Pat Koko, Opal Editor

Treasurer, Karen Davé.

This is to be done at any General Meeting. Applications will not be accepted via mail or at a WSLC function other than a meeting.

Visitors are welcome at all General Meetings. Members of the WSLC are expected to serve on various committee’s and

Membership in the WSLC is $17 per year, per household/family. Student memberships are available for $10. Stu-dents are identified as 22 years of age and younger and currently enrolled in an accredited school and have a valid school I.D. Dues are payable by Jan-uary 31st for that calen-dar year regardless of the date you joined. Please submit a completed ap-plication for Board Ap-proval to the WSLC

volunteer their time where needed. Applica-tions may be found on the WSLC website (see pg 2)

Members of the WSLC receive in district rates with the Elmhurst Park District for classes taken at the Lapidary School, regardless of their resi-dence. Contact infor-mation for all Board Members are located on page 2 of The Opal

West Suburban Lapidary Club Membership Info

Next Board Meeting

March 2 2012

Meeting starts at 7:00 pm

Wagner Center

615 Northwest Ave

Elmhurst, IL 60126

Next Club Meeting

Friday, Feb 24, 2012

8 pm, doors open at 7:00

The Abbey

407 W. St Charles Rd

Elmhurst, IL 60126

FEBRUARY 2012 page 1 THE OPAL

Established in

1959

in our 53rd year and

still rockin’!

Official publication of the West Suburban

Lapidary Club

First Class Dated Material

The Opal is published January thru May; September thru November

Volume LI, Number 2

Meetings are usually held the 4th Friday of the month, January thru May, Sept thru November. Please check The Opal for changes.

page 2 THE OPAL

WEST SUBURBAN LAPIDARY CLUB

A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION INCORPORATED IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS

Mission Statement:

To foster the development of the lapidary arts and the jewelry craftsman's and to increase public interest in

handcrafted gems, jewelry, and their materials

Regular meetings of the West Suburban Lapidary Club are held on the fourth Friday of the month at 8 p.m. with the ex-

ception of June, July, August & December at The Abbey, 407 W. St. Charles Road, Elmhurst, Illinois. Parking in the

East and West parking lots. Visitors are welcome. Board meetings are held as announced in The OPAL. Annual mem-

bership dues are $17 per household/family. Dues are due January 1, delinquent January 31.

President Ed Gallagher

Vice- President Vikki Peterson

Treasurer Karen Dave’

Secretary Ellen Clough

OPAL Editor Pat Koko

MWF Liaison Lee Herrera

Board Member (3rd of 3 year term) Rich Dillon

Board Member (2nd of 3 year term) Jose Ponce’

Board Member (1st of 3 year term) Dawn Johnson

Past President Open

CGMA Delegate: Rich Dillon

CGMA Alternate: Mark Gordon & Debbie Ballot

Kitchen Supplies: Ed Gallagher

Gem of the Month: Sakina Bharani

Historian: Joanne Samuel

Publicity:

Webmaster:

Don Shore

Hospitality: Ed Gallagher

The OPAL: Pat Koko

Librarian: Gwyn Roland

Activities Coordinator: Karen Dave’

MWF Liaison: Lee Herrera

Lizzadro Museum Liaison: Jack Maher

Silent Auction/Club Show: to be announced

Field Trip: position open

Lapidary School: Karen Dave’

Instructors:

Joanne Samuel

Mary Prosek Jose Ponce

Don Shore

Committee Chairpersons

The OPAL is the official publication of the West Suburban Lapidary Club and is issued September through

May with the exception of December. It is mailed, one copy per household, without further charge to members

of the WSLC who do not have e-mail. Otherwise the newsletter is sent as a pdf by e-mail. Articles may be cop-

ied provided full credit is given to the author and this bulletin. The deadline for material to be published is the

fourth Friday of the month prior. Visit the WSLC website at: www.westsuburbanlapidaryclub.com

FEBRUARY 2012

THE OPAL page 3 JANUARY 2012

Larimar

also called "Stefilia's Stone", is a rare blue variety of pectolite found only in the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean. Its coloration

varies from white, light-blue, green-blue to deep blue.

