Make checks payable to DeRidder Gem & Mineral Society and mail to

Betty Gosewehr
223 Northrop Rd.
Leesville, LA 71446

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CLEANING TOOLS:
Toothpicks, seam rippers, bamboo sticks, sewing needles in a pin vise, old dental tools, old toothbrushes, canned air, Exacto knife, single edge razor blades, cheap small stiff bristle brushes

Chrysoberly (Greek-Gold) has been known since antiquity; the varieties of Alexandrite and Chrysoberyl cat's eye are especially valued. The host rock is granite pegmatite, mica schist,and placers.

Stones are fashioned mainly in step, Ceylon, and brilliant cuts.

The true beauty of the Diamond was not revealed until the 16th century, when gemstone cutting and polishing techniques were perfected. Prior to this time, it was considered taboo to modify the original state of a Diamond. Today, the value and appeal of this stone depends largely upon how skillfully it is cut and faceted.

Several color varieties of beryl are used as gemstones. Deep green beryls are called emeralds. The name emerald derives from the Greek "smaragdos." It means "green stone" and in ancient times, referred not only to emeralds but also probably to most green stones.

Emerald is the most precious stone in the beryl group. Its green is incomparable, and is therefore called "emerald green". The coloring agent for the "real emerald" is chrome. Beryls that are colored by vanadium ought to be called "green beryl" and not emerald. The color is very stable against light and heat, and only alters at 1292 - 1472 degrees F. The color distribution is often irregular, a dark slightly bluish green is most desirable.

Most pearls are products of bivalve mollusks, mainly of the oyster type (family Ostreidae). They are built up of mother of pearl (nacre), which is mainly calcium carbonate (in the form of aragonite), and an organic horn substance (conchiolin) that binds the microcrystal concentrically around an irritant.

Although the Mohs hardness is only 2-1/2 - 4-1/2, pearls are extraordinarily compact and it is very difficult to crush them.

The derivation of the name pearl is uncertain, but may be from a type of shell (Latin-perna) or from its spherical shape (Latin-sphaerula).

The red color varies within each individual deposit, so it is not possible to determine the source area from the color. The designations "Burma Ruby" or "Siam Ruby" are therefore strictly erroneous, and refer more to quality than origin. The most desirable color is the co-called "pigeon's blood", pure red with a hint of blue. The distribution of color is often uneven, in stripes or spots. The substance that provided the color is chromium, and in the case of brownish tones, iron is present as well. As a rough stone, ruby appears dull and greasy, but when cut, the luster can approach that of diamond.

Ruby is the hardest mineral after diamond.

Colors of today's topaz are rarely vivid. The most common color is yellow with a red tint; the most valuable is pink to reddish-orange. The coloring agents are iron and chromiu.

1. A good rule of thumb is that your pearls are THE LAST THING YOU PUT ON when dressing and THE FIRST THING YOU TAKE OFF when you get home.

2. NEVER apply perfume or hairspray when you are wearing pearl jewelry, especially a strand of pearls.

3. Pearl strands should be stored separately from other jewelry because the surface of a peaarl is soft and easily scratched by other gems.

4. A silk, velvet-lined box or pearl folder (a satin-lined leatherette envelope with snaps to hold a strand in place) are all good places to store pearls. Your local jeweler is a good source for these items.

5. NEVER store pearls in a plastic bag. Some types of plastic emit a chemical that will cause the surface of your pearls to deteriorate.

6. Don't store pearls in a safe or safety deposit box for long periods. The same ultra-dry atmospheric conditions that extend the life of paper documents may dry out your pearls and cause them to craze - to develop small fractures in the surface.

How Geodes are Created!
Geodes begin as bubbles in volcanic rock or as animal burrows, tree roots or mud balls in sedimentary rock. Over time, the outer shell of the spherical shape hardens, and water containing silica precipitation forms on the inside walls of the hollow cavity within the geode. The silica precipitation can contain any variety of dissolved minerals, the most common being quartz, but amethyst and calcite are also found.

Over a period of thousands of years, layers of silica cook, forming crystals of different minerals within the cavity. Different types of silica cool at varying temperatures, thus creating layers of different types of mineral crystals.

Each geode is unique in composition and can only be truly discovered when cracked open or cut with a rock saw. The rough exterior of the geode gives no indication of the secrets held within its core. The most prized contain rare amethyst crystals or black calcites.

Where Can You Find Geodes?
Geodes are found throughout the world, but the most concentrated areas are located in the deserts. Volcanic ash beds, or regions containing limestone, are common geode locations.
There are many accessible geode-collecting sites in the western United States, including California, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. The state of Iowa also has geodes, which is their state rock.
Source: Desert USA, geodes www.desertusa.com

1. Rocks are a natural combination of one or more minerals.

2. Pure quartz and pure calcite contain only one mineral.

3. Minerals are inorganic solids found in nature such as, silicon, oxygen, carbon and iron.

4. Rocks are sometimes formed within other rocks. This occurs when minerals are redistributed within a rock.

5. Some rocks are formed by evaporation, as in stalactites.

6. Rocks are often formed in layers.

7. Rock formations that occur within the earth are driven by the earth's internal heat.

8. Weathering, known as surface processes, is activated by the suns energy and is mainly a chemical reaction, aided by the presence of water.

9. Rocks are also broken down by mechanical processes involving rain, alternate freezing and thawing, abrasive action of sediment in water, wind and ice.

10. Igneous rocks are formed when molten magma from within the earth cools and solidifies. These are called intrusive formations. Extrusive are formed when magma formation is granite and an example of extrusive formation is obsidian.