October - November 2014
July - September 2014
May - June 2014
March - April 2014
January - February 2014
November - December 2013
September - October 2013
June - August 2013
April - May 2013
Newsletter samples:
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THE GEM & MINERAL COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
September - October 2013
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Find it also in a pdf form by clicking here.
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.
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A tour underground, with lectures on pegmatite geology by Tony Kampf.
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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”). 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.
We purchased this Chinese scheelite at the Munich Show. It is now up for adoption!
Temporary exhibition
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.
.JPG)
A tour underground, with lectures on pegmatite geology by Tony Kampf.
.JPG)
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”). 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.
We purchased this Chinese scheelite at the Munich Show. It is now up for adoption!
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.
The Aurora Butterfly of Peace, a collection of fancy color diamonds arranged and curated by Alan Bronstein. On the right, the diamonds are shown under ultraviolet illumination.
3. CONFERENCES AND SHOWS
Gemological conference in Paris
Curator Eloïse Gaillou was a featured speaker at the 13th French Gemological Conferences (Rendez-vous Gemmologique de Paris), held in Paris on September 5th-6th. On the first day, talks focused on the gem market economy, then colored stones, diamonds and pearls on the second day. International speakers and attendees were present, and it made a beautiful two days in Paris. Also, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association Française de Gemmologie (afg), fifty influential personalities and events were chosen among a list created by specialists. It is featured in the September 2013 edition of the French Revue de Gemmologie, in chronological order.
Eloïse Gaillou presenting her talk on fancy color diamonds at the RDV Gemmologiques de Paris. Photo: N. Sturman.
Opening of the mineralogy museum, MIM, in Beirut, Lebanon
Curator Eloïse Gaillou was invited to Lebanon for the opening of the mim, which is a mineralogy museum put together by collector Mr. Salim Eddé, and now owned and hosted at the University Saint Joseph in Beirut. Mr. Eddé wanted to create a museum that was elegant, meaningful, and educational, with the principal focus on gorgeous minerals. And he did! With the help of Jean-Claude Boulliard, curator of the Sorbonne collection (hosted at the Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris), he has spent 16 years gathering many of the most beautiful minerals in the world. The museum offers a total of 1480 minerals (300 species) from 60 different countries, contained within more than 1300 m² (14,000 sq ft) in 9 galleries. A complete report on the mim, which includes a lot of mineral pictures, can found at:
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.
Curator Eloïse Gaillou & Collection Manager Alyssa Morgan were invited to participate in the Munich Show from October 24-27. The show theme was gold, in celebration of the show’s 50th Anniversary. We brought some of our best pieces, including The Mojave Nugget (the largest gold nugget in existence from California), an elegant arborescent (tree-like) gold from Mariposa County, the historic Ram’s-Horn Gold wire from Colorado, and the finest known Brazilian gold crystal. Three of our pieces are featured in the official book about the show, and you will also be able to find us and the exhibit next year in “What’s hot in Munich”, the DVD report of the show. In the meantime, a complete report (with fun pictures) can be found on the blog:
The Research & Collection Division of NHM allocated the Mineral Sciences Department two work study students for this fiscal year. We are happy to announce that Yasmin David and Claudia Whyte are working on cataloging our collection!
Dr. Anthony Kampf, Emeritus curator, continues to discover more new minerals and publish more research papers than ever since his retirement! Here are the latest …
Mogok is a name that melts the hearts of gem lovers everywhere. It is the storied land of “Burma ruby”, which for centuries has been the standard by which all other rubies are judged. Mogok has long been one of the most daunting places for Westerners to visit, requiring a level of perseverance, fortitude and patience (not to mention connections) possessed by very few. Bill Larson has visited the Mogok Valley an astonishing 10 times over the last 20 years and has certainly earned himself the nickname “Burma Bill”. In this very personal presentation, Bill will share with us some of the fascinating and often heart-pounding stories of his visits to the Mogok Valley. He will also share insights into the Mogok’s exotic gems, minerals and geology in this wonderful event.
Ample free parking is available in the new Museum Car Park at the corner of Exposition Blvd. and Bill Robertson Drive (NW corner of the NHM building). Enter the parking lot from Bill Robertson Drive and enter museum through the staff entrance at the SW corner of the building. The lecture is free, but because of limited space, reservations are necessary. RSVP: 213-763-3326; GMC@nhm.org.
You can contact the Gem & Mineral Council at: 213-763-3326 or gmc@nhm.org.
The NHM exhibit at Denver: Liddicoatite: A tourmaline whose beauty is more than skin deep.