The Dominican Republic's Ministry of Mining records that on 23 November 1916 Father Miguel Domingo Fuertes Loren of the

Barahona Parish requested permission to explore and exploit the mine of a certain blue rock he had discovered. Pectolites were not

yet known in the Dominican Republic and the request was rejected.

In 1974, at the foot of the Bahoruco Range, the coastal province of Barahona, Miguel Méndez and Peace Corps volunteer Norman

Rilling rediscover Larimar on a beach. Natives, who believed the stone came from the sea, called the gem Blue Stone. Miguel took

his young daughter's name Larissa and the Spanish word for sea (mar) and formed Larimar, by the colors of the water of the Carib-

bean Sea, where it was found. The few stones they found were alluvial sediment, washed into the sea by the Bahoruco River. An

upstream search revealed the in situ outcrops in the range and soon the Los Chupaderos mine was formed.

Los Chupaderos

The most important outcrop of blue pectolite is located at Los Chupaderos, in the section of Los Checheses, about 10 kilometers

southwest of the city of Barahona, in the south-western region of the Dominican Republic. It is a single mountainside now perforated

with approximately 2,000 vertical shafts, surrounded by rainforest vegetation and deposits of blue-colored mine tailings.

Geology Larimar is a variety of pectolite, or a rock composed largely of pectolite, an acid silicate hydrate of calcium and sodium. Although

pectolite is found in many locations, none have the unique volcanic blue coloration of larimar. This blue

color, distinct from that of other pectolites, is the result of copper substitution for calcium.

Miocene volcanic rocks, andesites and basalts, erupted within the limestones of the south coast of the

island. These rocks contained cavities or vugs which were later filled with a variety of minerals including

the blue pectolite. These pectolite cavity fillings are a secondary occurrence within the volcanic flows,

dikes and plugs. When these rocks erode the pectolite fillings are carried downslope to end up in the allu-

vium and the beach gravels. The Bahoruco River carried the pectolite bearing sediments to the sea.[1] The

tumbling action along the streambed provided the natural polishing to the blue larimar which makes them stand out in contrast to the

dark gravels of the streambed.

Jewelry Larimar jewelry is offered to the public in the Dominican Republic, and elsewhere in the Caribbean as a local speciality. Most jewel-

ry produced is set in silver, but sometimes high-grade larimar is also set in gold. It also has become available elsewhere. (to P. 6)

Established in 1959

Rockin’ into our 53rd year

February program

GEM OF THE MONTH

Don Cronauer will present a program on the techniques of

LOST WAX CASTING...

page 4 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

Minutes of the General Meeting, Jan 27, 2012—by Joanne Samuel

Karen Davé called the meeting to order at 8:05 pm.

Minutes: December general meeting minutes were con-

sidered. It was moved that all minutes be approved by

Joanne Samuel. The motion was seconded by Lee Herre-

ra. Motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report: No report was available due to

computer still being updated. There were about 26

members and four guest; Jerry, Meredith, and two others

were present.

Library Report: Free metalsmith magazine were availa-

ble for attendees.

Gem of the month: AMMOLITE

School status: Winter session will start week of Feb 13th.

Currently cutting is full with a waitlist. Silver has 6 stu-

dents and wire 2. All classes are 5 week session.

MWF Report: Story on Dino (prato) feather in Amber.

There is a picture in the report in the December issue.

Also in the December issue editors contest has been an-

nounced. Contest going on Adventures in Rock tumbling.

Get a bucket of rock and send back for judging. Nice

article on Tech changes in geology. The junior activity

was workshop safety and maintenance. January issue

addressed creating club year books and why. There was a

large article on the Baldwin Boulder. A detailed article

on Crocoite was also available. Lee would also still like

to receive your cancelled stamps. Upcoming events in

Roseville, Mn Feb 25-26, Livonia , MI Mar 3-4, and

Skokiem IL Mar 10th.

CGMA Update: May the club will be looking for volun-

teers to help with the show. Contact Rich Dillon if you

have any questions.

