THE BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE
Volume LIIII ----- Houston Gem & Mineral Society ----- May 2024
Jaspers of Nevada
Table of Contents
Club Information
Permission to use material originating in this newsletter is given freely providing that credit is given to the author and the source. Every article published in the BBG is edited for grammar and content. No flaming is allowed.
BACKBENDER’S GAZETTE SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Articles are due on the 15th day of the month before the date on the BBG issue.
Copy is due for the next issue by the 15th of this month. Email content to editor@hgms.org
President's Message
As we start getting close to the warmer months of summer, now is our time to shine. Get outside and dig up those treasures before it hits 110⁰ in the shade. We have our next auction this month with a load of awesome material and minerals. If you haven’t been to one of the auctions yet, this one you’ll want to check out!
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Vice-President's Message
by Jeanean Slamen
Ideas and talks welcome. And if you have a good idea…
Research it and give a talk!
The program for the May 28th general meeting will be “Freisenhahn Cave and the Late Pleistocene fauna of Central Texas” presented by Jeanean Slamen of the Paleontology Section.
New methods of analysis have given us fresh insights into the large cats, Columbian mammoths and other megafauna that lived as recently as 20,000 years ago in what is now central Texas.
Section News
Beading – Second Saturday, 12:30 PM
Always bring beading mat, scissors, wire, wire cutter, round nose and needle nose pliers, thread, and beading needles if you have them.
The May 11th meeting will be from Noon to 3 PM in the Center Classroom. We will be making Boho Style beads from fabric scraps, wire, beads and textile materials. RSVP to Beading@HGMS.org.
Bring: scissors, needle and thread, ruler / straight edge, round nose and needle nose plier and: bead caps, ruler, fabric glue, and a teflon or vinyl placemat to work on.
NOTICE: Do you have a bracelet or necklace that needs restringing? The Beading Section will carefully restring your piece at an hourly rate of $15.00 + materials. Contact Beading @HGMS.org to make arrangements. All funds will go to the Beading Section.
Gemstones and Faceting – Second Thursday, 6:30 PM
Zoom meeting begins at 7:30 pm.
The May 9th meeting for the Gemstones & Faceting Section will be a continuation in the use of the Refractometer (Part 2) for gem identification. It will primarily be a hands on lab. Zoom participants will not be able to follow along, so if possible, please come and join us in person.
Lapidary and Silversmithing – Third Monday, 7:00 PM
The next meeting is in person at the Club on May 20, 2024 at 7:00 PM.
The stone of the month this time will be Sodalite — this is a nice blue stone that has some red flakes in it — Tony believes the material is from Canada.
Last month several members cut a tigereye teardrop cabochon. This month, we will make a setting for the stone in wax which will be cast at a later time. Tigereye is available for anyone who missed last month’s meeting and wants to participate.
Tony will also show us options to make molds for wax injection to do metal casting. If there is enough interest, we will schedule time to make our own molds at a future Section meeting.
Day Light – First Wednesday, 1:00 PM
The Daylight Section meets the first Wednesday of the month from 1 to 3 PM.
The May 1st meeting will be an extension of the April session. If you were not at the April meeting one of the instructors will be able to bring you up to speed. Taught again by Debbie, Charlie, and Neal, this session will include lessons in annealing, forming and cutting copper into shapes such as hearts, ovals, or rectangles using the small hydraulic press. If time permits, the participants will also learn how to enamel the metal. The meeting will start at 12 noon so there is time for everyone.
Please register in advance to make sure we have enough materials for everyone. A $5.00 fee is necessary for each class to pay for materials. Register by sending an email to Nancy Searle at daylight@hgms.org. All programs are $5.00 and the fee is paid at the meeting.
Mineral – Third Wednesday, 7:30 PM
On May 15th Steve Steinke will reprise his excellent “road trip” presentation covering wulfenite localities in Arizona
The link for the Zoom meeting is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4517997588?pwd=SnZjckZBTnRMbHRxZitScE9WU3RWUT09
Paleontology – Third Tuesday, 7:30 PM
We’ve started hybrid Zoom meetings that include members attending remotely via Zoom; if you’re intrigued by dinosaurs, trilobites, field trips to collect Texas fossils and all other paleontology-related topics we’d love to have you attend a meeting in one way or another and see what we’ve got going on. If you’d like to join the Paleo Section email list, send an email to hgmspaleosection@gmail.com and ask to be added.