The 50th Munich Show
Curator Eloïse Gaillou & Collection Manager Alyssa Morgan were invited to participate in the Munich Show from October 24-27. The show theme was gold, in celebration of the show’s 50th Anniversary. We brought some of our best pieces, including The Mojave Nugget (the largest gold nugget in existence from California), an elegant arborescent (tree-like) gold from Mariposa County, the historic Ram’s-Horn Gold wire from Colorado, and the finest known Brazilian gold crystal. Three of our pieces are featured in the official book about the show, and you will also be able to find us and the exhibit next year in “What’s hot in Munich”, the DVD report of the show. In the meantime, a complete report (with fun pictures) can be found on the blog:
Alyssa Morgan and Eloïse Gaillou in front of the NHM display case at the Munich show. Notice that the Mojave nugget is on the far left of the picture. Photo: P. Lebrun.
The Munich Show theme book on Gold: some of our specimens are featured, including the Brazilian gold, on the right page, left picture.
Gem & Mineral Shows: save the date
- November 8-10, 2013: West Coast Gem & Mineral Show.
One of Southern California’s best gem & mineral shows will be held in Santa Ana at the Holiday Inn/Orange County Airport (2726 S Grand Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705). Seventy retail and wholesale vendors will be selling minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, beads, lapidary supplies, gift items, and related material. The show is open to the public, but note that this show only has dealers – there are no exhibits. Free admission and parking.
- February 4-9 and 13-16, 2014: Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, 60th edition.
Alyssa Morgan and Eloïse Gaillou will be in Tucson to cover both the gem and the mineral shows, arriving around the 4th and leaving on February 16th. Tony Kampf will join us during the last week, which is mainly focused on minerals. We will have a display case during the main TGMS Gem & Mineral Show (Feb. 13-16). This year’s theme is: “60 years of Diamonds, Gems, Silver and Gold”. Another one not to be missed!
4. STUDENTS AND VOLUNTEERS
Work study students
The Research & Collection Division of NHM allocated the Mineral Sciences Department two work study students for this fiscal year. We are happy to announce that Yasmin David and Claudia Whyte are working on cataloging our collection!
Claudia Whyte
Yasmin David
Volunteers
Christopher Raum is volunteering one day a week, helping cataloguing our minerals. It brings our volunteer group to 5, with Kathy Kampf, who works as a Council Coordinator on Thursdays, Brittany Bednash, who helps with media and communication on Wednesdays and John Moore and Bill McCusky who are long-time volunteers in our department.
Christopher Raum is now part of our volunteer group.
6. PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Anthony Kampf, Emeritus curator, continues to discover more new minerals and publish more research papers than ever since his retirement! Here are the latest …
Kampf, A. R., Mills, S. J., Housley, R. M., Rossman, G. R., Nash, B. P., Dini, M., and Jenkins, R. A. (2013) Joteite, Ca2CuAl[AsO4][AsO3(OH)]2(OH)2(H2O)5, a new arsenate with a sheet structure and unconnected acid arsenate groups. Mineralogical Magazine 77, 2811-2823.
Kampf, A. R., Falster, A. U., Simmons, W. B., and Whitmore, R. W. (2013) Nizamoffite, Mn2+Zn2(PO4)2(H2O)4, the Mn analogue of hopeite from the Palermo No. 1 pegmatite, North Groton, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. American Mineralogist 97, 1893-1898.
Plášil, J., Kampf, A. R., Kasatkin, A. V., Marty, J., Škoda, R., Silva,S., and Čejka, J. (2013) Meisserite, Na5(UO2)(SO4)3(SO3OH)(H2O), a new uranyl sulfate mineral from the Blue Lizard mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA. Mineralogical Magazine 77, 2975-2988.
Kampf, A. R., Sciberras, M. J., Williams, P. A., and Dini, M. (2013) Leverettite from the Torrecillas mine, Iquique Provence, Chile: the Co-analogue of herbertsmithite Mineralogical Magazine 77, 3047-3054.
Colombo, F. and Kampf, A. R. (2013) Natrojarosite and silver halides from the El Criollo Pegmatite, Córdoba Province (Argentina). Proceedings of the XI Congreso de Mineralogía y Metalogenia, San Juan, Argentina, October 16-19, 2013.
Meisserite crystals (2 mm field of view)
SEM image of joteite
7. COMING EVENTS
Thursday, November 14th 2013: Lecture by Bill Larson on the Mythic Valley of Mogok.
