Innehållsförteckning för May 2025 från Rock and Gem

Scientists held their breath in 2023 as a capsule from NASA’s OSIRIS-REx 7-year mission parachuted to the Utah desert bearing samples scooped from asteroid Bennu, samples that were sealed and protected in lab spaces containing inert gases. Ever since, researchers around the world have been busy analyzing those pristine samples, and they are announcing amazing findings. In the journal Nature, a team led by Tim McCoy (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History) notes they’ve isolated what appears to have been salty brine likely contained in the subsurface of Bennu. The brine includes phosphates and carbonates rich in sodium, along with sulfates, chlorides and fluorides. It’s believed they would have provided just the right sort of environment for complex pre-biotic molecules to form. Meanwhile, per an article by Daniel Glavin (NASA…

No matter your experience level, the opportunity to pick up new tools and techniques and take a private stone carving workshop with a master carver helps lapidaries to become better carvers and learn a bit, too. Darryl Alexander, an award-winning gem carver who has won the prestigious AGTA Spectrum Awards multiple times recently offered a private workshop for Rock & Gem readers. CLASS SET UP & MATERIALS Darryl and his son Nick are the suppliers of the Mountain Mist diamond carving paste compounds, a favorite for many. This class was put together by Doug Malby and took place at Doug’s summer home in Chester, California. Doug facilitates communications among carvers and faceters and is involved with the University of Arizona’s Alfie Norville Gem and Mineral Museum. “When mining at the…

Fine minerals are specimens of naturally crystallized beauty that mesmerize those of us who collect them. They are regarded for every reason that a fine Rodin sculpture might be: provenance, condition, context and rarity. These are beyond mere ‘scientific objects’ to be put on a shelf and they are millions of years old. TRACING THE HISTORY OF MINERAL VALUE The shocking reality is that they exist at all to enjoy given the rigors of survival. In the days of the European Royalty’s ‘Grand Tours’ around the Continent, fine mineral specimens were gifted as a matter of course, between educated members of the royal class. Cabinets of ‘natural curiosities’ were in many palaces of the times, and some even survive to the present. The Archduke Stephan von Habsburg-Lothringen (1817-1867) was one…

Meteorites pelt Earth all the time. But most meteorites are small and fall unseen. Such was the case in Canada. That is, it may have been the case were it not for a home security camera. Per The Canadian Press news agency and New York Times reporter Amanda Holpuch, Joe Velaidum and Laura Kelly were walking their dogs. Returning to their home in Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, Canada, they found a mess on their patio walkway. Turning to their security camera recording, they heard a strange crackling sound as a rock rained from the sky and self-destructed on their property. By happy coincidence, Dr. Chris Herd—curator of the University of Alberta meteorite collection—arrived on Prince Edward Island just ten days later on a family vacation and was able to…

Beneath our feet, down deep, Earth seems to be changing shape! Once believed to be a solid ball of iron and nickel surrounded by a super-hot liquid outer core, that inner core is proving more malleable than thought. So says John Vidale (University of Southern California) and colleagues, writing in the journal Nature Geoscience. To get a picture of our Earth’s interior, earth scientists depend on data gleaned from earthquakes that send seismic waves completely through the planet. Such waves hint at the thickness, shape and composition (solid, liquid, or squishy) of our crust, mantle, outer core and inner core. In examining waveforms over time from 1991 to 2023, Vidale’s team noticed some stark changes between 2004 and 2008, changes that seem to show bulging in some areas of what…

“Accounting for sampling heterogeneity suggests a low paleolatitude origin for dinosaurs.” That’s the techno-speak title of a recent article in the journal Current Biology by Joel Heath (University College London) and colleagues. In plain English? They’ve discovered the birthplace of dinos. When it comes to looking into the deep mists of time to tease out patterns, a big issue these researchers encountered is “sampling biases.” That is, for one reason or another certain parts of the world just haven’t been explored as thoroughly as other parts by folks in search of dinosaurs, and those parts may not have been conducive to fossilization. To account for such biases, Heath and his team used computer modeling that factored in the gaps. So where did dinosaurs get their start? Heath’s modeling suggests near…

Jeff Rhonemus learned faceting in a 6-week course taught by the late Jerry Call in 2007. As he progressed, he wanted to make his own designs or simplify existing ones. In his words, “More facets doesn’t mean more sparkle or interest.” The simple, but impactful, original Spellbound was born in 2019 out of an Oregon Sunstone cutting job. Its versatility allows it to translate to other shapes including squares and trillions. It is a pattern that is easy and fun to cut, adds intrigue to otherwise pale or less saturated rough and enchants faceters and non-faceters alike. BECOMING SPELLBOUND WITH FROSTING The magic in the design lies in the alternating polished or unpolished facets and frosted facets on the pavilion. Frosting is a design element used in modern faceting and…

