Boston Mineral Club
Boston Mineral Club
MA
United States
2015 Meetings
Winter/Spring 2015 Meeting Dates
Tuesday, February 3rd.
Tuesday, March 3rd.
Tuesday, April 7th.
Tuesday, May 5th.
Tuesday, June 2nd.
No Meetings in July and August
Fall 2015 Meeting Dates
Tuesday, September 1st.
Tuesday, October 6th.
Tuesday, November 3rd.
Tuesday, December 1st.
Our meetings are always open to the public. We welcome visitors!
Tuesday, October 6th – 7:30 PM
Program: Fluorescent Minerals
Speaker: Harold (Fritz) Moritz
The October 2015 meeting of the Boston Mineral Club will take place on Tuesday, 6 October. Our speaker will be Harold (Fritz) Moritz, and his topic will be fluorescent minerals. Fritz is a geologist, mineral specimen collector and photographer. As a native of Connecticut, a state with very diverse geology and mineralogy, he has been collecting and researching the history of minerals from there since the mid-1970s, when he was about 14 years young. In the early 1990s, he became a founding member of the Sterling Hill Mining Museum and has been collecting in and learning about the magnificent Franklin-Ogdensburg, New Jersey, USA zinc deposits ever since. His collection numbers about 3300 specimens mostly from these two areas. Fritz also is very active in several Connecticut mineral/gem clubs. After 24 years as an environmental consultant, he now works part time as a contract photographer for MineralMovies.com and Stonetrust.com and is photographing his collection. He has provided the following introduction to his presentation:
"This presentation includes many stunning daylight and UV photographs. It introduces the audience to the main fluorescent minerals, the causes of fluorescence, the types of UV light and UV lamps that reproduce it. Many of the classic Connecticut and Franklin area minerals are shown along with other famous and not so well-known fluorescent minerals and localities. Many common minerals fluoresce only from certain localities and some will surprise you. The point is you never know until you lamp them!"
Members are encouraged to bring in a few of their favorite fluorescent specimens. I will bring in my triple wavelength UV light available to provide a fluorescent display of your specimens. In addition both short wave (SW) and long wave (LW) UV lights will be available for those who want to check some of their specimens for fluorescence. Refreshments also will be available. The Harvard mineral museum should be open to us starting at 7 PM. Everyone should plan to arrive by 7:30 PM to socialize and set up any specimens they have brought that they want to check for fluorescence or to add to the fluorescent display to complement the meeting. We will start the brief business portion of the meeting around 8:00 PM and begin the presentation shortly thereafter. After the presentations are completed the meeting will conclude with our traditional mineral specimen raffle.
- Nate Martin, BMC President
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Tuesday, September 1st, 2015 – 7:30 PM
Program: Annual Collecting Show & Tell Night
Presented by Various Club Members
This year the September meeting of the Boston Mineral Club will take place on the first Tuesday of the month since Labor day occurs very late this year (7 September) and we always try to avoid holding our meeting right after the Labor day weekend.
The meeting will feature our traditional specimen collecting show and tell night. At this annual event all speakers are club members. This is basically an “open mike” night where any member of the club is invited to bring in one or more recently collected mineral, fossil or lapidary “specimens” and then share with the rest of us the story about how they were acquired. The specimens can either be field collected or purchased. All that really matters is that you find them interesting and are willing to spend about 5 minutes telling the rest of the club how they were acquired and why you find them interesting. If you have photos of either localities or specimens to show we will have a laptop available to allow you to project them for all to see. Here are a few suggestions for you to consider:
A) We have had some great club field trips this year. Members are encouraged to bring in their best specimens from any 2014 BMC field trip to show.
B) Others may have gone out collecting on their own this summer. Come tells us where you went and show us what we could expect to find there.
C) Did you travel this year and see or collect something related to our hobby that has special interest for you? If so, bring in a sample specimen or some pictures and tell us about your adventures.
D) Did some great specimens follow you home from a mineral show this year? If so, bring them in and tell us what motivated you to purchase them.
If you are planning to speak at the meeting please email me at rocknate@gmail.com with your topic so I can put together a basic list of presenters and topics for the meeting.
The club’s display cabinet will be available to display your specimens and refreshments will be available as always. The Harvard mineral museum should be open to us starting at 7 PM. Everyone should plan to arrive by 7:30 PM to socialize and set up any specimens they have brought to talk about and display for all to see. We will start the brief business portion of the meeting around 8:00 PM and move quickly into your show and tell presentations. After the presentations are completed the meeting will conclude with our traditional mineral specimen raffle.