Mogok is a name that melts the hearts of gem lovers everywhere. It is the storied land of “Burma ruby”, which for centuries has been the standard by which all other rubies are judged. Mogok has long been one of the most daunting places for Westerners to visit, requiring a level of perseverance, fortitude and patience (not to mention connections) possessed by very few. Bill Larson has visited the Mogok Valley an astonishing 10 times over the last 20 years and has certainly earned himself the nickname “Burma Bill”. In this very personal presentation, Bill will share with us some of the fascinating and often heart-pounding stories of his visits to the Mogok Valley. He will also share insights into the Mogok’s exotic gems, minerals and geology in this wonderful event.
Ample free parking is available in the new Museum Car Park at the corner of Exposition Blvd. and Bill Robertson Drive (NW corner of the NHM building). Enter the parking lot from Bill Robertson Drive and enter museum through the staff entrance at the SW corner of the building. The lecture is free, but because of limited space, reservations are necessary. RSVP: 213-763-3326; GMC@nhm.org.
Wednesday, December 4th 2013: Opening ceremony for the Aurora Butterfly of Peace diamond exhibition. EXCLUSIVE for $1,000 GMC members and above.
We will celebrate the opening of our 6-month-long exhibition of the fabulous Aurora Butterfly of Peace diamond collection with a gala cocktail party. This very special event will take place at the museum on Wednesday, December 4th beginning at 6pm. The event sponsor is Alan Bronstein, curator of the collection. Invitees will include high-end donors to our museum, including our GMC members at the $1,000 and above levels. Lower level Council members should consider upgrading their membership level so that they won’t have to miss this wonderful event.
Sunday, December 8th 2013: Jewel Tunnel Imports open house & sale.
Rock Currier, owner/proprietor of Jewel Tunnel Imports (www.jeweltunnel.com) has again agreed to open his immense Baldwin Park warehouse to Gem & Mineral Council members and their guests for a very special open house. What makes this warehouse so special is its contents – an amazing variety and quantity of rocks, minerals, lapidary, jewelry – all at true wholesale prices (Jewel Tunnel Imports does not sell to the public).
Refreshments will be served throughout the day to keep you going as you search Rock's seemingly endless shelves full of rare and common treasures. Whatever you’re looking for, you won't be disappointed.
Rock, a stalwart supporter of the Council since its inception, wants this to be a fund-raising event for the Council. Consequently, for the privilege of buying wholesale, you will be asked to make a tax-deductible donation amounting to 25% of the purchase price. That means that you will still be paying nearly 40% off retail price. (Sales tax will be charged unless you can provide a resale number.) Please plan to write two checks, one for your purchase and one for your donation to the Gem & Mineral Council.
There is no admission charge for this event. Family and friends are welcome, but Rock asks that any children be closely supervised. There will be more than enough rocks and minerals for everyone, but plan on coming early to give yourself plenty of time to go through Rock's vast stock.
CONTACT US
You can contact the Gem & Mineral Council at: 213-763-3326 or gmc@nhm.org.
Remember that we update our Facebook page daily with pictures of gems, minerals, news, etc. You will also find updated information about our coming events and photo albums of our past events. You do not need to be a Facebook member to visit our page! http://www.facebook.com/GemMineralCouncil
Follow our blog! http://nhminsci.blogspot.com/
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THE GEM & MINERAL COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
June - August 2013
1. THE NEW GEM & MINERAL COUNCIL
As of August 2013, the Gem & Mineral Council has a new structure, with two levels of membership, listed below. This change was requested by the Museum, as the Gem & Mineral Council’s current set-up was not a sustainable fundraising model. We enter a new era where the Gem & Mineral Council will be a true support group to:
- Grow our Gem & Mineral Collection to keep it at the World-Class level, providing minerals for research and education, as well as awe-inspiring specimens for exhibition,
- Launch groundbreaking temporary exhibitions and improve our already fabulous Gem & Mineral Hall,
- Create innovative educational programs around gems, minerals and meteorites,
- Share our treasures and knowledge by increasing our virtual presence on the Internet,
- Support our cutting-edge research including the discovery of new minerals and the investigation of the deep earth using exciting clues from diamonds.
The Gem & Mineral Council
Annual Contribution of $1,000
With this level of membership, which includes a Family Membership to the NHM, you will have access to at least 5 benefits per year and a subscription to the Gem & Mineral Council’s bi-monthly e-newsletter. Events will include:
• Exclusive lectures given by world-renowned scientists, collectors, and jewelers.
• Exciting, local, family-friendly field trips.
