November 2018 Meeting Minutes

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New Business:
1. Debbie announced that our December meeting (Christmas dinner) will be held at Wood Grill Buffet in Harrisonburg on Monday, Dec. 10th at 6:30 pm. Each person pays for his/her own meal. We will do the gift exchange (up to $10). Details here.

2. A committee from the Waynesboro Church of the Brethren (where we meet) has informed our officers that there needs to be a new contract for our use of the facility. They are wanting to raise the yearly fee to a monthly fee that is at a huge monetary increase. The committee also wishes to charge the club for electricity and water that is used in the lapidary shop twice monthly. Mike Pabst will try to negotiate a more reasonable rate. The church has also changed the locks in advance of installing an electronic key card access system. Club members have been given keys to the rock shop, but no one has been given a key to the meeting room. Mike will also negotiate this situation.

3. Jack Glenn reminded everyone of our meeting cancelation policy – it is on the website as well. The policy states that if Waynesboro City schools are closed on the Monday of our meeting, then we do not meet. Also, if the schools are closed on the Friday before the rock shop opening, it will not be open either. Jack will publish cancelations on the website & on Facebook as soon as possible. Debbie will email everyone as well. Members should check these sites if unsure.

Program Report:
Our presenter was Richard Wise, who wrote Secrets of the Gem Trade (www.secretsofthegemtrade.com).

He and his wife Rebecca recently moved to Charlottesville from Lennox, MA. He has traveled extensively around the world collecting and studying gems.

As a dealer himself, he wanted to learn how tradesmen qualify the value of gems to determine price, but was not given much information - so he decided to educate himself. After many years of studying and experimenting, he wrote several articles and this book to share his knowledge.

Richard explained that he uses a “4C” process – color, cut, clarity, and crystal (this is his preferred value, as tradesmen use carat as their fourth C).

Richard went into detail about each of these identifiers, and showed photographs of minerals that matched each category.

For color, he used a graph showing the saturation point of various hues that compared the values to primary colors, the type and light source, and % of white to black within the stone.

Clarity compares the “eye” value to a 10X loupe value.

Cut is the only determination that depends on human design by cutting the gem to reflect and refract light as it passes through the gem.

To determine the crystal quality, one must compare samples of the same stone type, moving it back and forth under light to determine the transparency (light return to the eye) and the mosaic of color.

We were impressed with the suggestions Richard gave us and were awed by many of the photos he showed us – especially the Midivani-Hutton jade, valued at $27.44 million!

He explained that the best way to judge gems is to study only one type at a time, especially if visiting large gem shows where the tendency is to “see them all”.

The buyer must be aware of “enhanced” specimens that have been heated, dyed, oiled, or lab-created.

Of course, price and personal preference are usually the deciding factors!

We thank Richard and Rebecca for taking the time to visit and share with us.

Field Trip Info:
Please refer to “SVGMS Field Trips News” documents you receive from the club secretary for a description of the current status of field trips and details about upcoming trips.

If you are a club member with paid-up dues and you do not receive the “Field Trip News” document when they are emailed, please contact the secretary at loverocksandminerals@gmail.com or at a monthly meeting to correct this issue.

This will be the principle way information about field trips are distributed to members, so we want to insure everyone is correctly addressed.

I previously sent an email about the field trip to Willis Mt. which will be Sept 29th. You must have carefully read the instructions, safety notes, and should have contacted Scott Steele if you are going. DO NOT contact the Lynchburg club directly. The participants must have one designated field trip coordinator. If you no longer have the email, please contact me & I will resend.

Next meeting:
Annual Christmas Dinner - Monday, December 10th at 6:30 pm at Wood Grill Buffet, Harrisonburg VA.

Looking ahead:
January meeting: To Be Announced

Remember that the lapidary shop is open the Saturday following a regular meeting and on the second Saturday after that. Leo, Charlie & Jack can assist you. Open from 9 am to noon.

There are several slab saws and trim saws. Keep in mind that safety is a priority, and wear closed toe shoes, safety glasses, with no loose hair or long sleeves. Children must be supervised and closely monitored to insure they are safely using the equipment. Check this page to see what you can learn to do!

If you’d like to present a program, please talk to an officer at a meeting or sign up at this link:
http://www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org/next_neeting_program/sign_up_to_present_program.php

Anyone can sign up to bring snacks for a monthly meeting by clicking this link:
http://www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org/next_meeting_info/sign_up_to_bring_refreshments.php

Be sure to keep up with our website www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org and our Facebook page Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society for updates and information.

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Volunteers for Refreshments, 2018:
February: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
March: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
April: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
May: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
June: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
July: N/A - Club Picnic
August: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
September: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
October: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
November: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
December: N/A - Club Christmas Dinner

Deborah Grimm, Secretary

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Club Officers and Staff 2016-2018
President – Michael Pabst
Vice President – Leo Cloutier
Show Co-Chairs – Dean Hostetter/Scott Gregory
Educational Outreach -- Deborah Grimm
Secretary/Newsletter -- Deborah Grimm
Field Trip Coordinators - Wayne Petersen/Scott Duresky
Treasurer – Scott Gregory
Web Site Coordinator – Jack Glenn

Club web site: www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org
Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyGemMineralSociety
Club email: svgem-min-club@live.com

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