This meeting is always enjoyable and provides an opportunity to talk with old friends and make some new ones as well. Visitors are always welcome to attend BMC meetings, and this meeting provides a special opportunity to get acquainted and see what the club is all about. I hope to see you there!
- Nate Martin, BMC President
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Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015 – 7:30 PM
Program: Maine Tourmaline - Presented by Dr. Carl Francis
The June meeting of the Boston Mineral Club will be held on Tuesday, June 2nd. This meeting will feature a presentation by Dr. Carl Francis on gem tourmaline from localities in Maine. Carl has provided the following description of his presentation.
'Maine is a world-class source of gem tourmaline and has been for more than a century! This talk will review the history of tourmaline discoveries and production in Maine from Mt. Mica to Newry and introduce two localities – Mt. Marie in Paris and the Havey quarry in Poland - that are currently producing excellent gem rough and specimens. The presentation will begin with a quick introduction to the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum and also will review tourmaline formulas to emphasize that tourmaline is a mineral group with common members dravite, elbaite and schorl.'
Carl Francis retired in 2011 after thirty-four years as curator of the Harvard University Mineralogical Museum. Carl has long been a good friend to the Boston Mineral Club and previously served as club president. In 2014 we elected Carl as an honorary member in recognition of his support of the BMC and his numerous contributions to the science of mineralogy.To complement the presentation all BMC members are invited to bring in and display their favorite tourmaline specimens. The BMC display case will be available to protect your specimens.
Prior to our meeting the mineral hall of the Harvard Geological and Mineral Museum will be available to us from 7 to 8 PM. We will gather in Haller Hall for refreshments and socializing beginning around 7:30 PM. At 8 PM we will begin our short business meeting followed by the presentation. The evening will conclude with our traditional mineral raffle. Please plan to come and invite a friend to come with you. Our meetings are open to everyone and since this is our last meeting until September, it is a good time to introduce your friends to what we do as a club.I'll look forward to seeing you there.
- Nate Martin, BMC President
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Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 – 7:30 PM
Program: Mineralogy of the Tilly Foster Iron Mine - Presented by Ted Johnson
The May meeting of the Boston Mineral Club will feature a presentation by Ted Johnson on the mineralogy of the Tilly Foster Iron Mine in Brewster, New York. This mine exploited a large magnetite deposit that was discovered in 1810. The mine is a near Brewster but is actually in the defunct hamlet of Tilly Foster, which is now partly submerged by the Middle Branch Reservoir. The mine was 600 feet deep in 1879. Mining ceased in 1897, after 13 miners were killed in a rockslide. The mine is well-known for its excellent brucite, chondrodite, clinochlore, titanite, and magnetite crystals and antigorite or lizardite (and other species) pseudomorphs after a wide variety of minerals. Additional information including specimen photographs and its extensive species list can be found on Mindat at http://www.mindat.org/loc-4004.html.
Ted Johnson is a knowledgeable mineral collector and dealer who has traveled extensively to experience, first hand, some of the classic mineral localities throughout the world. He has given a number of presentations at BMC meetings over the years. Although he is now retired from the nuclear power industry, he remains the proprietor of Yankee Minerals and is a regular participant in a number of New England mineral shows.
The presentation will begin with an abbreviated history of the Tilly Foster Iron mine and also will discuss the primary researchers and collectors that have contributed to the knowledge mineralogy of the mine, including the significant contributions made by Ron Januzzi. The remainder of the presentation will focus on the mineralogy of the Tilly Foster Iron mine, highlighting the collection of Ron Januzzi. Many rarely seen micro’s will be shown.
The discussion will cover many of the species and varieties found at the mine, including silicates- (approx. 50), carbonates- (approx. 10), sulphides- (approx. 10), 3 elements, 1 halide, oxides- (approx 11), sulfates- (approx 12) and 3 Phosphates. Ted will also discuss the list of Tilly Foster pseudomorphs, for which the mine is famous. Finally, the presentation will conclude with a dedication to Ron Januzzi for his life long study of Tilly Foster mineralogy.
To complement the presentation all BMC members are invited to bring in and display any interesting mineral specimens that they have in their collections from any NY locality. The BMC display case will be available. Prior to our meeting the mineral hall of the Harvard Geological and Mineral Museum will be available to us from 7 to 8 PM. We will gather in Haller Hall for refreshments and socializing beginning around 7:30 PM. At 8 PM we will begin our short business meeting followed by the presentation. The evening will conclude with our traditional mineral raffle. Please plan to come and invite a friend to come with you. Our meetings are open to everyone!
