The Del Air Rockhounds Club Welcomes You!!

www.Facebook.com/DelAirRockhounds

The Del Air Rockhounds Club was founded in 1954 with members mostly residing in the San Fernando Valley area of California. Our club is a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing knowledge of the lapidary arts and techniques, geology, mineralogy and related fields. We own our own lapidary equipment with members available to teach and demonstrate lapidary techniques to other members. Our members enjoy lapidary related programs, demonstrations, exhibitions, displays and lectures. We also take monthly field trips to our local deserts & mountains for exploration and the study and collection of lapidary and mineral specimens.

Member of the California & American Federation of Mineralogical Societies

Mailing Address: P.O. Box 7618, Van Nuys, CA 91409 - Phone # 818-439-0217

June 2023 Del Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events

Thursday June 1: General Meeting                                                                                                              7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge U.M. Church                                                              

Friday June 2: Vintage Magnet NASA STEAM Night                                                                                See article 

Thursday June 15: Board Meeting                                                                                                                  7:30 pm at Shellie Van Winkle's home  

Sunday June 18: Father's Day                                                                                                                Remember your dad on his special day

Saturday June 24: DWP Earth Day                                                                                                                See article 

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A Surprise in Every Rock Presented by Maxine Dearborn, Chris Ward & Bob Knox

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a dinosaur bone cell and a fossil whale bone cell? Or how can you look at petrified wood and decide what kind of tree it might have been when living? There is a secret hidden in many of our rocks and we hope to help you find them. Chris Ward, Bob Knox and Maxine Dearborn will bring their digital microscopes and project a secret or two for you. How about, what is that bug in a piece of amber? They will show you. Please bring a slab or two or an object of your own that is no more than a inch and a half thick to the meeting and you can see the secrets in your rock too!

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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show

Dennis will fill us in on June's birthstones, Moonstone, Pearl & Alexandrite. Dennis also asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests. He will debut a new stepping stone of the month and will have collectible editions of Lapidary Journal magazine to give away.

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OUR CLUB's SCHOOL EVENTS FOR MAY

The Del Air Club has been very, very busy during the month of May. We have given talks to a couple hundred students and we have gone to two school science events and the Antelope Valley Gem Show. Our booths were very busy at most of these events and we did talk to a lot of people about our club, geology, fossils and rocks. Fun, Fun, Fun.

Members participating in these different events were: Chris Ward, Bob Knox, Shellie VanWinkle, Bernadette Friedman, Marilyn Murata, Jeff Dengrove, LaVere Schmidt, Christine Schmidt and Bob & Maxine Dearborn. These events are not only a great way for us to present our club to the public, but they also help fund our Youth Education Outreach Program and let us purchase needed supplies and new items to show the students at our school talks.

WE STILL HAVE 2 MORE EVENTS COMING UP IN JUNE AND NEED OUR MEMBERSHIPS HELP. LET MAXINE DEARBORN OR CHRIS WARD KNOW WHEN YOU CAN HELP!

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Attention All Del Members & Friends

Remember, the Del Air Rockhounds are dark during the month of July. Except for our Field trip to Wrightwood on Saturday July 8th, there are no scheduled meetings and no bulletin issued in July. We will resume regular operations in August with our annual Ice Cream, Bingo & Share Your 'Summer Finds' social event. See you all then.

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Del Air Club Rock Sale

The planned Del Air Club rock sale originally planned for Saturday June 10 has been moved to Saturday September 9th due to planning, advertising  and logistical issues. We need more time to pull all the details together so please watch this space in our August issue for all the final details. We will need the memberships help so please mark this on your calendars.

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May 2023 Del Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events

Thursday May 4: General Meeting                                                                                                              7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge U.M. Church                                                              

Saturday & Sunday May 6 & 7: AV Gem & Mineral Society's Show                                                            10 am  to 5 pm each day. Come join us for a fun filled show! 

Sunday May 14: Mother's Day                                                                                                                Remember your mom on this special day.  

Thursday May 25: Board Meeting                                                                                                                7:30 pm at Shellie Van Winkle's home.

Monday May 29: Memorial Day                                                                                                                      Let summertime begin!