The jewelry-making tool bench is an often overlooked but essential tool. It’s the sturdy, reliable foundation of your shop, offering stability and storage while supporting your work. Creating the perfect jewelry bench setup is as unique as the work produced there. It’s not about having every tool or an expensive setup; it’s about building a comfortable, organized space where everything is within reach, allowing you to work uninterrupted for hours. EVOLVING TO SUIT CHANGING NEEDS Your jewelry bench should evolve with you as an artist. As your career progresses, your needs change and your bench setup should adapt accordingly. Depending on the jeweler, benches can range from a small, simple space to a fully equipped workstation. On a personal note, when my wife and I started Buffalo Craft in 2010,…

Gem-marketing strategies focus heavily on personal dates and events in the lives of potential buyers—weddings, engagements, anniversaries, graduations and birthdays. Regarding the latter, birthstones—gemstones symbolically related to one’s birth month—are a major marketing tool. The appeal of birthstones is largely vested in the beauty of the stones themselves. But also important are the stones’ rich history, ancient traditions, and unique personal connection. Although the word “birthstone” dates only to the early 20th century, the origin of the concept of birthstone is rooted in antiquity. THE BIBLICAL BREASTPLATE Most historians agree that the practice of relating gemstones to specific events and beliefs originated in the 15th century B.C. when stones were thought to possess mystical powers of protection and power. These assumptions were embodied in the biblical breastplate of Aaron, the…

It’s believed simple single-celled life began on Earth as far back as 3.7 billion years ago, and scientists have long thought it didn’t progress to complex multicellular creatures until the Ediacaran Period a “mere” 635 million years ago. But did it really take over three billion years to get there? Maybe not! That’s the assessment of a team of researchers led by Ernest Chi Fru (Cardiff University, UK). As they explain in the journal Precambrian Research, they’ve found evidence of complex life forms at the ripe old age of 2.1 billion years! The Franceville Basin of the African nation of Gabon seems to hold fossils of relatively large 6-inch jellyfish-like creatures whose sudden appearance may have been fueled by what Fru’s team has identified as a surge in phosphorus levels.…

Per an essay in the journal Nature, Dean Falks (Florida State University) reminds us that a physician named Raymond Dart came upon a stunning fossil skull and brain cast which he proposed as a potential human ancestor. But everyone scoffed. After all, the skull hailed from Africa and thus couldn’t possibly be the ancestor of us all, per not-so-subtle racist attitudes of the time. But a human ancestor she/he/it was, and, per Falks, this year marks 100 years since Dart introduced the world to Taung Child—AKA, Australopithecus africanus. Dart got it right that Taung Child was on our evolutionary tree. But other assertions and deductions he made have since been reexamined. For instance, per dating techniques of the day, Dart believed Taung to be 1 million years old. Today that…

The best part of carving cabochons is finding the perfect part of the stone slab to use for your cabochon. There are two ways to approach your slab. 1. See how many cabs the slab will produce. 2. Pick the most stunning and artistic part of the slab and use that part first and then repeat the process. The second option will produce fewer cabochons, however, utilizing the best part of the slab from a compositional point of view will create the most stunning and valuable cabochons from the slab. This is my preferred option to create high-end cabochons. COMMON TERMS The term cabochon comes from the Middle French word “caboche,” which means head or noggin. A cabochon gemstone has a convex (domed) top and a flat bottom and is…

Forty-five years ago this month, the deadliest and most destructive volcanic event in America’s history took place in the state of Washington. On May 18, 1980, the cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens literally removed the entire top of the mountain. It also killed 57 people, devastated forests and wildlife, and destroyed homes and highways. Today, Mount St. Helens is known as “America’s volcano” and is the namesake attraction at Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. Although the volcano is now quiet, geologists warn that future eruptions are likely. GEOLOGY Located 100 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles north of Portland, Oregon, Mount St. Helens is part of the Cascades Volcanic Province, a volcanic arc extending from southwestern British Columbia to northern California. Within this geological province are 20…

Sapphire is a variety of the mineral corundum, composed of aluminum oxide (Al2O3). With a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale, it ranks among the hardest natural gemstones. While sapphires are most famously known for their striking blue hues, they also come in a wide spectrum of colors, including pink, yellow, green, purple and even colorless. The presence of trace elements such as iron, titanium or chromium gives each sapphire its unique color. How It Is Formed Sapphires primarily form in metamorphic rocks, where high pressure and high temperatures create the perfect conditions, such as during regional metamorphism. They can also form in certain igneous rocks like basalt. Most sapphires are found in alluvial deposits, where they have been eroded from their original locations, or in basaltic volcanic rocks…

All of us love to collect rocks, gems and minerals. We make purchases and travel to see and collect. Is this money well spent? Here are business guidelines and strategies to capitalize on your hobby and investment. UPCYCLE YOUR COLLECTION Chances are good that the rocks, gems and minerals you bought in previous years are now worth more than you originally paid for them. This is primarily due to inflation, demand and increased scarcity. As a collector, you probably do not want to part with your beloved pieces, but at the same time, you may want to add to your collection and have limited funds. This is a good opportunity to look for redundancy in your collection and sell off pieces that are duplicates or even triplicates. You also may…