Next meeting is May 21st.
Neal Immega grew up in St. Louis and across the river was a great paleo site in the Mississippian called Millstidt. The best small fossil is the echinoderm Pentremites. Note that it has the five fold symmetry of an echinoderm like a sea urchin. The grooves on the sides (5 of course) are the same ambulacral grooves you see on a sea urchin. This one is 220 million years old while our common Cretaceous urchins are about 100 million. If you will not be at the meeting, see me and I will bootleg a few to you. Personally collected about 1965 (no, that is not in the Pleistocene). We are also going to talk about crinoids.
Don’t carry this too far. You have a 5 fingered hand but that does not mean that you have the same symmetry.
The Paleo meeting is on echinoderms and everyone may have several of my Pentremites as well as the Creteaceous urchins.
Youth, First and Third Saturdays, 10:00am – 12:00pm
Next meetings are May 4th and 18th. Mostly we will be working on cabochons.
Children must be accompanied by a parent.
Notes from Neal
by Neal Immega
A drink was spilled in the LIBRARY. Don’t do that. Remember, Neal is watching you.
Shop and Building News
Tech Talk and Game Night
by LT Wilcox
Our first Tech Talk & Game Night on April 27th was a success. We had members and non-members both participate. I thank those who joined us and hope to see everyone at the next one.
We broke out the 3D printer for some discussion, one of our guests brought a computer to build while at the meeting and was ready to instruct anyone who was interested. And we attempted to swap a Chromebook’s OS but were unsuccessful for the night. A number of people brought their computers, and we broke off into playing a few games around 9:00pm with both some victories and defeats.
Note, our next Tech Talk & Game Event will be June 15th (times will be posted at a later date). Please note this event isn’t just for gaming, but to learn new things and get help as well.
We will focus on Technology for the night! Bring your technology questions, issues, and more. 3D Printing, CNC, Networking and Server discussions, Troubleshooting issues with your personal computers, or just want to learn about computers in general. This is your chance to pick the IT person’s Brain! Or even better, share YOUR expertise!
I will also host a BYOC-LAN. “BYOC stands for Bring Your Own Computer”.
Bring your system to play games with us for the night. We will have several games to pick from the 90’s classics like Starcraft, 2000’s fame of Minecraft and Overwatch, to today’s latest release.
List of Requirements to attend BYOC
- Laptop or Desktop
- Keyboard and Mouse (or Controler)
- Monitor
- Mouse Pad
- Headphones/Speakeers
- Games Pre-Installed and Updated “Club has limited internet speed”
- Wifi or 10′ foot Ethernet Cable
Zoom Zoom
Logan and Jeanean also hosted a Zoom instruction event on April 2nd, to demonstrate how to use Zoom with all the microphones, cameras, HDMI cables and projectors that make for a good hybrid meeting (Zoom and in-person).
Jaspers of Nevada
by Sigrid Stewart
Back in 2017, I went to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Shows, and one of those shows was the Miner’s Co-op. There were fascinating things to be seen there, like the large, reconstructed cluster of smoky quartz and amazonite from the Lake Creek District, for sale for only $180,000. Another man was selling jade from Nevada with interesting, embedded crystals and inclusions of magnetite. Another man was selling jasper, and the story he told me of finding slightly different jaspers on every knob and hilltop in one region of Nevada (no, he didn’t say which one) is the one that stuck with me.
According to mindat.org, Nevada has several well-known jaspers:
- Dead Camel, Dead Camel Mountains, Churchill County, Nevada,
- Jasper from Virgin Valley, Humboldt County, Nevada
- Picture jasper from Jackpot, Elko County, Nevada
- Jasper from Tunnel Hill Mine, Velvet Mining District, Pershing County, Nevada, also called Rattlesnake Agate (or jasper) and Royal Flamingo jasper.
The Virgin Valley in northwestern Humboldt Co., Nevada is best known for precious black opal, famous for digging available at fee mining sites, but petrified wood, common opal, obsidian, agate, and jasper can also be found in the area.