• International field trips led by a member of the Mineral Sciences staff and/or a field geologist (usually organized every other year).
• Adult and children’s workshops on topics such as gems, meteorites, geology, and more.
• Invitations to the openings of special temporary exhibits.
• Exclusive viewing of private collections.
• Invitation to the Gem and Mineral Council Annual Reception.
Gem & Mineral Connoisseur’s Circle
Annual contribution of $5,000
The Connoisseur’s Circle is directly involved in the annual purchase of an important specimen for the collection. At this level, you will have access to:
• All the benefits listed above.
• Annual dinner with the Curator and Collection Manager to vote on a new specimen to purchase (e.g., gem, mineral, meteorite, rock), from a selection chosen by the curator.
• A day tour with the Gem and Mineral Curator at a major national or international Gem and Mineral Show, such as Tucson (AZ), Munich (Germany) or Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (France).
• Up to two invited guests per lecture.
• Private tours of the Gem and Mineral Collection and behind-the-scenes tours for friends and family (up to 10 people).
We hope you will be part of our new adventure!
During the transition period (until August 2014), our members that renewed at the $125 level BEFORE SEPTEMBER 1st 2013, will continue to enjoy their benefits.2. EVENTS
The Centennial Celebration
The second weekend in June was dedicated to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of our NHM – and what a celebration! Three new exhibits opened: The Nature Lab, the Nature Garden and the Otis Booth Pavilion. On the Saturday, a cocktail party and celebration dinner were organized as a fundraising event.
Celebrations on Saturday June 8th: Dr. Eloïse Gaillou’s presentation bar during the cocktail party.
Celebrations on Saturday June 8th: The after party.
During the cocktail and the after party, some staff members were posted at “presentation bars”, showing off items related to their work. To the great pleasure of the evening guests, Eloïse Gaillou had a few diamonds to show to help her explain her research studies. Guests were able to walk around the Nature Lab and Nature Garden during the evening. During the “After Party,” the Otis Booth Pavilion was unveiled following a majestic film projected on the covered North Entrance (available online). If you haven’t already seen it, you really must.
Setup of tables for the dinner celebration. The Museum looked amazing! The dinner was catered by “Animal”. © NHM.
The Otis Booth Pavilion unveiled. © NHM.
On Sunday June 9, the museum reopened to the public. A Curator’s Cupboard took place during the day, as well as tours of the collection. Alyssa Morgan and Eloïse Gaillou were on hand to show people behind the scenes.
On Sunday evening, the museum continued the celebration, welcoming a few concerts, finishing with the band Devo. The evening culminated with second unveiling of the Otis Booth Pavilion.
Concert by Devo during the second day of the Centennial Celebration.
Lecture by Charles Carmona on “Gemology in Tanzania”
On July 25th at the Page Museum, Council members were treated to a wonderful program by Charles Carmona. Charlie is a highly respected gem expert and appraiser who owns and operates Guild Laboratories, Inc. in downtown Los Angeles. He is also a World Bank gemology consultant, having coordinated the establishment of a government-run gem laboratory in Madagascar and now doing the same in Tanzania. The latter was the focus of his program.
Tanzania is rich in minerals and other natural resources, and has established itself as the most prolific producer of gemstones (other than diamonds) in the East African region. The country extracts a variety of these colored gemstones, from its eponymous tanzanite, to ruby and sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, opal, iolite, and its many unusual colors of garnet. Although Tanzania banned the export of rough gem material several years ago in order to promote the growth of the gem cutting industry in Tanzania, the infrastructure to develop gem cutting expertise has just not been there. Thanks to a concerted effort by the World Bank, the Government of Tanzania, private sector advocates of value addition, and gemologist Charles Carmona, the above scenario is set to change over the next five years.
Curator’s Cupboard
The latest in the 2013 Curator’s Cupboard series was August 17th’s “Urban Biodiversity.” That might sound like a strange topic for minerals, but not really! Minerals provide the foundation for ecosystems. Life itself can drastically alter minerals; algae blooms in the ocean billions of years ago created our atmosphere and oxidized most of the minerals on the Earth’s surface! Additionally, large scale mining can have a powerful impact on local wildlife. All of these topics and more were covered in a series of tours for the public by Alyssa Morgan.
3. COLLECTION
Acquisition
The Mineral Sciences department purchased an almost colorless (slightly blue) 13.13-carat faceted topaz from the California Blue Mine, San Bernardino County, California. It is now looking for a donor through our Adopt-a-Mineral program! The adoption price is $436.
