provide the best colour (ie place pavilion into the colour zone).

Crown Angles Pavilion Angles

Main: 42° Main: 43° (critical angle 40°)

Girdle: 46° Girdle: 44.5 or 45°

Star: 27°

For rectangular or Emerald cut use 10º either side of the Mains angle

Trevor Hannam

QUARTZ

Quartz (from the Slavic word meaning “hard”) is the name for a group of minerals of the same chemical composition

(SiO2) and similar physical properties.

The name crystal comes from the Greek for “ice” as it was believed that rock crystal was eternally frozen.

Monocrystalline Quartz (crystals recognizable to the naked eye) includesstones gemologists classify as varieties of

quartz species: amethyst, aventurine, rock crystal, blue quartz, citrine, hawk’s-eye, prasiolite, quartz cat’s-eye,

smoky quartz, rose quartz and tiger’s-eye.

Cryptocrystalline Quartz (microscopically small crystals) generally known as chalcedony, includes agate, petrified

wood, chrysoprase, bloodstone, jasper, carnelion , moss agate and sard.

Pictured below are three specimens of monocrystalline quartz.

no stone unturned - cairns mineral & lapidary club inc. · (these are the ones we know about…...

Documents