Beautiful Picture Jasper is found in the Jackpot, Elko County, area of Nevada. You have probably seen this beautiful stone mounted in frames. Gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, magnetite, and tungsten minerals, as well as garnets, agate, jasper, copper, malachite, geodes, petrified wood, and fossils can all be found nearby.
Elko, Nevada area:
https://exploreelko.com/things-to-do/uncommon-activities/rock-hounding/
Howardite, also known as Rattlesnake Jasper or Royal Flamingo Jasper is an opalized volcanic tuff sourced brecciated jasper interspersed with opal or agate, with a striking striped reddish-brown pattern. By the way, the name Howardite is not approved, according to Mindat.
https://www.geologyin.com/2022/12/howardite-rattlesnake-jasper.html
Dead Camel Jasper is a new find compared to the famous porcelain jaspers of Oregon and Idaho, although some lapidaries compare it to those jaspers. It is found in the Dead Camel Mountains of northern Nevada, which were named for the camels imported to serve as beasts of burden, which were lost and died in these mountains. It’s known for shades of red, pink and blue or green, and takes a very good polish. Claims in this area include Dead Camel, Red Falcon, Dead Ringer, Fire Ledge, and Mescalero, among others.
Fractures and pits can exist in these jaspers, and according to some rockhounds who have bought them online, you can expect to throw out about half of your rough as you work around flaws. Some will only buy at shows for this reason. Color is also highly variable and hard to represent accurately. In my opinion, the descriptions of jaspers from this area accord well with that story told by the Miner’s Co-op vendor who spoke of slightly different jaspers on every knob in the hills in an area of Nevada. It is only natural that the sizes of regions of desirable colors would vary widely – too widely to always get them all into one small cab! But when they’re good they’re wonderful! IF you can’t find what you want at a show, you can take a chance and buy online from a reputable dealer. In the meantime, feast your eyes on Phillip Stephenson’s collection of Dead Camel slabs displayed on his website:
https://rarerocksandgems.com/dead-camel-jasper-red-falcon-collection/
Thanks to Philip for the photos in this article!
Read his article on Dead Camel jasper from Rock and Gem Magazine, February 2017:
https://rarerocksandgems.com/artists-main-gallery/
Commenters on lapidaryforum.net have said that Dead Camel and Mescalero are similar in appearance, and that Red Falcon and Dead Ringer are also similar. Similar but not the same! All of the jaspers in this area were once known as Lahontan jasper, but some are distinctive enough to deserve their own marketing names. Such names are often descriptive, sometimes flamboyant, designed to attract attention.
Another complication to be aware of is that some commercial names have been repeated; for instance, there is “wonderstone” found in both Nevada and Utah. The Nevada Wonderstone, which is the state rock, can be found near Fallon, Nevada, not far from the Dead Camel claim, according to Nevada Magazine.
References:
https://nevadamagazine.com/issue/february-april-2022/19068/
https://encyclopedia-gemstonia.fandom.com/wiki/Dead_camel_jasper
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/mescalero-jasper-rough-mjr4i-etsy–70368812922113770/
https://ddrockshop.com/collections/mescalero
Here is a gallery of photos from mindat.org:
Sam Koster
Courtesy of Ann Koster
Sam Koster, beloved husband of Ann Johnson Koster, passed away on April 11, 2024. Sam and Ann were married on May 6, 1984. He was an avid collector of mineral specimens and enjoyed traveling. He loved sports of all kinds. He was born in Newark, New Jersey on September 25, 1940. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Geology degree and a Master’s degree from Florida State University in Tallahassee.
He was with Shell Oil Company for 7 years as a geologist before working for Amerada Hess Corporation for 20 years. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Houston Hospice or Ronald McDonald House charities.
Those readers who have attended the Houston Gem & Mineral Show in the past will remember Sam as one of our dealers, Columbia Trading Company.
Bench Tips
Templates
Whenever I have to make more than 2-3 exact copies of a sheet metal component, I think of making a template. Templates let me easily draw the shape of an item to cut out. Art stores or online sources like cooltools.us/ and kingsleynorth.com/ sell templates for common shapes like circles, ovals, hearts, etc. but for nonstandard shapes, I make my own out of a scrap of sheet plastic or sheet metal. My preference is brass. I carefully lay out the shape using a steel ruler, a set of dividers, a scribe, and a fine center punch.