Adopt-me! Can’t you hear this topaz from the California Blue Mine calling you?
Temporary exhibition
The Lady Heart Diamond Collection temporary exhibition has been extended by popular demand! You will now have until the end of November to enjoy those rare colored diamonds, set into unique jewelry pieces by Bernard Bachoura of Sophia Fiori. Learn more on our blog post by clicking here.
The Lady Zahira is a 2.26 carat Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond heart uniquely embedded in a rose gold encasing. Originating from the Zimi mines of South Africa, the color of this diamond is more intense than most vivid yellow diamonds. Even in very low light, the intensity of a vivid yellow color is evident. This perfectly-cut heart shape not only captures the most vivid yellow found in nature, but is also the most intense color in the Fiori Collection.
4. GEM & MINERAL SHOWS
The 50th Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Show
Eloïse Gaillou was an invited speaker at the Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral & Gem show, which was held from June 27 to 30. She had all expenses paid by the organizers to present four lectures (on colored diamonds, and on the collections of the NHM and of the Smithsonian Institution). A complete report can be found here.
For those who have not been to the Sainte-Marie before: 1) You have to go. 2) The atmosphere is like nowhere else. It is set in the small town located in the Vosges Mountains, not far from Germany, and very importantly, in Alsace, which is a wine region. White wines such as Gewurztraminer and Riesling are the specialty. Food-wise, the region is popular for its cured meat, and its "tartes flambées".
Each year, the town is completely re-configured to welcome the mineral and gem show, where thousands of dealers come and set up their booths, mostly under tents. There is the "mineral village", set up around the theater, and the "gem village", set up not far from the Town Hall. They are separated by a 10 min walk.
This year, a special exhibit on "American Treasures" was coordinated by Alain Martaud. Museums and private collectors brought their best goodies to exhibit. Alain Martaud also published a book on the minerals of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (in 3 languages!), and had a small showcase dedicated to those, which serves as a complement to the most extensive collection shown in Tellure, a town nearby.
Kunzite from Pala, California, owned the French National Museum of Natural History.
Curators and organizers of the Mineral & Gem Show 2013. Copyright: Rémy Dumont.
Save the date for next shows!
- September 13-15, 2013: Denver Gem & Mineral Show.
Dr. Tony Kampf will be bringing an exhibit with him, following this year’s theme: “Tourmaline”. Stop by and look at our showcase (right at the entrance of the Denver Mart Expo Hall), while you are there!
- October 25-27, 2013: The Munich Gem & Mineral Show, 50th Anniversary.
The biggest European gem & mineral show will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a special exhibit… on gold! And guess what? Our museum will have an entire showcase for the show. As our museum has one of the world’s best displays of native gold, the organizers invited (all expenses paid) Alyssa Morgan and Eloïse Gaillou to attend the show and display some of our best gold specimens.
- November 8-10, 2013: West Coast Gem & Mineral Show.
One of Southern California’s best gem & mineral shows will be held in Santa Ana at the Holiday Inn/Orange County Airport (2726 S Grand Ave Santa Ana, CA 92705). Seventy retail and wholesale vendors will be selling minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, beads, lapidary supplies, metaphysical supplies, gift items, and related material. The show is open to the public, but note that this show only has dealers – there are no exhibits.
Free admission and parking.
- February 4-9 and 13-16, 2014: Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, 60th edition.
Alyssa Morgan and Eloïse Gaillou will be in Tucson to cover both the gem and the mineral shows, arriving around the 4th and leaving on February 16th. Tony Kampf will join us during the last week, which is mainly focused on minerals. We will have a display case during the main TGMS Gem & Mineral Show (Feb. 13-16). This year’s theme is: “60 years of Diamonds, Gems, Silver and Gold”. Another one not to be missed!
5. MEDIA
The Mystery of the Ring
Collection Manager Alyssa Morgan and volunteer Brittany Bednash began the investigation of a diamond and enamel ring we have on display in the Gem Vault, which was for many years thought to have belonged to Catherine the Great.
This ring came to the museum in 1974, a gift from a Mr. and Mrs. Haverstick of Santa Monica, CA. Along with the ring was a label of unknown origin explaining that the ring was a gift from Empress Catherine II of Russia (Catherine the Great) to one of her maids-of-honor.
It turns out that, most likely, this ring never belonged to Catherine the Great, but perhaps to Queen Elizabeth of Prussia… a hypothesis that is still under investigation. Alyssa Morgan had a radio interview on KPCC about this story, which you can listen here. To learn more, check out Alyssa’s blog post by clicking here.
