VOLUME FIFTY-ONE ISSUE NUMBER SIX MARCH

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1 SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE VOLUME FIFTY-ONE ISSUE NUMBER SIX MARCH 2015 CLUB NEWS Our next General Meeting will be on, 10 th March 2015 at 7.30pm. All members welcome. President s Report March 2015 The club now has a secretary, with Jean Macleay volunteering to the position and being confirmed by vote at the February general meeting. Thank you Jean. March sees many of our travellers beginning their journeys to the GEMBOREE being held in Horsham this year, as usual over the Easter Long weekend. As this involves a large number of committee members, we will not have a quorum in either Sydney or Horsham for a committee meeting in March, so I anticipate a busy meeting in April. The April General meeting will be as scheduled. We have made arrangements to address normal business activities. We wish all competitors at GEMBOREE the very best of luck and safe travel. Some of our members are venturing very far afield after, and won t be seen for months. The envious all wish them well. March will see the installation of new stainless steel benchtops in the cutting room. Processes evaluating plans and costings for a remodelling of the kitchen are proceeding, probably taking a few months to completion. In May we have planned a social event as previous years, with an Hawaiian theme this time, so get out your hula skirts and practice those hip shimmies. Should be a bit of good fun, with food, quiz, music and games. Anticipated date Saturday 17 th May, following the general meeting. We have also planned an auction of an antique oak collector s box for this event (see pictures further on in Lapis) and there will probably be a chance to fossick for free from some selected materials, so make sure you read the details in Lapis. A Safety Issue worthy of mention. A metho burner was accidently filled with turps, due to a great deal of similarity in labelling of the two materials. No harm was done, but some surprise ensued due to differing burn characteristics of the liquids. The silver lining from this is the reminder to ALWAYS read labels carefully, no matter the material. All chemicals, glues, polishes, solvents, lubricant, fluxes, pickles and cleaning agents carry warning and directions for their use and safety equipment appropriate. Please use all materials according to labels and recommendations, and if unsure please refer to class instructor for advice. Safe cutting and making to all. Colin Hazell NEW MEMBERS We would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members:- Willem (Bill) Pieterse Marika Kahle We wish them much happiness in both their new hobby and enjoyment of the club activities. 1.

2 VALE JOAN KREMER, recently of a nursing home in Berick, Victoria, formally of Willoughby and a member of our lapidary club since 1978 has passed away on 7 th February Her daughter Gaibrelle recalls sitting under the table at the club waiting for both her parents while they participated in their lapidary work. Joan and her husband Merv were both very active in their time, both in the cutting room and on field trips. Joan will be sadly missed by her family and friends. I am happy to buy the silver wire & cut the links prior to the workshop but that means you have to let me know at least a week before- hand to give me time to do so. I will bring along examples of the two styles to show at the next General Meeting on the 10th March. Coral Briggs CARVING WEEKEND 21 ST & 22 ND FEBRUARY When any member enters the club rooms it is essential that the book is signed. ENAMELLING WORKSHOP There will be an enamelling workshop from on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th March. Both inexperienced and experienced enamellers are welcome. There will be a sign up notice on the board shortly with the workshop requirements. Strict maximum of 10 participants. CARVING AND INLAY WORKSHOP "There will be a carving and inlay workshop for the weekend of Sat 14th and Sun 15th of March 2015, 9am to 3pm for both days. This workshop is for adult members. Workshop information sheets will be posted on the Club's notice board." CHAIN MAKING WORKSHOP Saturday 11th April 2015 at 9.30am THE PREPARATION THE INSPIRATION We will be offering two styles of chain making at this workshop. Wiggly Chain, which is suitable for the less experienced or beginner. Open Round Chain Mail for the more experienced. Or, If you have a chain pattern you would really like to try or you want to do one of the styles we have previously taught, I am happy to have you join us on the day. 2. THE TEACHER

3 MARCH BIRTHSTONE The two birthstones for March are aquamarine and bloodstone. Aquamarine THE DOING The name aquamarine is derived from the Latin word aqua, meaning water, and marina, meaning the sea. This gemstone was believed to protect sailors, as well as to guarantee a safe voyage. The serene color of aquamarine is said to cool the temper, allowing the wearer to remain calm and levelheaded. Its pale, cool color beautifully complements spring and summer wardrobes. Aquamarine is most often light in tone and ranges from greenish blue to blue-green; the color usually is more intense in larger stones. This gemstone is mined mainly in Brazil, but also is found in Nigeria, Madagascar, Zambia, Pakistan, and Mozambique. Aquamarine Bloodstone THE CLASS THE RESULT The above pictures tell the story of a most enjoyable workshop weekend in pleasant company. We are all most grateful to Frances for giving up her weekend to encourage us to improve our carving skills. Jean Macleay Bloodstone is the second birthstone for March, a dark-green jasper flecked with vivid red spots of iron oxide. This ancient stone was used by the Babylonians to make seals and amulets and was believed to have healing powers especially for blood disorders. It is sometimes called the martyr's stone as legend tells that it was created when drops of Christ's blood stained some jasper at the foot of the cross. Generally found embedded in rocks or in riverbeds as pebbles, primary sources for this stone are India, Brazil, and Australia. Newsletters and journals received from other clubs by will be put onto the club computer for members to view 3.