One example is the brass template in the pic below that lets me quickly trace the design of ginkgo leaf earrings onto silver sheet. Another is the nickel template which makes it easy to drill a pattern of holes for pin inlay into wooden handles.
Testing for Silver
Often you need to identify some of those unknown “silvery” pieces of metal in the bottom of the toolbox or some piece of old jewelry that is not hallmarked. Is it silver or is it something else?
Of course, if you need to know exactly what you have, it’s best to send your metals off for refining. But inexpensive silver testing solutions can be used to help distinguish higher silver content alloys from alloys that have the same appearance but with little to no silver content, like German Silver or Nickel. I purchased a half-ounce bottle of JSP Silver Testing Solution #GT41 for only $3. It’s not a rigorous analytic test, but it lets you know if you’re on the right track.
With a fresh solution you have an instant reaction after applying it to the metal being tested. The procedure is simple – apply a small drop and watch for a color change. Note that the acid will leave a slight mark, so choose a spot that is out of the way or will be easy to polish. If you suspect the object is silver plated, you should file a little notch somewhere inconspicuous to expose what metal is below the surface. Otherwise, all you test will be the surface plating.
Here’s the reaction I got when testing various materials:
. Fine silver Red/Orange
. Sterling silver Brick Red
. 80% silver 20% copper Dark red changing to gray
. Brass Yellow changing to blue
. Nickel Gray-green
. Copper Yellow changing to blue
. Steel Black
. Stainless Steel No color change
Caution – If you do any of this testing, know that you are handling a reasonably strong acid. The GT41 label says it includes nitric acid and potassium dichromate.
- Wear safety glasses.
- Do not get any testing solution on your skin.
- Use a solution of baking soda and water to neutralize acid.
- Wash and clean up well when you’re done.
Smart Solutions for Your Jewelry Making Problems
Making jewelry involves a multitude of skills, intricate hand work, and a lot of problem solving. Books in this series help to::
- Broaden your metalworking skills
- Improve productivity at the bench
- Save money on tools and supplies
You’ll find hundreds of low cost and really practical tips and techniques that the author uses in his work and teaches in his classes and workshops.
https://amazon.com/dp/B0BQ8YVLTJ
From the Desk of the President, AFMS
Roger Burford, from the April 2024 AFMS Newsletter
To continue my input from the last newsletter, I want to provide more information on what the designation of a national monument means to us as rockhounds and to other activities as well. National Monuments are designated to protect public lands and waters that have cultural, historic, ecological, and scientific importance to ensure that future generations can enjoy these places as we can today. They can be designated by the President, using the Antiquities Act of 1906. Since this act was created there have been 18 US Presidents, nine from each party. Under the Antiquities Act, the President is allowed to designate the “smallest area” required to protect waters and cultural and historic sites. Under the act, the president can create, but is not allowed to increase, reduce, or abolish a monument; this can only be done by Congress, and there are multiple ongoing lawsuits because President Trump ordered the reduction of the size of the Bears Ears National Monument by 85 percent and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by almost half. Now those areas reduced are open to claims under the General Mining Law of 1872.
National Monuments are under the management of one or more of the following: the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From what I have been able to discern, rockhounding is only allowed on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and on some land managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Rockhounding on the “public” lands is managed by these agencies, and the rules differ from site to site. A monument proclamation directs the agency or agencies to develop a resource management plan with input from and consultation with state and local governments, tribes, communities, and the public.
Plans are to take into account local considerations and could include promoting cooperative conservation, preserving Tribal culture and religious activities, conserving critical wildlife habitat, improving recreation opportunities, and other priorities. Historically, monuments can also help bring additional resources for recreation and resource management and improve the visitor experience, but in the case of the National Forests in Oregon, access is being limited by the destruction or blocking of roads and trails.
During a GOP Oversight Access to Public Lands hearing, it was found that the Forest Service is moving away from its mandate to maintain access to lands for multiple use. In Montana they have closed 21,000 miles of roads since 1990 – that’s one-third of all Forest Service roads, reducing access for everyone – including us rockhounds.
