Staying Connected and Inspired

In its July-August newsletter, Flatirons Facets, the Flatirons Mineral Club of Boulder County, Colorado, shared examples of how their club members are staying connected and enjoying their shared rockhounding and lapidary interests in today’s socially distant world.

SYNTHETIC DIAMONDS

Evolution of a Laboratory Produced and Highly Debated Gemstone

THE LYMAN MUSEUM

Taking in the Splendor and Intriguing History of One of the Top 10 Best Mineral Collections

Rock Walk Uncovers Agate With a Unique Face

I have been retired for several years and since I moved from Iowa to Minnesota, I have enjoyed searching the gravel roads and rocky farm fields for agates and interesting rocks.

Nisyros' Volcanic Caldera

The Greek island of Nisyros lies in the middle of the Aegean Sea.

GEOLOGY 101 - The “Sailing Stones” of Death Valley: How a Mystery was Resolved

It was a mystery long in resolving, namely, the “sailing stones” of California’s Death Valley National Park. Sometimes called “walking rocks,” these are boulders as heavy as 100 pounds with one as large as 700 pounds. So, what was the mystery?

GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY GOODNESS

The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society (LHGMS) is one of those fortunate clubs across the country that recently passed the 50-year threshold of servicing its local rockhounding, lapidary, gem and jewelry-loving community. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment by a lot of members and energetic and visionary leadership over many years, to ensure the continuing success of a gem and mineral society.

Cutting Edge Supply Co.

CATCHING UP WITH A NEW ARRIVAL

SPOTLIGHT ON JUNIORS - Trent Meyers and His Glowing Fascination

Figuratively speaking, some of us “glow” about our rockhounding interests, whether they involve gems, minerals, fossils, field trips, prospecting, or lapidary arts.

NORTHERN EUROPE'S Amber Rush

SOARING PRICES AMIDST A MINING BOOM

Sunspots and Activity Under Mauna Kea Volcano Keep Scientists Busy

Sunspots and Activity Under Mauna Kea Volcano Keep Scientists Busy

Persevering in Trying Times

With the entire country still in a form of shutting down, practicing social distancing, and observing various restrictions, there are no mineral shows, no in-person club meetings, no group mineral activities, and even club field trips.

The Puzzle of Mineral Names

DISCOVERING THE LOGIC BY UNDERSTANDING THE PROGRESSION

Visiting with DiWolf

Wolfgang and Diana Mueller, known by their company name DiWolf, is a dynamic couple, with lots of knowledge and years of experience in lapidary and jewelry artwork.

Reliving Field Trips and Thinking Forward

In the event you are craving a club-sponsored rockhounding field trip, you are not alone. With that being the case, we thought we could at least live vicariously through a report detailing club-hosted field trips that took place just before the formation of restrictions in response to COVID-19, and news of field trip planning underway.

Hypnotized By Inverell Blue

Discovering New Sapphire Appreciation “Down Under”

ENCHANTING HERKIMER DIAMOND HUNTS

COLLECTING DOUBLY TERMINATED QUARTZ CRYSTALS AND MAKING MEMORIES

BUYING NATURAL GEMSTONE ROUGH FOR FACETING

TIPS FOR SAVING TIME AND MONEY AND AVOIDING AGGRAVATION

Fueling a Passion for Paleontology

Getting to Know Father-Daughter Duo Paleo Joe and Paleo Jen

Spectacular Silver Boulder TREASURES

An Exhilarating New Arizona Find

Mineral County: WANDERINGS

Chance Encounter Creates Opportunity to Mine for Variscite in Nevada

HOT ROCKS

A Rockhound’s Guide to Radioactivity

TIPS FOR ACTIVITIES: Maximize Tumbling Results for Kids' Prizes and Projects

Tumble-polished stones are an honored, time-tested stock-in-trade at the kids’ booths of local gem club shows all around the world.

METEORS AND METEORITES: HISTORY AND MYSTERY

The earliest meteorite with a documented place and date of fall came to Earth in France’s Alsace region in 1492. With a lack of understanding of meteors and meteorites at the time, townsfolk chained the two-foot-diameter piece of stone and iron to a tree to prevent it from escaping.

PART II Summer in the San Juan Mountains

Gold, Quartz, and a Cast of Characters

New Mexico: The Tyrannosaur State

Fossils of the Tyrannosaurus Rex and his relatives have been discovered in several places around New Mexico. The rich fossil record there spans about 500 million years, with some very unique fossil vertebrates that include fishes, amphibians, reptiles (turtles, dinosaurs, and birds) and mammals.

CRYSTAL TWINNING

Examining the Attributes of Various Twin Forms

Crystal Habits

Whenever we talk about minerals, especially our favorite minerals, we use all sorts of descriptive terms that don’t seem to have anything to do with one of the six crystal systems.

SOUTHWEST SUMMER

EXPLORING THE SAN JUAN MOUNTAIN MINING HISTORY

Terrific Trillion

There is something quite remarkable about the way the trillion cut design captures and then seemingly radiates an abundance of color and light. However, it is not surprising, since the trillion cut is an extension of the brilliant cut, with a vast number of facets.