4 DO YOU KNOW YOUR CLUB EQUIPMENT? ELECTRIC DOPPING POT 1 Use green wax only 2 Use a clean dop stick ALL the old wax must be cleaned from the stick. 3 Heat the cabochon either on the rim of the pot around the wax or use our old lamp heater. 4 Twirl your clean dop stick in the wax to get enough wax to suit the size of the Cab. 5 Push the waxed dop stick down on the warmed cab. Use your wet fingers to shape the wax to a nice tapered shape 6 Return the cab and dop stick to the heater for a few more minutes, giving the wax time to flow and bond. Let the wax and stone cool Take care the wax is hot and can burn HAVE YOU EVER Had a Cabochon come off the dop stick leaving a great big lump or blob of wax on the cab? One theory for this occurring is that there was too much wax between the end of the dop stick and the cabochon. When you dop push the dop stick down towards the cab so there is only a very thin layer of wax between the two. It can be a real pain trying to remove all that wax. One method is to put the cab on the heater we use when dopping (with the wax side up). As the cab warms the wax will soften and you can peel the wax back easily with your thumb nail or a 4. knife. Into the metho for a soak and clean and Bobs your uncle.take care with the knife though if you are working on a polished face of the cab. This method also works when you get that occasional cab that just Will not come off the dop no matter how long you leave it in the freezer. Jw Fossicking in the Harts Range We flew into Alice Springs to go fossicking in the Harts Range, happily just in time for the event of the year the Camel Cup. Never did we imagine that camels could fly like that! Before heading off fossicking we picked up a sturdy 4 wheel drive Landcuriser campervan and supplies for the duration of our 7 days in the remote far reaches of the Range. The vehicle came complete with all camping equipment and an emergency beacon in case we ran into trouble. After talking to a fossicking friend in Alice Springs, we decided to bypass the well frequented areas around Gemtree where garnets and zircons abound. We pushed on to the Eastern part of the range and set up camp at the Spotted Tiger campsite near Mt Palmer and its famous old mica mines. If you are considering going, please note there is no running water at the site and all your water has to be brought in. Unfortunately we made a mistake with the tap of our 50 litre tank and lost our water on the second day. Luckily we found someone at the local police station (Harts Range) who helped us out with a refill. At the Spotted Tiger we had just a few neighbours from a Brisbane lapidary club. We also met the Aboriginal woman who lives in a home about 500 metres past the entrance to the campground. There is a satellite phone outside her house which people are allowed to use in case of need. The Mt Palmer region is a rugged set of hills in the Eastern part of the range, formed by ancient metamorphosis and is dotted with the remains of many mica mines. It rises to over 1100 metres above sea level. These mines were active in the 1940s as the mica was needed for the war effort and particularly for communications equipment. Initially it was mined by a group of men, mainly Italians. A year or two after the war started the government decided to nationalise the mines and