Keeping access is important to recreation and other activities like hunting, fishing, camping, and
rockhounding. These activities contribute $807 billion to the local economy and 7.6 million jobs. With the decreased access to these public lands, the contribution will be reduced, and the communities in the area are harmed by the reduction of income. Currently, rockhounding is allowed in the Mojave Trails National Monument, but that could be changed at any time without our input.
Access denial to these lands also can contribute to the spread of wildfires by preventing access for firefighters, so that fires can be controlled before they are able to spread. Currently, the major voice of dissent to the creation of national monuments has been from the cattle industry because of the reduction of the land for grazing. We as rockhounds need to make our voice heard by petitioning Congress to include rockhounding as an allowed activity in all national monuments where our activities will not damage any historically significant areas.
Please write your congressmen and ask that rockhounds be allowed to collect rocks and minerals in our national monuments. Explain that rockhounding is a hobby that has benefits to our members and helps children learn about earth sciences. They may be our next geologists because they have been able to get out in nature and learn the lapidary arts. Rockhounds are not Miners. This needs to be understood by Congress and our local legislators. Overall, rock hounding is a popular hobby that allows individuals to connect with the natural world, learn about Earth’s geologic history, and appreciate the beauty and diversity of rocks and minerals found in different regions.
A Totality Good Time
by Sigrid Stewart
I was skunked every single time I tried to catch a total eclipse of the sun, so when I studied the path of the April 8th eclipse and saw that Lampasas, Texas, would be directly in the path, I called some old friends. Joe and Cindy, whom I have known for over 40 years, live on a ranch a few miles south of Lampasas, and I thought just maybe Cindy was thinking party.
And she was! I asked if Steve and I could come and promised to bring food, eclipse glasses and other supplies and help out, because gatherings can be a lot of work. Then I told my daughter, who has known them and their children all her life, and of course she wanted to go too! They would bring a tent and take the kids out of school for the educational experience.
As the time approached, I began watching the weather and hoping it would be good. A few days beforehand, Space City Weather declared a possible wash-out with rain and cloudy skies. I kept hoping. In the two days before we planned to leave, the forecaster relented and said, maybe rain, maybe partly cloudy. Yay! I was willing to chance it, the more so because the guest list was filling up with other old friends, some of whom I had not seen in years.
We travelled the day before the eclipse because other forecasters had predicted snarled traffic and exhausted grocery stores, and some counties made disaster declarations. The drive was beautiful, passing fields of bluebonnets, paintbrush and primrose, and the occasional sign warning of the potential for heavy traffic and instructing viewers not to park by the side of the highway. Buzzkill! What were people from Austin supposed to do?
We arrived in plenty of time to settle in, and for the kids to pitch their tent. We greeted old friends and new and explored the ranch, as Joe pointed out recent improvements, wildflowers, deer, and wild turkeys. Later we enjoyed brisket and baked potatoes and salad for dinner, with chocolate cake for dessert.
In the morning, we eagerly checked the weather forecasts. It was a little foggy, but we figured the fog would lift and by mid-morning it cleared out. Soon we saw small areas of blue sky emerge.
The eclipse began at 12:18pm. The dappled light seemed to wash out gradually and become dimmer. The color leached out of the landscape. The tension increased. It was still partly cloudy; would we have a window for the big show or not?
Intermittently we could look through our eclipse glasses and see the progress of the moon as it obscured the light of the sun. I thought of the ancients witnessing an eclipse, sure that a dragon or some other monster was devouring the sun. Being able to predict an eclipse would have given a priest or shaman enormous power!
We started counting down the minutes until totality would occur at 1:37pm and scanned the skies for big patches of blue. 15 minutes! 10 minutes! More blue sky. It was getting dark, and the birds were quiet. 2 minutes! A large area of clear sky developed, and we could see a tiny crescent of light remaining. We began cheering! Totality! Woo-hoo!
The light of the sun disappeared, and we could see the corona, normally lost in the glare. For the next couple of minutes, we all screamed and shouted and enjoyed the sight of the corona with what looked like tiny pink dots showing along the edge of the moon. Solar prominences! Thin clouds began to move in, ending our visibility for the rest of the period of totality, but we were more than satisfied with what we had been able to see. A few minutes later we again had clearer skies and we could see in the distance that a lighter area was approaching us. Slowly the moon moved on and the skies returned to their former brightness. Such a great experience! Many thanks to Joe and Cindy.