Opal Editor Report: If you have not paid you will not

receive an Opal in February

ANNOUNCEMENT ---The club will participate in

two events this summer. Grau Mill (can sell items to

benefit the club) which will be late summer, and Art

in the Park (volunteers will be needed) date May 5th

and 6th. More details to come.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:00.

Minutes of the Board Meeting, Jan 6, 2012—by Ellen Clough

West Suburban Lapidary Club Board Meeting Minutes

January 6, 2012

The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm. Board mem-

bers present were: Ellen Clough, Karen Davé, Rich Dillon, Ed Gal-

lagher, Lee Herrera, Pat Koko, Jose Poncé, Vikki Peterson, and

Don Shore

1. The prior minutes, as published in the Opal, were approved

2. There was no Treasurer’s Report. QuickBooks is being in-

stalled on the computer and historical data is being entered. The

new computer should be up and running soon.

3. The Midwest Federation Report was presented, including infor-

mation on the upcoming show in July, 2012 in Minnetonka, MN.

4. The Opal Editor’s report was presented. A listing of the ―Stone

of the Month‖ is needed for the rest of 2012. Larimar is the Stone

of the Month for the February meeting.

5. The Webmaster will make changes to the contact information

on the website. Ways to effectively use Facebook will be the topic

of future conversations.

6. Previous Business — 1) The Holiday party got very good re-

views despite the fact that there was no bartender on the second

floor! Two Elmhurst Park District Board members attended the

event. A decision was made to invite Board members to the 2012

Holiday party.

2) Audit and budget planning have been postponed until the Treas-

urer’s computer is up and running.

3) A revision of the Club Constitution will be completed this year.

A second goal is to have the manuals outlining the Board positions

and responsibilities completed by fall, 2012.

4) Next general meeting: To be held on January 27, 2012.

5) L. Herrera will talk with Gwen Kaitis and have her contact E.

Gallagher concerning the presenting to the Club.

New Business: — Upcoming events -

▪ K. Davé will look into the possibility of the Club having a

presence at Art in the Park.

▪ Grau Mill is interested in having a demo and sale program with

the Club. A date has not been set

▪ K. Davé and P. Koko will look into the availability of space at

Concord Place for the fall equipment sale, formerly held at the Ab-

bey. Cont’d on Page 5…

MID WEST FEDERATION REPORT — Lee Herrera

Page 5 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

▪ (Cont’d from Page 4) CGMA – according to an agree-

ment with the WSLC, CGMA should pay the club each time

their flyer is published in the Opal. R. Dillon will talk with

Betty Novak at CGMA concerning payment.

SCHOOL STATUS —

Classes for the new session start February 13. Registra-

tion closes one week before the first day of classes.

NEW IDEAS —

Several Board Members remarked how nice it was to

have WSLC name badges when they go to shows. J. Poncé

will get information on our current badge template, and pro-

duction costs. R. Dillon has the names of other providers who

may be less expensive.

The meeting was adjourned at 9pm.

NEWS FROM THE 2012 ―A CELEBRATION

OF AGATES‖ by Sandy Fuller

An early registration discount is available for a limited time for

the day of seminars at ―A Celebration of Agates‖. The keynote

speaker will be Dr. Jens Gotze, professor of mineralogy at the

Technical University Bergakademie in Freiberg, Saxony and

world renown expert on the current state of research on agate

genesis and formation. His work is highlighted in the recently

released Agates III by Johann Zenz.

A partial list of presenters include Tarun Adlakha from India,

Robert Barron, Karen Brzys, Roger Clark, Brad Cross, John

Hobart, Thom Lane, John Marshall, Dietrich Mager, Doug

Moore, John Stockwell and Wayne Sukow.

Registration forms, exhibitor applications, housing options and

additional information are now posted on the ―2012 show‖

page at www.minnesotamineralclub.org.

Make plans now to attend

A Celebration of Agates

Lindbergh Center at Hopkins High School Minnetonka, Minne-

sota. Featuring Internationally Recognized Agate Experts and

Enthusiasts Thursday, July 26 – Agate Seminars Friday, July 27

thru 29 – Show with Dealers, Exhibits & Speakers.