The Lady Heart Diamond collection
JCK magazine, National Jeweler, AGTA and other websites are talking about our temporary exhibit on these five fancy vivid colored diamonds! Here are a few links:
6. PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Anthony Kampf, Emeritus curator, continues to discover more new minerals than ever since his retirement! Here are the latest five: wernerbaurite, schindlerite, camaronesite, bairdite and eckhardite. Wernerbaurite is named for Dr. Werner Baur, from whom Tony took his first course in mineralogy and crystallography at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Tony worked for him in his crystallography lab as an undergraduate and while getting his Master’s degree. Dr. Baur is still active in mineralogy and crystallography.
Kampf, A. R.,
Hughes, J. M., Marty, J., and Nash, B. P. (2013) Wernerbaurite, {[Ca(H2O)7]2(H2O)2(H3O)2}{V10O28}, and schindlerite, {[Na2(H2O)10](H3O)4}{V10O28}, the first
hydronium-bearing decavanadate minerals. Canadian
Mineralogist 51, 297-312.
Kampf, A. R.,
Mills, S. J., Nash, B. P., Housley, R. M., Rossman, G. R., and Dini, M. (2013) Camaronesite, Fe3+2(PO3OH)2(SO4)(H2O)4·1-2H2O, a new phosphate-sulfate from the Camarones Valley, Chile, structurally related
to taranakite. Mineralogical Magazine 77, 453-465.
Kampf, A. R.,
Mills, S. J., Housley,
R. M., Rossman, G.R., Marty, J., and
Thorne, B. (2013) Lead–tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker,
California: X. Bairdite, Pb2Cu2+4Te6+2O10(OH)2(SO4)·H2O,
a new mineral with thick HCP layers. American Mineralogist 97,
1315-1321.
Kampf, A. R., Mills, S. J., Housley,
R. M., Rossman, G.R., Marty, J., and Thorne, B. (2013) Lead–tellurium oxysalts from Otto Mountain near Baker,
California: XI. Eckhardite, (Ca,Pb)Cu2+Te6+O5(H2O),
a new mineral with HCP stair-step layers. American
Mineralogist 97, 1617-1623.
Dr. Anthony Kampf’s new discoveries:
Wernerbaurite
Camaronesite
Bairdite
Eckhardite
7. FUTURE EVENTS
Sunday September 8th, 2013: The Oceanview and Pala Chief mines in the historic Pala District of San Diego County.
For well over a century, the Pala district has been one of the most important gem producing areas in the U.S. and, in recent years, the Oceanview mine has been making headlines in the gem and mineral world for its production of exquisite kunzite crystals and cut stones. Join us for an exciting day (10 am to 3 pm on site) at the Oceanview and Pala Chief mines, where we will enjoy a tour of the underground workings at Oceanview and be able to collect from recently excavated material from the gem pocket zone. Note that the Oceanview underground workings are quite extensive and require strenuous walking; you must be in good physical condition. A jeep tour of the historic Pala Chief mine is also included. Tony Kampf and Alyssa Morgan will be on hand to provide geological and mineralogical commentary.
Participants are responsible for their own transportation to the mine (about 2½ hours from LA). The last half mile to the mine is on a well-graded road that is accessible by any vehicle. Bring your own lunch and drinks. There are picnic tables and restrooms on site.
Registration: Participation is limited to Council members and their families. Children are welcome! The field trip fee is $125 per adult (or child 13 to 18) and $100 per child (12 and under). All registration forms and payments must be received by September 1.
Optional: Afterwards, join us at Callaway Winery’s Meritage Restaurant in Temecula for tapas and good wine! (Reservations recommended).
Thursday September 26th, 2013: Lecture by Rock Currier on “How to tell a great mineral specimen from a piece of …”.
Location (please, note the change in location of the lecture!): Times Mirror Room (by the staff entrance) at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Time: 7:30pm.
Parking: Ample free parking is available in the new Museum Car Park at the corner of Exposition Blvd and Bill Robertson Drive (NW corner of the NHM building). Enter the parking lot from Bill Robertson Drive and enter museum through the staff entrance at the SW corner of the building.
The lecture is free, but because of limited space, reservations are necessary.
