crystals

Organized, homogeneous minerals. Rock collectors love to find crystals.

Spying on IGAMS

We had loads of fun spying on the IGAMS (Independence Gem And Mineral Society) meeting to see what other rock clubs are up to. After all, there’s no rule against being in more than one club. We enjoyed seeing people’s rocks (Bruce had some nice loot from the Denver gem show), seeing our fellow rockhounds who we usually only see on special occasions, and listening to Mark Sherwood’s presentation on 3D printing. They also had great snacks. Meeting in a library is seriously limiting our snacking potential.

A man giving a presentation while standing next to a projector and a 3D printer.

Photo by Stephanie Reed

Mark Sherwood, the president of IGAMS, gave a presentation on 3D printing. He was printing out crystal models, just like the old wooden crystal models you sometimes see in museums.

About 15 people sitting or standing, looking at rocks and talking to one another.

Photo by Stephanie Reed

Rockhounds looking at each other’s rocks.

Yellow rutile stars in quartz

Clear colorless quartz with yellow rutilations that look like stars

Photo from: http://gem-sphalerite.com/inclusions-in-quartz-all-varieties/117-rutile-stars-inclusions-quartz-6864

This clear colorless quartz with yellow rutilations is too pretty not to share.

The Many Colors of Fluorite

Fluorite comes in just about every color of the rainbow, and is found all over the world in most areas of North America, Europe, and China. These are some of my favorite photos of fluorite.