AFMS and MWF Annual Meetings plus Awards Banquet on

Saturday night See above for information on attending

EXPLORING WHITE SANDS

Excerpts from geology field notes at http://www.nature.nps.gov/

geology/parks/whsa/index.cfm

Article suggested by Kitty Starbuck

At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain-

ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this

basin is one of the world’s great natural wonders—the glistening

white sands of New Mexico. Here, great wave-like dunes of

gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have

created the world’s largest gypsum dune field.

The brilliant white dunes are ever changing: growing, cresting,

then slumping, but always advancing. Slowly but relentlessly

the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in

its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune

field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions strug-

gle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough

to survive burial by moving dunes, but several types of small

animals have evolved a white coloration that camouflages them

in the gypsum sand. White Sands National Monument preserves

a major portion of this gypsum dune field along with the plants

and animals that have successfully adapted to this constantly

changing environment.

A Rare Form of Sand

The common mineral gypsum, a hydrous form of calcium sul-

fate (CaS04. 2H20) is rarely found in the form of sand because it

is soluble in water. Rain and snow that fall in the surrounding

mountains dissolve gypsum from the rocks and carry it into the

Tularosa Basin. Normally, dissolved gypsum would be carried

by rivers to the sea. But no river drains the Tularosa Basin. The

water, along with the gypsum and other sediments it contains, is

trapped within the basin.

Crystal beds

In wet periods, water evaporating slowly on the (Cont’d Page 6)

NEW PROGRAMS FOR THE MWF LIBRARY

by Marge Collins and Pat Powers

RED-GOLD AND POLISHED AGATES: UPPER MICHIGAN’S HIDDEN TREASURES By Wayne W. Sukow (Northern Virginia Mineral Club, EFLMS, and St. Croix, Rockhounds, MWF)-DVD: 32 minutes

RAINBOW OF STONE—By Terra Productions—-DVD: 40 minutes

YELLOWSTONE: IMPRINTS OF GEOLOGIC TIME—-By Terra Productions DVD: 40 minutes

HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE – Season One — by A&E – History Channel —4 Disc Set, 13 segments - each 48 minutes

page 6 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

MWF (cont’d from Page 5)

playa floor causes gypsum to be deposited in a crystalline

form called selenite. Along Lake Lucero’s shore and in the

Alkali Flat, beds of selenite crystals—some three feet long—

cover the ground. The forces of nature— freezing and thaw-

ing, wetting and drying—eventually break down the crystals

into sand-size particles light enough to be moved by the

wind.

Gypsum sand formation continues today. At the same time,

however, sand is being broken down into silt size particles

that are blown out of the Tularosa Basin. Whether or not the

net size of the dune field is growing or shrinking remains to

be seen, however the dune field leading edge is advancing to

the northeast.

SILENT AUCTION REPORT OF THE

2011 MWF CONVENTION AT THE

TOLEDO GEM SHOW

by Bob Powers

The Toledo Gem and Rockhound Club hosted the Midwest

Federation Convention at the Stranahan Theater Complex

from September 9th through the 11th. My wife, Pat, & I

spent Friday morning driving to Toledo. We were greeted by

Jerri Heer, the Toledo Club President, who welcomed us and

showed us to the Silent Auction tables. Every provision was

readied by the Toledo Club for the Silent Auction tables. The

Toledo Club’s show was very well organized, with members

occupied at assigned tasks. The Stranahan Complex itself

was clean, spacious and well-lighted. Over 25 dealers, many

of them familiar ones, were present. The Toledo Club had

several tables of sales items, and a number of display cases

were attractively set up near the entrance.

We began setting up the Silent Auction and cataloged new

donations. The doors opened and visitors began to stream in.

We spent the next several hours running Silent Auctions,

collecting winning bids and refreshing the material offered at

the Silent Auction tables. By the end of the first day, over $

300 in material had been auctioned off. The second day fared

even better. Some intense bidding took place for a large and

impressive geode. Bidding started slowly, but intensified as

the final minutes approached. In the last few minutes, the bid

was raised several times by $ 10.00 or more, and the final

winning bid was $ 100.00.