5 moved Australian army in. They quickly made a muff of it and got the Italians back in, after which time it worked well until, after the war, some 3 rd world countries started to produce mica more cheaply. The mines also contained quartz crystals, rose quartz, amethyst, garnets, beryls (Aquamarine and Green Beryl) and tourmaline. Access to the mines is by four wheel drive and not for the faint hearted. The roads are rocky, steep, rutted and tipping over or leaving the track could spell disaster. That was a little stressful at times! On the first day we chose an easier drive to the area of the Rex mine. After some looking in the area we found garnets. We noticed garnets like small pieces of dried fruit in the rocks and knew we were in the right area. After a concerted effort, we found a stream of garnets - hundreds of them. Some had been weathered out of the rock but many are still holding on fast. Some of them are relatively easy to prize from the rock. To our surprise and delight, eventually we found garnets up to the size of a golf ball. Quite a few showed crystal faces, some of them 24 sided. Quite impressive! None are transparent. Seeing the Central mine on the map, was fairly inaccessible we decided to take a trip there, as we thought it might be relatively untouched. Access is only by foot and it was difficult to find the way. As we followed a dry river gorge and saw no sign of the mine, we wondered if we were in the right gorge. We decided to get a better view and scrambled up a steep bank of the gorge. In the distance we caught sight of glistening through the trees, on a spur in the distance. Heartened by this we pushed on and eventually found the mine after a two hour walk. Unfortunately we found no sign of crystals there. The walk through the gorge was quite spectacular with large quartz boulders. Also it is marvellous exercise to rock hop through a gorge for 4 hours, you sleep well the night after! The main attraction for us though was Beryls - so we headed for the higher Mica mines and particularly for the Disputed mine which is renowned for them. The best of them are long gone, as there has been much fossicking since the 70s, but the remoteness of Mt Palmer still holds a few treasures for those adventure spirited people with keen eyes. We went a number of times to this mine. Peter dug holes and Genevieve used her eagle eyes. As it goes Genevieve found by far better specimens with pieces of green beryl and heliodor (yellow-green) and yellow beryl from 2-20 carats. A few of the pieces about 5 carats will cut to pretty stones. Then Genevieve found a suspicious piece of blue glass. On close inspection we realised it was a superb, perfect Aquamarine of 3.2 carats! We were ecstatic! We also made a day trip to the Entire Valley, which is about kms further east. We were looking for Iolite, but were never able to find the location. When talking to our lapidary friends at the camp ground, they had found the location, and while they found few Iolites, one lady had a perfect 18 carat stone magical. After missing out on the Iolites, we looked at some other locations and Genevieve, specking again! Found a lovely crystal of blue kyanite. We also found a few small green beryls at another location nearby. We arrived back to a wet Alice Springs, dusty (we were shower free the whole time!) and ready for a soft bed. We soon found ourselves on the plane, satisfied that we had nourished our adventure genes and found beautiful, unexpected and long dreamed of treasures. Genevieve Scase and Peter Tumminello DISPLAY BOX AUCTION This beautifully crafted 1920 s oak fold out collector s chest is available for members to inspection and will be auctioned at the May Social General Meeting Bless the Irish Jokes Paddy spies a letter lying on his doormat. It says on the envelope "DO NOT BEND ". Paddy spends the next 2 hours trying to figure out how to pick it up. 5.

6 Paddy shouts frantically into the phone "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!" "Is this her first child?" asks the Doctor. "No", shouts Paddy, "this is her husband!" An old Irish farmer's dog goes missing and he's inconsolable. His wife says "Why don't you put an advert in the paper?" He does, but two weeks later the dog is still missing. "What did you put in the paper?" his wife asks. "Here boy" he replies. Paddy's in jail. Guard looks in his cell and sees him hanging by his feet. "What on earth you doing?" he asks. "Hanging myself" Paddy replies. "It should be around your neck" says the Guard. "I know" says Paddy "but I couldn't breathe". DO YOU HAVE A CLUB NAME BADGE??? New Member? It is a great way for people to know your name. Old Member? Your name escapes some memories. Let people know who you are. To order, add your name to the list on the notice board in the cutting room or ring Diane Neasmith Name Badges are $10 each NDLC CONTACT INFORMATION NDLC Telephone Number Public Officer Brian Burns P) Postal Address Secretary Northern Districts Lapidary Club PO Box 59, Beecroft NSW 2119 Northern Districts Lapidary Club acknowledges the support of Hornsby Council. DIRECTORY President Colin Hazell M) E) col.hazell@bigpond.com.au 6. Vice President Barbara Try P) E) twotrys@bigpond.net.au Secretary P) E) macleayj@bigpond.com Jean Macleay Treasurer Diane Neasmith P) M) E) dneasmith@oz .com.au Minutes Secretary Sonja Schock P) E) uschock@oz .com.au Cutting Room Supervisor Phil Manton P) E) philadmmanto@hotmail.com Editor of Lapis Jean Barringham P) E) jeanbham@optusnet.com.au Education Officer Vivienne Jones P) E) vivienne.e.jones@gmail.com Field Trips Officer Ulrich Schock P) E) uschock@oz .com.au Social Secretary Publicity Officer VACANT VACANT Gem Council Delegate Barbara Try P) E) twotrys@bigpond.net.au Membership Secretary Nivea Adami P) E) nivadami@yahoo.com.au Librarian Coral Briggs M) E) coral_briggs@hotmail.com Web Master Alex Maitland P) E)maitland1@gmail.com NORTHERN DISTRICTS LAPIDARY CLUB INC. at times and dates as published in the calendar in Lapis and on the club s website, holds the majority of its monthly meetings in the Beecroft Community Centre, Beecroft Road,