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May 2023 General Meeting Program:                                                                                                      'Searching for Self Identity'                                                                                                                    Presented by Ted Garcia

KNOWN FOR HIS WISE WORDS, TED GARCIA IS OFTEN INVITED TO PROVIDE A BLESSING AT FAMILY & COMMUNITY EVENTS. TED HAS BEEN CHOSEN BY HIS FAMILY ELDERS TO BE THE SPOKESMAN FOR HIS CLAN IN THE CHUMASH TRIBE OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. FEATURED ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL' S NATIONAL PARKS TV SHOW, TED IS PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE FRIENDS OF SATWIWA NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WHERE TED AND HIS TEAM ORGANIZE MONTHLY EVENTS AT SATWIWA NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE CENTER IN NEWBURY PARK, CALIFORNIA. TED ALSO SERVES ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE OAKBROOK REGIONAL PARK CHUMASH INTERPRETIVE CENTER IN THOUSAND OAKS, CALIFORNIA. AS A NATIVE STONE CARVER, TED ALLOWS THE SPIRIT IN THE STONE TO GUIDE HIM AS HE GIVES LIFE TO THE ANIMAL FORM WITHIN . SINCE 1998, TED HAS PRESENTED HIS ARTWORKS ANNUALLY AT THE SOUTHWEST MUSEUM'S POPULAR NATIVE

AMERICAN MARKETPLACE EVENT IN LOS ANGELES, WHERE HIS STYLIZED BEARS, DOLPHINS AND SWORDFISH ARE ICONS OF CHUMASH SACRED ANIMALS. AS AN ADVISOR TO THE CHUMASH MARITIME ASSOCIATION, TED WAS HONORED WITH HIS EXTENDED FAMILY WHO WERE AMONG THE FORTUNATE FEW LOCAL NATIVE FAMILIES FERRIED TO SANTA CRUZ ISLAND TO GREET THE FIRST CHUMASH CANOE, A "TOMAL", TO CROSS THE SANTA

BARBARA CHANNEL IN 125 YEARS, ON SEPTEMBER 9, 2001. TED IS A PROUD VETERAN OF THE US ARMY AND SERVED IN VIETNAM FROM 1970 TO 1971."MY TALK WILL BE ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STONE I HAVE WORKED ON IN MY ART THAT STARTED AROUND 20 YEARS AGO, MY CULTURE AND MY LIFE TRAVELS WITHIN MY CULTURE".

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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show

Dennis will fill us in on May's birthstone, the Emerald. Dennis also asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.

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Rockhound Crafts — Let’s Bring More of Them Back!                                                                            By: Jennifer Haley, AFMS Historian

Part of my job description as a historian is to keep an eye out for ideas from our past that might be beneficial for our societies and club members today. One area I have admired about the history of AFMS affiliated rockhounds is the creativity in the lapidary arts and crafts. The first society I belonged to kept binders full of all the various craft tutorials with photos found in the old lapidary magazines. They did this so their club members could look through the binders to find new things they’d like to make. I loved looking at these. Whenever I am at a society show, I like going through the stacks of these old magazines to see what I might be missing in my personal collection of lapidary craft ideas. I have noticed for quite some time now that it seems like there are not as many people having fun working on the many crafts of our past. These crafts can still be wonderful and inspiring today. I have often wondered why this is. I would love to see the enthusiasm come back for the crafts aspect of our hobby. One of the ways to draw in new members is to show off what you can teach people to make. Bring back those wonderful crafts and display them in exhibits at your shows. Think about creating a program for your society’s library of the various lapidary arts and crafts. You can enter a program like this in your Regional Federation New Programs contest, where it may advance to the AFMS New Programs contest. If all we have are the memories of what we personally have made, and we don’t try to pass our skills to new members and the incoming new generations of rockhounds, our hobby will forget some of those treasured skills. Probably many of your societies have collections of the older craft tutorials from the heyday when the lapidary arts and crafts ideas were bustling. Find them and archive them before the old pages fade away. I recommend making the effort to scan them. Let’s create a new heyday for lapidary arts and crafts. It will be easy to do, and we’ll have a lot of fun too.