By the end of the day Saturday, the Silent Auction had ex-

ceeded what was brought in for the two previous MWF

shows. Early Sunday continued the pace of sales, but as the

day progressed the crowds thinned. A total of over $ 1,000

was brought in over the three day Auction. We packed up the

unsold material and were able to hand it off to MWF First

Vice President Dennis Westman, who lives much closer to

the next show site – Minneapolis, Minnesota. So ended our

third year with the MWF Silent Auction.

Gem of the Month (cont’d from Page 3)

Some Far-East manufacturer have started to use it

in their production and buy

large quantities of raw stones

as long as this is still permitted.

Quality grading is according to coloration

and the typical mineral crystal configuration

in the stone. Larimar also comes in

green and even with red spots, brown strikes

etc. due to other matters and / or oxidation.

But the more intense the blue, and the con-

trasts in the stone, the higher and rarer is the

quality. The blue color is photosensitive and fades with time if

exposed to too much light and heat.

This article is from Wikipedia — edited by Pat Koko

From the Internet site “Bernardine Fine Art Jewelry

Larimar (Pectolite) Facts, Information and Description

Larimar is a rare form of pectolite, which was discovered in the

1970's and is only found in the Dominican Republic. It has an

extraordinary blue appearance similar to the color of the ocean

in tropical areas. Hardness varies between 5-7 on the Mohs

scale with the darker blue stones ranging closer to 7.

The name "Larimar" comes from a combination of Larissa and

Mar and was given to the stone by a Dominican who named the

stone after his daughter Larissa and Mar,

the Spanish word for sea.

This unique Caribbean gemstone some-

times may be mistaken for turquoise.

Luster: Vitreous to silky

Transparency: Transparent to translucent

Crystal System: Triclinic

Fracture: Splintery due to the cleavage

Streak: White.

Folklore, Legend, and Healing Properties:

Its powers are believed to helps us view events from different

perspectives, to soften and enlighten, to heal the emotional,

physical, mental and spiritual body.

Larimar stimulates the heart, throat, third eye and crown chak-

ras promoting inner wisdom. It repre-

sents peace and clarity, healing and

love. Larimar is reputed to be helpful

for those experiencing stress and anxi-

ety.

Topstones.co.za

Finearfamerica.com

page 7 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

WEST SUBURBAN LAPIDARY CLUB

TEAM LIST - 2012

Team Duties: Our programs are a team effort. We depend on and need each other’s help to make them work. Each month’s team, as listed below, is responsible for the meeting set-up, program, refreshments, and take-down. Out-of-state and honorary members are requested to contribute to any team.

Meeting Set-Up/Take-Down: The team members should arrive early on their program day to help set-up the chairs and tables. They also need to remain after the meeting to clean up and put everything away.

Program: Each team should meet during the two club meetings prior to their program date and plan a pro-gram. A team leader will be elected to chair the team meetings during which everyone on the team will con-tribute ideas for a program. The team leader is not expected to do the program; only coordinate it. The Vice-President will meet each team to confirm and approve the program. If the team is unable to formulate a pro-gram, the Vice-President should be consulted as soon as possible. A member from each team is asked to as-sist Past President, TBD, our Hospitality chair, at the entrance to greet members & guests.

Refreshments: The refreshments will be discussed at the team meeting and each team member will contrib-ute an item. Any team member who cannot attend the team’s program should arrange to send a refreshment or donation of money (that will be used to purchase an item). All team members should lend a hand in the kitchen. Serving dishes and utensils will be provided by the team members.

