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March 2015 Pretoria Rockhound Digest Pretoria Gem and Mineral Club Clubhouse: no. 29, 26th St., Menlo Park P.O. Box 36 888 Saturdays 11:00–15:00, Thursdays 18:00– 21:00 Menlo Park Website: www.pgmc.co.za Pretoria 0102 Bank: ABSA Bank, Acc. No. 405 584 9839 Chairman: Bernard Strydom, 074 850 5683 Treasurer: Jeanne Wentzel, 082 449 5450 bernardstrydom@gmail.com Secretary: Elmarie Coetzee, elmariec1@gmail.com Vice-Chairman: Willem Vorster, 082 880 0506 Editor: Heidi Naudé, 072 923 2180 wcs.vorster@gmail.com heidi.naude@za.bosch.com

Programme Highlights March 2015 *** Swop & Sell and Social 7 Mar. *** Silversmithing Course 21 Mar.

*** Gemboree 2015 - Jozini 3 – 6 Apr.

Agates – Jozini (above and far right)

“Agate Shopping”

all photos H. Naudé, Jozini Outing 2013

The opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the PGMC Committee. This newsletter is the property of the Pretoria Gem and Mineral Club; articles/photos may not be re-produced without the written permission of the Editor.

Affiliated to the Federation of Southern African Gem and Mineralogical Societies

Registered as non-profit organization – SARS 9830/639/14/3

Pretoria Gem and Mineral Club

Page 2 PGMC Programme for March 2015: (as at 27.02.2015)

Date Event Time Contact Details

5 Mar. Silversmithing Workshop open 18:00 – 21:00 Bernard Strydom, 074 850 5683

7 Mar. Swop & Sell and Social at the Clubhouse

Lapidary and Silversmithing Workshops open 11.00 – 16.00

Duty Members

12 Mar. Silversmithing Workshop open 18:00 – 21:00 Bernard Strydom, 074 850 5683

14 Mar. Lapidary and Silversmithing Workshop open

Committee Meeting

11.00 – 14.00

14.30 – 16.30

Duty Members – Short Shift

Committee Members

19 Mar. Silversmithing Workshop open 18:00 – 21:00 Bernard Strydom, 074 850 5683

21 Mar. Silversmithing Course – booking essential!

Lapidary Workshop open

10.00 – 15.00

11:00 – 15:00

Bernard Strydom, 074 850 5683

Duty Members

26 Mar. Silversmithing Workshop open 18:00 – 21:00 Bernard Strydom, 074 850 5683

28 Mar. Lapidary and Silversmithing Workshops open 11:00 – 15:00 Duty Members

3 – 6 Apr.

Outing – Gemboree 2015, Jozini Details as per February Newsletter add. reg. forms available from the NL Editor

A very warm welcome to the new members who joined recently:

Michael, Joanna, Amadeus & Eric Fidos, Mike & Elsa McClean, Elaine Schoeman, and Miranda Lancaster (re-joined), Chris Callaghan (re-joined),

May your association with the club be enjoyable, long and productive.

Duty Roster: March and April 2015

March 7 14 21 28

Open – 11:00 am Will Dieter Bernard Lex

Duty Team Will v/d Berg Karin Mayerl

Dieter Heinichen Linda Stone

Len Botha Ada Beresford

Henry Viviers Jean Snyman

Close – 15:00 pm Will Committee Bernard Lex

April 4 11 18 25

Open – 11:00 am Heidi Bernard Willem

Duty Team Closed - Gemboree Easter Weekend

Hendrik Swanepoel Karin Eggers

Lex Krabbendam Zelda Carey

Willem Vorster Marion Blair

Close – 15:00 pm Committee Bernard Willem

Please check the dates assigned to you and organize “stand-ins” for the dates/times you are not available. We are still looking for additional duty volunteers (machines & admin.), please contact Bernard Strydom if you are available and willing to help. Please note that the Annual Duty Roster 2015/2016 will be reviewed monthly; therefore refer to your Newsletter for Duty Team allocations.

Page 3

1. Membership Fees 2015

Membership fees for 2015 are now overdue, please settle your as soon as possible:

R 470 Principal Members

R 415 Pensioners (over 60’s)

R 80 per additional Family Member

R 30 Joining Fee (new members only)

Members are encouraged to settle their fees by EFT transfers (Pretoria Gem & Mineral Club, ABSA Bank, account no. 405 584 9839); this is purely to save on the ever increasing banking fees and to reduce the risk of cash at the club’s premises.

2. Indemnity Book at the Duty Desk

Please remember to sign the red Indemnity Book at the duty desk every day you visit or work in the club’s workshop. The book is kept at the duty desk for your convenience. Duty members – please check that everybody signs accordingly.

3. Safety Glasses

Safety glasses are compulsory for everyone working on the lapidary grinders, polishers and trim saws. Members are requested to buy their own safety glasses either at the duty desk or at any hardware store. This will be strictly enforced from 1st March 2015.

4. Trim Saws

Please note that with immediate effect no stones, agates etc. may be cut on the trim saws. These saws are intended for trimming excess materials of slabs with a thickness of 5 – 6 mm only.

Any material exceeding this size must be blocked on wood and cut on the big slabbing saws available and designed for this purpose; no exception will be made and members are kindly asked to adhere to this rule.

5. Special Request from our Maintenance Team

We are overhauling all our slabbing saws at the club and urgently need second-hand motors; apparently motors from old washing machines with a min. of 0.5 HP would be perfect and any make or model would do for this purpose.

Anything like that lying around in your family’s garage gathering dust? Please consider donating it to the club.