- Nate Martin, BMC President
Tuesday, April 7th – 7:30 PM
Program: Opals, History and Science of the Harvard University Collection
Presented by: Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez
The Boston Mineral Club has long enjoyed a great relationship with the Harvard Mineralogical and Geological Museum. We enjoy opportunities to participate with them in special museum events like last year’s Earth Rocks festival and this year’s “I Love Science” festival. In addition they are kind enough to provide us with access to the mineral displays before each of our meetings. Several of our club members serve as museum volunteers. This is a relationship that we all hope will continue to grow as the BMC seeks to expand its educational activities. With that as background I am pleased to announce that the museum curator, Dr. Raquel Alonso-Perez, will be the speaker at our April meeting.
Raquel joined the Harvard Mineralogical and Geological Museum in March 2011 as an assistant curator and moved to her present role as Curator in November 2013. Raquel received her B.S. in geology from the University of Granada, Spain and remained to receive a master in petrology and structural geology from Granada and from the National University of San Luis, Argentina on the contact metamorphism and deformation of the Tamboreo-Tonalite in the Sierra de San Luis of central Argentina. She received her Ph.D. in 2007 from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich for her thesis entitled: "The role of garnet in the evolution of hydrous, calc-alkaline magmas" an experimental study at 0.8 - 1.5 GPa. Her main research interests are continental crust formation processes and trace elements distribution in ore deposits.
Raquel’s presentation to us will focus on the history of the museum’s opal collection and the science behind the internal structure of opal.
To complement the presentation BMC members are encouraged to bring in opal specimens from their collection to display. The BMC display case will be available to display and protect your specimens. Please note that the Harvard Mineralogical Museum will be open to us from 7 to 8 PM as usual and refreshments will be provided during the meeting. The meeting will conclude with our traditional mineral raffle. Also please remember that guests are always welcome at all of our meetings and should be invited to attend this one as well.
- Nate Martin, BMC President
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Tuesday, March 3rd – 7:30 PM
Non-Traditional Gemstones Rare, Medium-Rare and Well Done
Presented by: John J. Bradshaw
The mineral kingdom displays its beauty in many different ways. Although many of our die-hard field collectors strictly focus their attention on well formed natural crystals (whether gemmy or not), there are many others who also appreciate the dazzling effects that an expert gem cutter can produce by applying his or her skills to create cut stones from gem rough. To give BMC members a glimpse into this aspect of the hobby I have finally been able to schedule a presentation by the well-respected gemologist and gem cutter, John J. Bradshaw, for the March meeting of the Boston Mineral Club.
John J. Bradshaw received his BS degree in chemistry from the University of Massachusetts in 1979 and then took courses in mineralogy and crystallography from Salem State College in 1980 and 1981. He began cutting gemstones on a part-time basis in 1979 but soon launched a full-time business as a faceter and dealer of a wide variety of gems ranging from the types of stones normally found in jewelry to the soft, difficult-to-cut gems created specifically for collectors. He received his Gemologist Certificate from the Gemological Institute of America in 1983. John has worked as a consultant on many gem projects, both in the US and internationally, including a 20-year tenure as the curator of gems at the Harvard Mineralogical Museum. He has several published articles and has spoken on many aspects of gemology. John lives in Nashua, NH and is a partner in Coast-to-Coast Rarestones International. You can find their website at www.rarestone.com. John also was once a member of the Boston Mineral Club and at one time served as BMC treasurer.
John’s presentation to us is based on a talk that he recently gave in London at the Gem-A conference. A synopsis is provided below:
“Over 400 mineral species have been described in the mineralogical literature to date. Of these, approximately 200 species have been faceted including roughly 30 species routinely seen in the gem and jewelry trade. Where do the other 170 species fit in the marketplace? These species along with their varieties would be known as ‘rare’ stones (i.e.: stones not routinely available in the market). Some of these are occasionally available and also are durable enough to be used in some capacity for jewelry purposes. Apatite, hauyne, benitoite, scapolite and sphene certainly fit into this category. Hardness, cleavage and durability issues prevent gems such as calcite, fluorite and sphalerite from being commonly used in jewelry. In addition to these, many gems are considered so rare that perhaps only a handful of stones exist in the world and/or are extremely difficult to cut and polish. These would be considered only for the collector’s market. Examples include cinnabar, phosphophyllite and carletonite. This presentation will discuss the sources, properties, cutting, pricing and availability of several examples from the different categories described above.”
To complement the presentation BMC members are encouraged to bring in faceted gemstones from their collection to display. The BMC display case will be available to display and protect your specimens. Please note that the Harvard Mineralogical Museum will be open to us from 7 to 8 PM as usual and refreshments will be provided during the meeting. The meeting will conclude with our traditional mineral raffle. Also please remember that guests are always welcome at all of our meetings and should be invited to attend this one as well.