JANUARY -- FEBRUARY -- MARCH--Aquamarine

Abrell, Lorel & Gary Bryant, Fred Blake, Jim & Jimmie

Herrera, Lee & Jeanette Devane Cronauer, Donald Howerton, Julie

Houseman, Carl& Gloria Dalesandro, Jim Koko, Patricia

Kaplan, James Fishman, Constance Peterson, Vikki

Spande, Erik Ponce, Jose’ & Lydia Samuel, Joanne

Shore, Don Wojtowicz, Peggy

APRIL – Flint (Ohio) MAY – Sunstone (Oregon) SEPTEMBER

Backus, Lucy & Lyle Blaha, Arlene Board responsibility

Bharani, Sakina Davé, Karen

Droszes, Jerry Dillon, Rich & Linda

Horn, Meredith Freeman, Barbara

Johnson, Scott Maher, Jack & Lorraine

O’Connell, Charles & Marlene Peterson, Judee

Montenegro, Patricia

Vanderbark, DeeDee

Wohlfart, Melanie

OCTOBER -- Thunderegg NOVEMBER – Bertrandite DECEMBER

(also called-by some-Tiffany stone) Annual Meeting

Ballot, Debby & Gordon, Mark Bultman, Randy & Kaitis, Gwen Board responsibility

Gallagher, Ed Clough, Ellen

Gass, Tony Johnson, Dawn

Gooch, Eugenia Petry, Barb & Le Roy

Licko, Terry & Erv Prosek, Mary

Schultz, Max & Alberta Quail, Mary

Sisinni, Linda

Board and Club dates for 2012 ——

BOARD MEETS: CLUB MEETS:

February 3rd February 24th

March 9th March 23rd

April 13th April 27th

May 4th May 18th (3rd Fri)

SUMMER RECESS

September 7th September 28th

October 5th October 26th

November 2nd November 30th (5th)

HOLIDAY PARTY—DEC 9TH

RIP BERNIE SOBCAZAK

Bernie Sobczak passed away

November 6, 2011. He has been a

member of the club since 1974 (that’s

37 years) and has demonstrated and

participated in shows given by West

Suburban, Chicago Gem & Minerals

and the Des Plaines Club.

His jewelry designs were origi-

nal and beautiful. He was an expert

silversmith, an impeccable craftsman

and an inspiration to us all.

(Obituary courtesy of Terry Licko)

page 8 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

―For sale‖ advertisements are offered at no charge to WSLC members (a policy for the frequency

and size of ads will be decided by the Board soon), space permitting. The Opal will not knowingly print or

accept ―For Sale‖ ads from dealers or business owners. The WSLC cannot confirm the condition or price of

any merchandise offered. All transactions must be handled directly between the seller and buyer

Member, Terry Licko has the following item

for sale:

Wooden hand built display case with lights.

It is fully Lined. Dimensions are: 32‖ x 21‖ x

26‖

Contact Terry

Program Review—Joanne Samuel & Pat Koko

page 9 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

BENCH TIPS by Brad Smith

Please know if you want to learn more ….this is his contact information:

Yhoogroups.com/group/BenchTips/ or Facebook.com/BenchTips/

IDENTIFYING UNMARKED SOLDERS

There's plenty of ways to mark your sheet or wire solders, but suppose you forgot to mark them and have a couple that you

can't identify. The answer is to compare the melting temperature of the unknowns with that of a known solder. What I do is

take a thick scrap of copper or nickel and arrange several solders on it. Ideally, I would have a sample of easy, medium and

hard known solders surrounding the unknown solder. Then I heat the plate from the bottom and watch the order in which the

solders melt.?

INEXPENSIVE ELECTRIC WAX PEN

You can make your own wax pen from a small soldering iron plugged into a light dimmer switch for heat control. Both compo-

nents are easily found at Radio Shack, a big hardware store or at Harbor Freight. Set the dimmer control just hot enough to

melt the wax without producing any smoke. Look for a soldering iron of around 25-30 watts. File the tip to the shape you pre-

fer or even better get a soldering iron with replaceable tips. Then you can make several tip shapes for different tasks.

Gwen Kaitis (note this is her correct name from now on) brought a series of slides from her personal par-

ticipation in the SOFA show at Navy Pier. Gwen was there from the time exhibitors were there to set up their dis-

plays. Her slides depicted the organized chaos of the pre-show time. Gwen was participating with the Corning

Hot Glass Road Show and the Chicago Mosaic school. 80 different galleries were present. Displays ranged from

jewelry to sculpture. Some of the displays were massive. Gwen also was able to take pictures of the various jew-

elry pieces to be displayed during the show. Some were also massive an others were very intricate. Not all were

to everyone’s taste, but it as fun to see the various pieces.