7 Beecroft at 7.30pm on the 2 nd of each month, except January. Any variations in date and time of meetings are published in LAPIS, and on the Club s website. The Entrance to the clubrooms is on the railway side of the building. Membership fees Entrance fees (effective from 01/07/2008) Full Member (aged 18 or more years) $25 Junior Member (10 17 years incl.) $10 Family Concession $40 Annual renewal fees (effective from 01/07/2012) Full member (aged 18 or more years) $22 Junior Member (10 17 years incl.) $11 Class fees (Effective from 01/01/2009) First Class $30 Any Additional Class $25 Casual Use of Machinery $5 Workshop 2-day weekend $25* Workshop 1-day $15* * Plus materials THE CLUB FINANCIAL YEAR IS FROM - JULY 1 ST JUNE 30 TH In case of a person being admitted to membership on or after January 1 st in any Club financial year, the subscription fee that year shall be half the amount. CURRENT CLASSES & ACTIVITIES HELD IN CLUB ROOMS Monday 7.30pm 7.30pm 9am Wednesday 10.00am CABOCHON CUTTING Instructor: Glenn Brown P) SILVER JEWELLERY Instructor: Johan ten Hoedt P) SILVER JEWELLERY WORKSHOP Contact: Ed Bentley P) SENIORS ALL DAY WORKSHOP Contact: John Andersen P) pm Thursday 7.30pm Saturday 1.00pm SILVER JEWELLERY Instructor: Brian Burns P) CABOCHON CUTTING Instructor: Jacqueline Burnett P) FAMILY CLASS Instructor: Emanuel and Adriana Vassallo P) M) Class fees: can be paid to your class teacher, as can annual membership fees when due, plus any purchases from the shop. There are waiting lists for some classes. Workshop weekends: Subject, date and requirements will be printed in this newsletter as they occur. Meeting dates for 2015 All meetings are held in the Club rooms at Beecroft. PLEASE NOTE: night General Meetings will start at 7.30pm pm General Meetings: 2015 March 10 th 14 th April pm Saturday 16 th May pm Social Saturday June pm 13 th Saturday July pm 18 th Saturday 15 th August A.G.M pm Saturday September pm 12 th October pm 13th November pm 10 th Saturday December 2015 XMAS 5 th PARTY 7.

8 Committee Meetings: st March pm 28 th April pm 26 th May pm 30 th June pm 28 th July pm 25 th August pm 29 th September pm 27 th October pm 24 th November PM Interesting dates for your diary (Bold items are run by your Club) th -15 th February Orange Lapidary & Mineral Club 50 th Anniversary Celebration Exhibition 7 th -8 th March Enamelling Workshop with Barbara Try 7 th March Open Day Campbelltown Districts Lapidary Club Lot 1 Bensley Rd Macquarie Fields 14 th -15 th March Carving and inlay workshop with Frances Sun 17 th /19 th /21 st March Open Days at Cessnock Gem & Mineral Club in conjunction with Seniors Week 21 st -22 nd March Canberra Lapidary Club Rock Swap 21 st -22 nd March 24 th Annual Gem and Craft Show, New England Lapidary & Fossicking Club inc. Armidale showground, free entry 3 rd -6 th April GEMBOREE 2015 will be held in Horsham, Victoria 11 th April Chain Workshop with Coral 16 th 17 th May Lismore Gemfest 30 th -31 st May Winter Gemcraft & Mineral Show Canberra Lapidary Club 11 th -12 th July Annual Exhibition Campbelltown District Lapidary Club 26 th -27 th September BATHEX 2015 Exhibition 26 th -27 th September White Cliffs Gem Fest and Car Boot Sale 3 rd -5 th October GEMKHANA 2015 Annual Gem & Mineral Show and Competition of NSW Hawkesbury Showground, Clarendon 7 th -8 th November Spring Gemcraft & Mineral Show Canberra Lapidary Club DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in LAPIS are those of the original Authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor, Committee or Members of the Northern Districts Lapidary Club Inc. Persons acting on any opinions, advice or facts published in this issue do so at their own risk. From the Editor s Desk Please send Jean Barringham contributions for LAPIS. I am interested in articles that would be enjoyed by one and all. Phone: jeanbham@optusnet.com.au Please note that the March 2015 edition of LAPIS was edited, collated, formatted and distributed by NDLC s Editor of Lapis, Jean Barringham, with contributions by Colin Hazell, Jean Macleay, John Weatherburn, Frances Sun, Vivienne Jones, Coral Briggs and Peter Tumminello. Good Luck to Entrants in GEMBOREE