Summary: Let’s face it, the ability to tell whether a mineral specimen is the best of its kind – or even a half-way decent rock – is not an easy skill to develop. You need to learn, independent of the person trying to sell you a specimen, just how good it is and how it compares to others of its kind. In olden times (prior to the advent of the Internet), the only way to do this was to spend years traveling around to museums, private collections and producing localities and memorizing what the best specimens looked like and/or taking pictures of them. You could also try your hand at buying and selling mineral specimens, thereby being able to hold lots of real specimens in your hands, and also learning first-hand through the School of Hard Knocks how to avoid getting taken. Doing lots of perusing of mineral magazines and books, is something you could (and still should) do, but that is a slow process and usually isn’t very helpful in learning current specimen values.
Today the whole mineral world is on your doorstep (actually your computer) via the Internet. In this interactive demonstration, Rock will introduce you to one of the main sources of mineralogical information on the WWW and show you how to use it. There are Web-based projects afoot that will let you shortcut what used to take years of hard work and hard knocks in honing your mineral specimen acumen.
If you know Rock, you know that you can expect this program to be liberally sprinkled with his special brand of humor, witticism and poignant insights.
Sunday, December 8th 2013: Jewel Tunnel Imports open house & sale.
Rock Currier, owner/proprietor of Jewel Tunnel Imports has again agreed to open his immense Baldwin Park warehouse to Gem & Mineral Council members and their guests for a very special open house. What makes this warehouse so special is its content – an amazing variety and quantity of rocks, minerals, lapidary, jewelry – all at true wholesale prices (Jewel Tunnel Imports does not sell to the public).
Refreshments will be served throughout the day to keep you going as you search Rock's seemingly endless shelves full of rare and common treasures. Whatever you’re looking for, you won't be disappointed.
Rock, a stalwart supporter of the Council since its inception, wants this to be a fund-raising event for the Council. Consequently, for the privilege of buying wholesale, you will be asked to make a tax-deductible donation amounting to 25% of the purchase price. That means that you will still be paying nearly 40% less than retail. (Sales tax will be charged unless you can provide a resale number.)
Please plan to write two checks, one for your purchase and one for your donation to the Gem & Mineral Council.
There is no admission charge for this event. Family and friends are welcome, but Rock asks that any children be closely supervised.
There will be more than enough rocks and minerals for everyone, but plan on coming early to give yourself plenty of time to go through Rock's vast stock.
June-July 2014: A European Tour
The Mineral Science department is organizing a tour for its GMC members, which will begin in Sainte-Marie during the Mineral & Gem show in 2014 (June 26-29), then proceeding to the gem center of Idar-Oberstein, Germany and across Germany to Poland, where participants will enjoy some exciting mineral collecting. Shows, museums, mines and… wineries will be included in the trip!
CONTACT US
You can contact the Gem & Mineral Council at: 213-763-3326 or gmc@nhm.org.
Remember that we update our Facebook page daily with pictures of gems, minerals, news, etc. You will also find updated information about our coming events and photo albums of our past events. You do not need to be a Facebook member to visit our page!
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THE GEM & MINERAL COUNCIL NEWSLETTER
April - May 2013
EVENT
As you all know, April 28th was our Annual Meeting and Reception at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. We had a fabulous cocktail party, as well as a silent auction in the Grand Foyer of the Museum. Our guests also enjoyed wine provided by Coghlan Vineyard and Jewelers, as well as live music by Byzantium; our live auction was conducted by Isadore Chait. Our distinguished speaker from the California Institute of Technology, Professor George Rossman, gave a lecture on feldspars, which was both educational and entertaining.
Our guest speaker George Rossman, talking about Feldspar.
Set up of wine and chocolate from Coghlan Vineyard and Jewelers.
Byzantium entertaining the cocktail party.
With 200 guests, this very special event was a true success. The auction brought in much needed funds for the Museum’s Mineral Sciences Department, which will help us in our efforts to improve the gem and mineral collection and exhibition, as well as to continue our cutting-edge research.
Thanks again to our auction donors and sponsors, which include the Holland family, Siegel family, Van Pelt family and Lowy family, as well as Milton Street Residential Acquisition and Dentons US, LLP. We want to acknowledge the herculean efforts of the Council’s Annual Meeting Organizing Committee chaired by Danusia Niklewicz and including Bobbi Flusser, Joel Siegel, Janice Holland, Mary Stambaugh and Richard Dickinson. And, of course, thanks also to the countless volunteers whose help both before and during the event was so crucial to its success.
TOURS AND LECTURES
In April and May, the Mineral Science staff gave three notable tours and lectures:- April 5, 2013: Once a month on First Fridays, the Museum puts on a big show with a tour of a collection, a lecture, and live music. Curator Eloïse Gaillou, Dr. Robert DeGroot of USC and students from the Southern California chapter of the American Chemical Society organized the tour of the night. While the curator was giving tours of the Gem & Mineral Hall, Dr. DeGroot and his students had a booth in the Gold Gallery where guests learned about the periodic table through hands-on activities. The tour was followed by a lecture from Sam Kean, author of “The Disappearing Spoon”.