Gwen also shared her travel experience to Australia. . Gwen showed some great photos from her trip to

Australia. They travelled from Darwin to Adelaide and Melbourne via the Stewart Highway going through Coper

pedy.

There was a ―Split the Pot‖ and a great and exciting silent auction.

SCHOOL !!

ELMHURST PARK DISTRICT IN CONJUNCTION WITH

WEST SUBURBAN LAPIDARY CLUB

HAS COMMENCED FOR THE 5-WEEK COURSE

The next classes will commence soon for 10-week courses

*All members of West Suburban Lapidary Club are eligible for ―in-district‖ tuition. Please

see the Elmhurst Park District website for full details. You do need a membership card available

from the treasurer at any meeting. EPD- https://secure.epd.org/registration/brochidxregfs.asp

page 10 THE OPAL FEBRUARY 2012

Members of: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies,

Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies, Chicagoland Gem and Mineral Association,

and Scribe

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MARCH:

2-4 — RICHMOND, IN. Eastern Indi-

ana Gem & Geological Society 39th Annual

Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Show. Wayne Co. Fair-

grounds, 861 N. Salisbury Rd., Richmond, IN. Fr

and Sat 10 to 6 and Sun 11 to 4 — @ $5 for adults

Contact: John LaMont (765)647-4503.

****************************************

10th — SKOKIE, IL. Chicago Rocks &

Minerals Society—Annual Silent Auction! .……

6 to 9 PM. First Table closes at 6:30. Free admis-

sion and parking. Rocks, minerals, crystals, fos-

sils, geodes, handmade jewelry, books, magazines,

and lapidary treasures! St. Peter’s United Church

of Christ, 8013 Laramie Ave., Skokie, IL across

from the public library.

****************************************

10-11: Macomb, IL. Geodeland Earth

Science Clubs’ 32nd Annual Show: Student Un-

ion Ballroom, Western Illinois University, 1483 E.

Wood St., Decatur, IL cigmc@comcast.net

OUR OWN RICH DILLON WILL BE THERE

****************************************

E.S.C.O.N.I.

Annual Show at COLLEGE OF DuPAGE

Saturday March 17, 2012 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.

Sunday March 18, 2012 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.

FREE ADMISSION & PARKING—Dealers, Displays, and

much more. Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois

www.esconi.org

**************************************************************

C G M A

Saturday, May 26, 2012 10 A.M. to 6 P.M.

Sunday, May 27th 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.

LIZZADRO MUSEUM

OF LAPIDARY ART

220 Cottage Hill Ave. Elmhurst, IL 60126

www.lizzadromuseum.org// 630/833-1616

MARCH 3 — ―Dinosaur Discoveries‖

Children become dinosaur detectives with

―Paleontologist Illinois Bones‖ to learn about

the world of dinosaurs. Fossils and props are

used to create and awareness of dinosaur

characteristics. Live animals show how dino-

saurs are related to animals living today.

Interactive Lecture, Ages 4 yrs to Adult for

50 minutes at 2 PM. $4 per person (Museum

members @ $2) Reservations required.

THE NEW ROCK AND MINERAL

EXPERIENCE — The Lower level dis-

play area of the Museum unveiled its new

permanent exhibit hall offers exhibits, lec-

ture hall and classroom area with 26 new

exhibits ——OUR VERY OWN MEM-

BER KAREN DAVÉ — is included in the

video explaining how to do cutting and

polishing. Be sure to stop by.

DuPage County Fairgrounds, 2015 W. Manchester Rd.,

Wheaton, IL—Admission $5.00 (seniors/students $3)

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M.W.F & AFMS ANNUAL MEETINGS and more

A CELEBRATION OF AGATES featuring internation-

ally recognized Agate experts and enthusiasts.

Thursday, July 26 — Agate Seminars

Friday, July 27 thru Sun. July 29 — Show with dealers,

exhibits and speakers

www.minnesotamineralclub.org