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In Memoriam: Roy Ridenour                                                                                                                  April 13, 1930 - March 31, 2023

Roy Ridenour was born on Palm Sunday, 1930 on a farm near Mallard Iowa. His parents were Ted and Nora Ridenour. His full name was Leroy, but he preferred Roy. He graduated from Mallard High school and enrolled in an electronic trade school in Des Moines. He enlisted in the National Guard. It was in a Des Moines church where he met Dorothy. They were married in that very church 73 years ago. After the birth of their two daughters, Elaine and Connie, Roy moved the family to Dayton, Iowa where he worked for Collins Radio. Roy's parents moved to Burbank, California in 1954 and a few years later, Roy decided to transfer to the Collins Radio division in Burbank. There they bought a small one bedroom home which they remodeled themselves over the next 15 years. 

Roy and Dorothy shared a hobby - rock hounding, which resulted in a backyard stacked with rocks. Roy designed machines to cut and polish spheres, slabs, and bookends while Dorothy cut and polished cabochons to make into jewelry. That started a new business! They joined a local rock club and sold their spheres, rocks and jewelry at rock shows. Some of their finished products are displayed on their coffee table.  

Sunday mornings were always reserved for church attendance. Roy served on many church boards and committees. He was a Sunday school teacher for teenagers for many years and a Sunday school superintendent for several years at First Lutheran Church in Burbank. 

Roy is survived by his wife Dorothy, daughter Elaine and her husband Dennis; daughter Connie; granddaughter Katrina and her husband, Jason; grandson Troy and his wife, Kara; grandson Craig and his wife, Laura; two great-grandsons, Alexander and Kenji; brother Orville and his wife Dorothy and sister-in-law, Lisa.

Roy and Dorothy joined the Del Air Rockhounds Club in 1993. After 27 years of faithful and dedicated patronage (over the years, Roy tumbled and polished literally hundreds and hundreds of pounds of rocks for the club's education team) they were both granted honorary lifetime memberships in 2020. Roy, a beloved member of the club, will be sorely missed by all of us.

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CFMS SHOW AND CONVENTION                                                                                                      JUNE 23-25, 2023 - LODI GRAPE FESTIVAL GROUNDS                                                                413 E LOCKEFORD ST., LODI, CA 95240                                                                                      Hours: Friday & Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM                                                Educational Exhibits, Speakers - Adults $6, Kids 12 & under FREE                                                        Free admission to MILITARY Active, Veterans, Dependents with valid Military ID card.                      For information: rocksbob@sbcglobal.net - Dealer information: slchaisson@yahoo.com

This year will be a no-host show meaning there is no individual club or society hosting the show along with the CFMS. The CFMS is therefore asking for any members from any club or society within the CFMS to volunteer and help set up and run the show as well as take down the show once it is over. For more information and for anyone interested in helping out the CFMS can contact Bob Rush, show chair, at rocksbob@sbcglobal.net. 

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April 2023 Del Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events

**Important Notice Regarding Our April 6 Meeting**

The Del Air Rockhounds will be meeting in the YAC - Youth Activities Center building for our April 6, 2023 meeting only. This is due to the church's scheduling needs for their Holy Week Celebrations beginning Sunday April 2 and running through Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023. Enter the parking lot off Superior St. as you normally do but this time follow the parking lot all the way down to the end where you come to a chain link fence. The Youth Activities Center is the last building on the right. There is plenty of parking and easy access to the building.
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Thursday April 6: General Meeting. 7:30 pm Y.A.C Bldg at Northridge U.M. Church
Sunday April 9: Easter. Color those eggs and fill those baskets!
Saturday April 15: Wire Weaving Class at the Dearborn's home

Thursday April 20: Board Meeting at the Dearborn's Home

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April 2023 Program:

Del Air Traveling Education Booth - Presented by the Del Air Education Team
Most members have not yet experienced the wonder and excitement that is our traveling education booth. This booth, consisting of our award winning and interactive volcano, sedimentary & metamorphic rock displays & educational children's games will be the subject of our April program. See how these displays come together to the delight and enjoyment of young and old alike. Our booth has traveled the west coast to as far north as Yakima, Washington to as far south as Long Beach, California and most everywhere in between. We proudly won the prestigious CFMS President's Award in 2018 for the most outstanding display of the year. We have consistently ranked in the top 2 most favorite activities at the CFMS Show & Convention in each of the years that we have participated (which is almost every year since 2010) as voted on by the general public. These rock displays were lovingly created and built by hand by club members Bob & Maxine Dearborn. Come join us for this informative presentation and learn how easy it is to participate so perhaps you too can volunteer to work a position at our next scheduled event.
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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show

Dennis will fill us in on April's birthstone, the Diamond and will also provide a Stoddard Wells Tailgate field trip report as well as a new stepping stone of the month. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.
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Upcoming Education Outreach Events:

Here are our currently scheduled Education Outreach events. Please put these on your calendar because we will need the membership's help in running these very busy booths.

April 1, 2023 - Chatsworth Nature Preserve Earth Day Open House Entry gate on Valley Circle Blvd (there is no physical address for this location) Go west on Plummer St past Topanga, past Farralone, past Shoup, past Baden until it curves around and becomes Valley Circle Blvd and watch for the signs Booth Set up: 8 am - Booth runs: 10 am to 2 pm One 10 x 10 Boutique Booth only

April 1, 2023 - West Hills 13th Annual Spring Fest Saturday April 1, 2023 - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Shadow Ranch Recreation Center 22633 Vanowen St., West Hills CA 91307 One 10 x 10 Boutique Booth and one 10 x 10 educational booth

April 27, 2023 - Germain Academy 20730 Germain St. Chatsworth, CA Booth set up: TBD - Booth runs: TBD Booth theme: Volcano, Rock & Mineral

May 6 & 7, 2023 - Antelope Valley Gem & Mineral Society Annual Show Antelope Valley Fairgrounds - 2551 W Avenue H, Lancaster, CA 93536 This event is for our traveling education booth (volcano & rock displays) Booth set up is on Friday May 5th Noon to 9 pm Booth runs 10 am to 5 pm on both Saturday & Sunday May 5th & 6th

May 19, 2023 - Lorne Street School STEM Night 17440 Lorne St. Northridge, California 91325 Booth set up: 4:30 pm - booth runs - 5:30 to 7:00 pm Booth theme: Dinosaurs
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News of Upcoming Club Shows:

April 8-9, 2023 – Mariposa, CA Mariposa Gem and Mineral Show Mariposa County Fairgrounds, 5007 Fairgrounds Rd., Mariposa, CA Hours: Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM Contact: mgmc@sti.net Website: http://mariposagemclub.org

April 15-16, 2023 – Placerville, CA El Dorado County Mineral and Gem Society El Dorado County Fairgrounds, 100 Placerville Dr., Placerville, CA Hours: Saturday and Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM Treasures in the Rough Contact: office@edcmgs Website: http://edcmgs.org

April 22-23, 2023 – Thousand Oaks, CA Borchard Park, 190 N. Reino Rd., Thousand Oaks, CA Conejo Gem & Mineral Club Hours: Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM 46th Pageant of a Thousand Gems Jewelry, Gems, Minerals, Fossils, Rocks, Hobby Supplies, Exhibits, Demonstrations, Door Prizes, Silent Auction, Plant Sales and Youth Activities Free Admission and Free Parking Contact: conejogemandmineral@gmail.com, mrmikerh@gmail.com Website: https://cgamc.org

April 22-23, 2023 – Santa Cruz, CA Santa Cruz Mineral and Gem Society Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 Hours: Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 10 am – 4 pm The show features displays, fun activities, and loads of rocks, minerals, crystals, gems, jewelry, and lapidary arts for sale. Browse the bargains and pick up some great gifts. That’s April 29th and 30th at the Civic in downtown Santa Cruz. Contact: scruzmgs@gmail.com Website: http://www.scrockngem.org
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Shop Day Report - Saturday March 25th