Dr. Robert DeGroot demonstrating the properties of liquid nitrogen by dropping a ping pong ball into the super-cold liquid.
- April 10, 2013: Collection Manager Alyssa Morgan and Curator Eloïse Gaillou gave a tour and participated in a lunch organized by Museum Trustee Diane Naegle for her golf club.
- May 9, 2013: Curator Eloïse Gaillou gave a lecture at the Beverly Hills Women’s Club on “The Mystery of the Hope Diamond” for a special Mother’s day event. It was a full house!
GEM & MINERAL SHOWS
As usual, the Mineral Science Staff went to the West Coast Spring Gem & Mineral Show in Santa Ana (May 17 – 19). We noticed that some dealers and buyers were not present, but quickly realized that many had decided to attend the first Gem & Mineral Show in China (Changsha). A report on the show can be found, among other places, on the Kristalle website.In Santa Ana, we saw some great specimens in several rooms, including aquamarine and water clear topaz from a new pocket at the California Blue mine, in Earth’s Treasures’ room. We did not see many new minerals compared to what we had seen in Tucson. We received a nice donation from Gene Reynolds – an amethyst plate from Wyloo Station, Western Australia (below).
COLLECTION
- The Museum is opening three new permanent exhibits in the next few months, including “Becoming Los Angeles”. One cannot talk about the history of Los Angeles without talking about the Gold Rush (gold in California was first discovered in 1842 in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles). We chose a few gold nuggets from the American River in Placer County that will be part of the exhibit soon, and tried them out in their new display case. The five gold nuggets chosen will have a new home in a few months!- The famous California “Golden Bear Nugget” (which is actually a specimen of crystallized gold) has gone for his yearly retreat at the California Federation Show at the Ventura County Fairgrounds (May 31 – June 2). The Golden Bear Nugget, as well as a rough and cut benitoite, are owned by the C.F.M.S, and are put on display at their annual show.
PEOPLE
- The Gem & Mineral Council has a new volunteer Council Coordinator since May 9, 2013: Kathy Kampf. Kathy comes every Thursday and can be contacted at: gmc@nhm.org or 213-763-3326.- The Mineral Sciences Department also welcomed a new volunteer on May 29, 2013: Brittany Bednash. She is a graduate gemologist and volunteers every Wednesday.
We take this opportunity to thank all of our volunteers (past and present), and encourage more people to join us! Help is always needed.
MEDIA
Recently, the Mineral Sciences staff was contacted by the executive producer of the Kid's Science Challenge, Jim Metzner. Jim was looking for geoscientists, researchers, and specialists in the field of geology to produce a kid-friendly program on the topic. The Mineral Sciences staff was interviewed by Jim at the Museum, and we also did a fun field trip to see rubies in Cascade Canyon, near Mt Baldy, only an hour away from Los Angeles.PUBLICATIONS
- The Mineral Science staff published an article about the Gem & Mineral Collection of the NHMLA County in the Spring Issue of InColor magazine, published both online and on paper.Morgan, A.R., Kampf, A.R., and Gaillou, E., (2013) Gem and mineral treasures in Los Angeles at the Natural History Museum. InColor, 1, pp. 24-31.
General View of the Gem & Mineral Gallery, one of the images published in the last InColor magazine.
- Dr. Anthony Kampf, Emeritus curator, continues to discover more new minerals than ever since his retirement! Here is his last discovery, named Nashite.
Kampf, A.R., Hughes, J.M., Marty, J., and Brown, F.H. (2013) Nashite, Na3Ca2[(V4+V5+9)O28]•24H2O a new mineral species from the Yellow Cat mining district, Utah and the Slick Rock mining district, Colorado: crystal structure and descriptive mineralogy. Canadian Mineralogist, 50, pp. 27-37.
Scanning electron microscope image of nashite crystals from the Little Eva mine, Yellow Cat District, Grand County, Utah, USA. © Canadian Mineralogist.
FUTURE EVENTS
- July 25th: Lecture by Charles Carmona on the Tanzania Gemological Center, at the Page Museum.- September: we are planning a field trip to the Pala Chief and Oceanview mines in San Diego County. Date T.B.D.
- June/July of 2014: Trip to central Europe including France, Germany and Poland. Details will be announced in Fall of 2013.
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