- Nate Martin, BMC President
Tuesday, February 3rd – 7:30 PM
A Combined Meeting with the Boston Malacological Club
Topic: The Minerals and Molluscs of the Middle East
Presenters: Kristina Joyce, Richard Piligian, Ed Nieburger and Scott Robichaud
For the fourth year in a row the February meeting of the Boston Mineral Club will be held jointly with the Boston Malacological Club (i.e.: The Shell Club). Both of our clubs meet at Harvard on the first Tuesday of the month and this combined meeting gives each group a chance to meet one another and share information about our common interest in collecting objects of beauty from the natural world. The theme of this combined meeting is “The Minerals and Molluscs of the Middle East” and the program will consist of four short presentations on topics related to that theme. Brief outlines of each of the presentations that will be given are as follows:
Pearls & Oysters. Kristina Joyce is a member of the Boston Mineral Club since 2001 and a past president of the Boston Malacological Club. Kristina will speak about the desert Bedouins diving off the east coast of the current United Arab Emirates for oysters with pearls that were traded worldwide through the port of Dubai. Kristina’s presentation will include photographs (some coast, city gold souks, and mountains for gravel) and artifacts from her June 2014 trip to Dubai and the other United Arab Emirates.
Pyrite and Lapis - Richard Piligian is a member of the Boston Mineral Club. Rich will speak about finding pyrite in the eastern area of Turkey where his family originated. He will also speak about beautiful blue lapis and its significance in the Middle East (use in art and as a talisman against evil eye). Images and specimens will accompany his presentation.
Shells of Oman - Ed Nieburger, a member of the shell club, will speak about Donald and Eloise Bosch and their work with mollusca in Oman including publications and a unique shell named for Mrs. Bosch. Books and shells will be displayed on this topic.
Tiger and Panther Cowries - Scott Robichaud, a member of the shell club, will speak about two fascinating molluscs, the tiger and panther cowries, from Middle Eastern waters. Scott is a diver par excellence and will provide an excellent collection of the cowries.
In keeping with the theme of the night, Boston Mineral Club members are encouraged to bring in any mineral specimens (including lapidary pieces) in their collection that come from the Middle East to display and Shell club members are encouraged to similarly bring in any special shells in their collections from the area. The BMC display case will be available to display your specimens.
The Harvard Mineral Museum will be open as usual from 7 to 8 PM and the meeting will be held in Haller Hall (our usual meeting room). Refreshments will be available starting at 7:30 PM and the meeting will formally begin at 8:00 PM with very short business meetings for both clubs before starting the presentations.
Refreshments for this meeting will be provided by Donna Dickerson, Peter Jackson and Kristina Joyce and will complement the topic. This will include dates, pita bread/chips, humus, babaganoush, olives, Iranian raisin cookies, Jordan almonds, coffee, mint tea and flavored waters.
The meeting will conclude with our traditional mineral specimen raffle. These combined meetings are always interesting and informative. I hope that you can attend!
- Nate Martin, BMC President
Saturday, January 10th., 2015 -- The Annual BMC Auction
American Legion Post 44, 295 California Street, Newton, MA
- Registration Begins: 9 AM
- Specimen Viewing Begins: 11:30 AM
- Voice Auction: 12:30 to 5:30 PM
- Silent Auction: 12 noon to 2:30 PM
Every January the Boston Mineral Club replaces its usual evening meeting at Harvard with our annual fundraising auction held on a Saturday near the middle of the month. In 2015 the auction will be on Saturday, 10 January, at the newer and larger location that we first moved to in 2013. This venue is larger, better lighted, provides plenty of free parking and is accessible to those who may have mobility problems.
The auction is an all-day event that is one of the highlights of the club’s many activities during the year. You do not have to be a member of the Boston Mineral Club to attend and club members are encouraged to invite friends and relatives to come. If you have never attended one of our auctions you need to know several things:
1 – There will be many choices for you to bid on with typically over 150 flats of minerals available for the silent auction and over 100 lots of high quality specimens in the voice auction.
2 – There typically are great bargains available at far less cost than buying specimens at mineral shows or on the internet.
3 – It is an enjoyable event for children as well as adults – kids love to bid on both the silent and voice auction lots and they get to see a lot of different minerals.
Once again the club has purchased a number of high quality worldwide specimens to augment your donations for the voice auction. We also have been fortunate to obtain several high quality donations from mineral dealers. The schedule and registration information and other details can be found on the Auction Page of this website.
- Nate Martin, BMC President
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Boston Mineral Club
MA
United States