Note:
According to NASA, the pink dots visible during totality are solar prominences, not solar flares. Solar prominences are loops and towers of plasma that project from the sun’s surface and may be anchored there for weeks at a time. In fact, the Sun is made of plasma, electrically charged ionized gas that creates magnetic fields. The tiny pink dots we saw were larger than the Earth! Solar flares are explosive bursts of radiation associated with sunspots, which can last up to several hours.
References:
Both photos by Mark Parsons
Time-lapse video of the eclipse by NASA taken in Dallas:
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/april-8-total-solar-eclipse-through-the-eyes-of-nasa/
For information about the eclipse in Lampasas: https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/lampasas?iso=20240408
HGMS Board of Directors Meeting
Meeting Minutes for January 3, 2023
Board Member | Section Board Member | ||
X | President – LT Wilcox | X | Beading – Maggie Manley |
1st Vice President – Jeanean Slamen | X | Day Light – Fred Brueckner | |
X | 2nd Vice President – Sarah Metsa | X | Gemstones & Faceting – Turner Whitham |
X | Treasurer – Sharon Halton |
Lapidary & Silversmithing – Richard Good | |
X | Secretary – Michelle Wilcox | X | Mineral – Ray Kizer |
X | Paleontology – Mike Dawkins | ||
Meeting Statistics:
- President’s Comments:
Call to order (upon achieving a quorum) at 7:40_ pm there are _Eight_ voting members are in attendance. Non-voting member present: Nancy English, Past President
Approval of March meeting minutes – not voting via Zoom at the meeting – voting via email: March 5, 2024, BoD meeting minutes were sent out to board members to vote on April 10, 2024
Treasurer’s Report:
- Start Sending Monthly Account Statements + Section Accounts
- Profit/Loss report sent by email on 4/2/24 to all board members
- Sharon needs access to Zettle for tax purposes. We need to set the tax option on the Zettle so it will default to charge the taxes.
LT president will contact Scott and Sigrid to see where the 4 pieces of equipment are.
- Amigo Energy Contract Expiring – Possible Contract 3 Years at 0.088
955KWH – 4 years $81 Month+fees
NRG – 8.612 5 years
- Research of Programmable thermostats to regulate the temperatures under the suggestion of club needs without causing issues with complexity. = 2 units: Motion
Membership Report:
- March 31st deadline for renewal membership so Sarah will pull the non-paying people off the BBG list. Sarah will work on membership lists for new members to report if able. Roaster out by the end of May this year.
Old Business:
- Zettle/iPad – No new pads, Current pads and card readers are to be returned to Club during non-show period- LT check With Scott & Sigrid.
4 Zettle Card Readers Total
Closed: No Next action: Retain the 4 machines and put them in the designated locker for easy access.
- Tony – Jewelry shop modifications: Not available
Closed: No Next action: Still waiting on Maggie Manley to get info, she was not at the meeting tonight.
- Heater: Done
- Money has been transferred from Prosperity Bank to LiveOak Bank and appropriate accounts closed. Done by Nancy English and Sharon Halton
New Business:
- Richards Position: Richard and Neil are unable to fully take over the Position requiring the investigation of apprentice or assistant head shop supers – Sharon and LT suggested to help with Forman & Shop Maintenance duties
- Black Cabinet for future 3d Printers paid for by Fred and installed at the club
- Library Bookshelves & Books in need of further intervention. Neil proposes removing sections A-Z in the second room and top-shelf USGS books. Concerns of additional material being removed or thrown away. – Neil & Clyde
- Selling of Oil: Increase price from $13/gallon to $15/gallon instead of $20/gallon – tabled until Sharon investigates the price of 55 Gal Drum of Oil.
- Putting Cash into 1 year CD –
$125K Moved to CD at 5% Earning up to $1000
Leaving us with +$60k – Motion made
- Paypal/Zettle Access for Sharon & Foremen trained on Zettle
- New Members Vs Existing Members Vs Non-Members – a brief discussion about the need for incentives to become club members. Fees for non-members currently don’t equate to being worth signing up to become an HGMS Member. Very few perks are available outside of Shop use.