Page 4

6. Swop & Sell & Social, 07.03.2015

The next Swop & Sell and Social is scheduled for Saturday, 07.03.2015 from 11.00 onwards at the clubhouse.

Please bring your family and friends to introduce them to our hobby. No previous experience required - everyone can do it! All dealers and members welcome to swop and sell their goods.

Last month Dieter Heinichen brought along his friends from Leipzig in Germany, who were impressed with Helmut Schönberger’s faceted semi-precious gemstones and cabochons on offer, some of which will be travelling back with them.

7. Silversmithing Course, 21.03.2015

The next course is scheduled for Saturday, 21.03.2015 (10h00) at the clubhouse.

Please contact Bernard Strydom regarding this course project, fee and material required. Remember to book your place in advance as space is limited.

Our dedicated Silversmithers produced “pearl cup rings” similar to the one in this photo by Bernard Strydom.

8. Faceting Classes

Our faceting section is now in “full swing” – if you interested to try your hand at cutting stones, please contact Lex Krabbendam at (083 449 6812) or Peter Beresford at (012-377 0558) to make an appointment.

Due to the time involved classes are only offered on Saturdays and by prior arrangement.

Photo left, Dieter taking his first lesson – I can’t wait to see the final product.

Page 5

9. 48th Gemboree, 03. – 06.04.2015

The Pietermaritzburg Gem and Mineral Club invites you to this, the 48th Gemboree to be held in Northern Zululand, around the Jozini area, over the Easter weekend in 2015. Your host is the Pietermaritzburg Gem and Mineral Club with support from the Natal Mineral and Gem Society.

The Northern Zululand area has a complex geological history, and specimens which can be found range from agates, amethyst, quartz to fossils. There is a wide range of scenery, and of course a number of games reserves are found in the area, which are also worth a visit. The Jozini Dam is well known for fishing competitions.

Booking forms have been distributed on 05.01.2015; please register soon to avoid disappointment. No further communication has been received at this stage from the clubs involved, will advise as soon as additional information becomes available.

10. Donation of Tumble Stones

We thank our previous member Christoffel “Stoffel” Esterhuizen for the kind donation of beautiful tumbled stones; the stones will be evaluated and packed for re-sale at the club on swop & sell days.

11. Display Cabinet

What good is a collection of minerals, gems and arte facts if you cannot display and enjoy it on a daily basis? Did you gather all these nice pieces to have them packed in boxed and stacked away in the garage? Professional display cabinets are beautiful and obviously the best way to display your precious items, but for most of us simply not affordable.

Many years ago we received this antique oak cupboard (hangkas) from my husband’s family. Having no real use for it we stored it at our guestroom, until one day I got the “inspiration” to convert it into a display cabinet. The dismantling, sanding and re-polishing took me one weekend. And the installation of the aluminium rails for the glass shelves and mirrors, as well as the sliding doors took me another weekend. Costs involved were about R 1 480, due to the glass shelves being 8mm thick. I overcompensated a bit there for the weight of my specimens (better safe than sorry).

Maybe you also have some furniture item standing around and waiting to being re-purposed?

Page 6

Amethyst Hotels: Dutch Firm “NL Architects” Offers a Gem of an Experience in Its Proposed Chain By: Carol Mosley | February 2nd, 2015

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Imagine yourself looking out from inside a giant amethyst cathedral geode. Admit it. The very idea of nesting in a crystal cave stirs something primal deep in your bones. And yet, it evokes something ethereal in your psyche to be bathed in purple light as it streams in through the crystal. And it is a declared intention that the “healing powers” associated with the gem in many cultures will be bestowed on visitors. Quite the respite!

The word amethyst has its origins in Greek and means “sober or not intoxicated.” But the amethyst has cultural significance in many realms. It is the birthstone for February and the gemstone to give in honor of a sixth wedding anniversary. In the concept of feng shui decorating, amethyst is said to attract good fortune. In the metaphysical sense, it is believed to purify a space of negativity and encourage a meditative mindset.

NL Architects’ proposal for the first structure in an anticipated chain of hotels will be situated in Hainan, China on a man-made island, the Ocean Flower, currently under construction in the South China Sea. A bridge provides access from the mainland to a park-like landscape at the entrance to the enormous half-dome. The structure maintains the geode appearance in all regards. The thick “crust” surrounding the purple cavity, consisting of protruding crystals, is a flat-faced white brick. The rear of the building, true to that of a natural geode, is solid gray, lumpy stone. NL Architects

All of the walkways and room entrances are located internally between the solid rear of the building and the crystalline front. The rooms are wedge-shaped, wider at the back than the front, so as to expose each suite to the crystal front view.

The nighttime display of illuminated violet crystals is a stunning sight that can be viewed from afar, setting a tone of comfort and serenity over the viewing area.

The NL firm is known worldwide for its unique building designs. Their plan for more of these gems around the world is not at all far-fetched. And China has demonstrated an attraction to the “natural form meets human function” in architectural design lately, with structures such as the Lotus Conference Center being a case in point. So this latest undertaking fits right in with that trend. All in all, this collaboration seems to be a rock solid venture, provided China’s economy holds up and there are no territorial disputes to overcome regarding access to the sea.

Nevertheless, with their global intention and determined attitude, the reputed NL Architects will have no lack of willing partners with whom to ground their Amethyst hotels. NL Architects

Article submitted by our member Elsa Maree.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect those of the PGMC Committee. This newsletter is the property of the Pretoria Gem and Mineral Club; articles/photos may not be re-produced without the written permission of the Editor.