Our shop day on Saturday March 25, 2023 @ Jeff Dengroves home was another huge success! In addition to instructors Jeff Dengrove, Chris Ward, Bob Knox & LaVere Schmidt we also had members Dan Farber, Anita Lichtman, Debbie Schoenmann, Dr. Oh, Emmy Silverman and guest Kyle Morris in attendance. Machines in use were the large slab saw, trim saw, grinder, two Genie cabochon machines and the Barranca contour polisher. Many beautiful stones were cut, slabbed, trimmed, cabbed and polished by everyone. Anita put the finishing touches on some free-form cabs of tourmaline in lepidolite. Emmy contour polished a slab of petrified wood and a huge chunk of onyx. Dr. Oh cabbed several small pieces of sodalite and quartz. Dan used the grinder on a big piece of Big Sur jade and then contour polished the surface. Guest Kyle made a beautiful oval cabochon out of a nodule of Big Sur Jade and the end result was near perfect considering this was his first time using the Genie. It was a beautiful, rain-free day. We started at 10 am and wrapped up at 4 pm. A great time was had by all. Stay tuned for news of our 2nd quarter shop day sometime near the end of June.
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Wire Wrap Class Report - Saturday March 11th

The Del Air Club had its beginner wire wrap class for its members and it was a total success. Christine Schmidt taught us how to wrap many shapes of rock and make them into a very nice pendant. Of the nine members who took part in the class, all were able to make two nice pendants. Christine’s instructions were easy to follow and we all had a good time making our own jewelry. This was an extra bonus for being a Del Air Club member and if you didn’t take advantage of it, YOU REALLY MISSED OUT! Thank you Christine for a great time and showing us how to make something new!
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CFMS SHOW AND CONVENTION

JUNE 23-25, 2023 - LODI GRAPE FESTIVAL GROUNDS
413 E. LOCKEFORD ST., LODI, CA 95240
Hours: Friday & Saturday 10 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 10 AM – 4 PM
Educational Exhibits, Speakers - Adults $6, Kids 12 & under FREE
Free admission to MILITARY Active, Veterans and their Dependents with valid Military ID card.
For information: rocksbob@sbcglobal.net - Dealer information: slchaisson@yahoo.com
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March 2023 Del Air Rockhounds Calendar of Events

Thursday March 2: General Meeting                                                                                                           7:30 pm in our regular meeting room at Northridge United Methodist Church 

Sunday March 12: Daylight Savings Time Begins                                                                                        Set those clocks ahead one hour.

Thursday March 16: Board Meeting                                                                                                               At Bernadette Friedman's Home

Friday March 17: St Patrick's Day                                                                                                              Wear your green or you'll get pinched

Saturday March 25: Shop Day at Jeff Dengrove's Home                                                                              

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General Meeting Thursday March 2, 2023 - 7:30 pm

TGMS – Not Your Typical Rock Show.

The Tucson Gem and Mineral Society knows how to put on a great show. This society was the first to bring together the hobby enthusiast, the curator/professionals and the general public for this annual four day event. After 68 years, it is the largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world. This year the theme was “Silica, Agates & Opal & Quartz, Oh My!”

Located at the Tucson Convention Center, attendees will find approximately 250 dealers selling a variety of minerals, fossils, jewelry, and lapidary. Throughout the show there are lectures and symposiums. Jaw-dropping world class exhibits from private collections, major universities and museums are on display.  Other exhibit cases, (both competitive and non-competitive) round out this mix.    

This month Mary Pat Weber will provide us with a visual treat of the highlights of this recent event and why this show rocks!

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The Rockhound Dennis Miller Show

Dennis will fill us in on March's birthstone; Aquamarine, and will also provide Quartzsite report part 2. Dennis asks all members to bring in something for Show & Tell each month to share with our members and guests.

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West Hills 13th Annual Spring Fest

Saturday April 1, 2023 - 10:00 am to 2:00 pm                                                                                              Shadow Ranch Recreation Center                                                                                                            22633 Vanowen St., West Hills CA 91307

The Del Air Rockhounds have been invited to participate as a vendor in the 13th annual West Hills Spring Fest. This is a first time event for us. We will have two (2) 10 x 10 pop-ups. One will strictly be an educational booth with our kids games, touch and feel and our dino/ice age reproductions. The other will feature our boutique items, spin-a-wheel, grab bags, jewelry and other items for sale. Set-up for the booth will be at 8:30 am and the event runs from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. As always, we are seeking club members to volunteer their time to help run the booth. Please see Chris Ward, the Dearborns or Shellie Van Winkle 

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The Ventura Club will be hosting their annual show on Saturday and Sunday, March 4 & 5, 2023. This is always a great show at a super great location, the Ventura County Fairgrounds, right on the beach!