- Extended Hours & Tech Talk and Lan Night / Saturday – 3rd or 4th Weekend: $10 per member or $20 per non-member: ½ of each goes back to the club. April 27th, 4 pm/7 pm-12 midnight.
- Stafford Center – Tabled for now. Jeanean was not available to discuss.
- Club Phone transfer from Nancy English to LT Wilcox on Thursday 4/11/24.
- Homeschool – charge ½ of the room payment upfront. If they call 24 hours ahead to cancel we will refund their deposit. If they no-show we will not refund the deposit.
Section and Committee Reports:
- Volunteer Committee:
Annual show
The prizes were picked up from the Clear Lake show and are still being picked up at the HGMS by the winners.
- Show Committee:
New ticket chairman – Dean Wix
Allison – New Dino Dig chairman
Matt – Security
Matt/Dean/Allison stepped forward to help
- Program Committee: Jeanean was not present to discuss this.
Motions:
- March meeting minutes: Not voting via Zoom at the meeting – voting via email: March 5, 2024, BoD meeting minutes were sent out to board members to vote on April 10, 2024
Final BoD March 5, 2024 meeting minutes sent out to board in email on April 10, 2024
On April 11, 2024, voted by email:
Motioned by Maggie Manley 2nd by Ray Kizer
Approved: YES Yeas 6 Nays 0
- Sharon to research programmable thermostats = 2 units
Motioned by Ray Kizer 2nd by Mike Dawkins
Approved: YES Yeas Eight Nays 0
- Putting Cash into one year CD at $125K in Live Oak Bank one year
Motioned by Ray Kizer 2nd by Sharon Halton
Approved: YES Yeas Eight Nays 0
Adjourn
Move to adjourn the Board of Directors Meeting: Logan Wilcox & 2nd by Sharon Halton. The meeting adjourned at 9:13 pm.
Approved: YES Yeas Eight Nays 0
HGMS General Meeting Minutes
by Heidi Shelley
The minutes will be posted as soon as they are available.
Upcoming Shows
Waco Gem & Mineral Show
05/04/2024 – 05/05/2024
10:00am – 5:00pm Daily
Waco Convention Center – McLennan Hall
Address: 100 Washington Ave, Waco, TX 76710
https://www.wacogemandmineral.org/
Southwest Gem & MIneral Society
05/11/2024 – 05/12/2024
Sat. 11:00am – 8:00pm, Sun. 11:00am – 5:00pm
Rolling Oaks Mall 6909 N. Loop 1604 E,
San Antonio, TX 78247
Website: http://www.swgms.org/
Mount Ida Show – Quartz Capital of the World
05/10/2024 – 05/12/2024
Fri. 12:00pm – 5:00pm, Sat. 9:00am – 5:00pm, Sun. 10:00am – 5:00pm
1210 Hwy 270 E, Mount Ida, Arkansas
Chris Wood, (870) 490-2997; bearisgrateful@gmail.com
Texas Mineral and Fossil Show Plano
05/17/2024 – 05/19/2024
Plano Event Center
2000 E Spring Creek Pkwy
Plano, TX 75074
https://www.rmgmpromotions.com/
Fort Worth Gem and Mineral Club Annual Show
05/25/2024 – 05/26/2024
Sat. 9:00am – 5:00pm, Sun. 10:00am – 4:00pm
Will Rogers Memorial Center
3401 W Lancaster, Fort Worth TX 76107
Glenda Bradley (817) 229-5467
fwgmc.info@gmail.com
fortworthgemandmineralclub.org
Arlington Gem Mineral & Jewelry Show
06/15/2024 – 06/16/2024
Sat 9:00am – 6:00pm Sun. 10:00am – 4:00pm
Grapevine Convention Center
1209 S Main St
Grapevine, TX 76051
Sublette County Rockhound Gem & Mineral Show
06/14/2024 – 06/16/2024
Fri./Sat. 9:00am – 5:00pm, Sun. 9:00am – 3:00pm
Sublette County Fairgrounds, 10937 HWY 189, Big Piney, WY
Contact Jim (jimgray@wyoming.com) or Mike (maschaffer61@gmail.com)
Tulsa Rock & Mineral Show
07/13/2024 – 07/15/2024
Exchange Center at Expo Square