As in the past, The Del Air Rockhounds will have our educational booth at the show for the entire weekend featuring our famous Volcano, Igneous and Sedimentary Rock displays with touch and feel rocks and educational games for kids and adults alike. Please find the time to attend this fun event and see what we do outside our regular monthly meetings. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

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 “Pyrite Decay” is one of the biggest problems for mineral collectors. Minerals that are made of iron and sulfur can have this problem. The two most common minerals are pyrite and marcasite. For reasons that scientists have not been able to fully understand, the sulfur and iron in these minerals combine with oxygen and hydrogen. The sulfur reacts to become sulfuric acid and the stinky gas called hydrogen sulfide. “Hydrogen sulfide” smells like rotten eggs. If you have pyrite or marcasite in your collections and it is decaying, you will be able to smell the sulfur! Open a drawer with pyrite in it and sniff. When this chemical reaction happens, the pyrite and marcasite specimens will first turn dark and lose their shiny metallic luster. Over time you will begin to see yellow and white crusts form. The crusts will be crumbly and will rub off very easily. In the worst case, the specimen will actually fall apart! As the specimens deteriorate, the acids created will attack your specimen labels, too. The paper will turn brown and very  brittle. Scientists don’t know how to stop or even control pyrite decay. There are two things that are known that can help you:

1.   When one pyrite or marcasite specimen deteriorates, it can cause other specimens nearby to deteriorate, too. If you have a number of pyrite and marcasite pieces, keep them separated from one another. If you have a specimen that is beginning to deteriorate, remove it from the collection immediately.

2.   Remember that one of the chemicals created by pyrite decay is the gas called hydrogen sulfide. Keep your specimens in a place where the fumes can’t build up. On an open shelf is a good option. In other words, good air circulation helps.

Many mineral collectors report that pyrite specimens that are more of a darker greenish color are much more likely to change and fall apart from pyrite disease. Avoiding adding pyrite specimens that are darker in color is smart. Bright, brassy, metallic pyrite crystals are much less likely to have pyrite disease. There are some pyrite specimens, like the great cubes and groups of cubes from Spain, that don’t seem to get pyrite disease. The bright, shiny, metallic pyrite specimens from Peru also seem to not break down with this disease. 

Used with permission. Diamond Dan Publications. Mini-Miner Monthly, June 2022, via The Strata Data, 2/2023. Courtesy AFMS March 2023 Newsletter

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HOW TO CLEAN SILVER ARTICLES - YOU NEED:

1 - LITER WATER TO BOIL

1 - TABLESPOON BORAX POWDER (can be found in supermarket laundry aisle) If you can not find the borax you can use baking soda.

1 - TABLESPOON SALT

1 - PIECE OF ALUMINUM FOIL

DIRECTIONS:

Bring water to boil, pour into a glass bowl or container, add borax, salt and dissolve. Place aluminum foil in water. Place your silver article in water - it must touch the foil. Tarnish will be gone in 10 seconds or so. Heavy tarnish may take one or two times in the water. Heavy tarnish may look like it has not been cleaned. Remove from water and rub with a soft cloth and it should wipe off the tarnish.

NOTES:

What is silver tarnish? It is silver sulfide and comes from sulfur gasses in the air over time. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. This copper makes the sterling silver tarnish faster than pure silver. Remember, every time you remove tarnish, you are also removing a bit of the silver. Silver plate items have a very thin layer of silver and can wear away over time. Another type of home made silver polish is cream of tartar or baking soda and water. Make into a paste and rub on the silver. Use an old toothbrush for grooves. Rinse clean and wipe dry. Commercial silver polishes may have a tarnish retardant in it? Check the label. 

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