Canadian Rockhound - Winter/Spring 1999

In this Issue:

Canadian
Gemstones and
Jewellery

Rockhounding
Canada

Mineral Collecting

Further Reading

Editor
Dirk Schmid

Banner Photos:

Top left
Peridot gemstones. Photo by Brad Wilson

Top right
Outlet glaciers from plateau ice cap, Royal Society Fiord, Baffin Island. Courtesy of Geological Survey of Canada

Winter / Spring 1999
Volume 3, Number 1

Tourmaline, O'Grady Lake
Tourmaline, from the Stargazer claims, Northwest Territories, Canada. Photo by Brad Wilson.

Aquamarine from British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Brad Wilson.

Opal
Precious opal from British Columbia. Photo by Bob Yorke-Hardy.

Blue chalcedony. Photo by Greg Fraser.

Jade pendants. Photo by Tom Leedham.

From the Editor
By Dirk Schmid

Canadian Gemstones
& Jewellery

Gemstone Occurrences in
British Columbia
By Bradley S. Wilson

Besides jade and rhodonite, many other gemstones, such as topaz, aquamarine, precious opal, star-sapphire, amethyst, peridot and hessonite have been found recently in British Columbia.

Canadian Tourmaline: A New Discovery
By Bradley S. Wilson

Since the 1994 discovery of gem-quality tourmaline near O'Grady Lake in the Northwest Territories, limited exploration has outlined an area that has significant potential for hosting a large deposit of gem-quality coloured tourmaline.

Precious Opals in Canada
By Bob Yorke-Hardy

Canada's first precious opal discovery in British Columbia is being contemplated for commercial production.

Carving in Blue Chalcedony
By Greg Fraser

Using a piece of cleanly cobbed blue chalcedony, Greg Fraser describes the steps involved in making this exquisite carving.

Working with Jade
By Tom Leedham

Jade varies from piece to piece in characteristics that affect grinding and polishing. Here are some guidelines and precautions when polishing and hand finishing jade.

Producing your own Gemstones
opens up new Possibilities
By Douglas D. Frey

The type of jewellery one produces is a major factor in deciding to cut one's own gems.

Rockhounding Canada

Salmon fossils
Salmon fossil, from near Kamloops Lake, British Columbia. Photo by John Ratcliffe.

Horne Lake Caves - formations
The Horne Lake Caves. Photo by Ron Zeilstra.

Oncorhynchus nerka (Salmon) Fossil Find near Kamloops Lake, British Columbia
By John and Paul Ratcliffe

In 1998 we found several complete salmon fossils. These are among the best found in North America. Here's the story on how we found them.

The Horne Lake Caves
By Ron Zeilstra

Over a thousand caves are known to exist on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Horne Lake Caves at Horne Lake Provincial Park are one example of beautiful, well-preserved caves on the island.

B.C.'s Vanishing Land Access
By Rick Hudson

The B.C. government has recently undertaken a vigorous expansion of its provincial parklands. There is a growing concern that rockhounding sites that have been hunted for over a century are being closed, simply because they now fall within the boundary of a new park. PORA's aim is to protect B.C.'s rockhounding sites.

Mineral Collecting

Cubic garnets. Photo by Jack Nelson.

Cubic Garnets found in Maryland
and Virginia Streams
By Jack Nelson

Orange to red coloured cubic garnets have been found in the heavy mineral concentrates of Rock Run, Montgomery County, Maryland. These interesting specimens make ideal micromounts.

Weird and Wonderful Quartz:
An Explanation for the Formation of
Pseudocubic Quartz
By Dr. Mike Menzies

Since the publication of Weird and Wonderful Quartz from Alberta in the Summer/Fall 1998 issue of the Canadian Rockhound, a follow-up with Ron Mussieux, the Curator of Geology at the Provincial Museum of Alberta, has unearthed an explanation for the formation of pseudocubic quartz.

Saskatchewan's Type Locality
Minerals
By Doug Miller

Saskatchewan has 4 type locality minerals. These minerals are not likely to be found in very many mineral collections due to their rarity and difficulty to acquire.

Cobaltite
By Richard Gunter

Cobaltite is a silvery grey mineral that has been used as an ore of the metal cobalt. This mineral is found in a series of copper/cobalt occurrences in southeast Manitoba and northwest Ontario.

Further Reading

BANCROFT, Peter. (1984). Gem and Crystal Treasures. Western Enterprises / Mineralogical Record, Tucson, Arizona.
BONANO, A.C., MATLINS, A.L. (1993). Jewelry and Gems, the Buying Guide. Gemstone Press.
CIPRIANI, C., BORELLI, A. (1986). Simon & Schuster's Guide to Gems and Precious stones. New York.
GAINES, R.V., H. CATHERINE, W. SKINNER, E.E. FOORD, B. MASON, and A. ROSENZWEIG. (1997). Dana's New Mineralogy. 8th ed. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
HOLDEN, M. (1991). Encyclopedia of Gemstones and Minerals. Michael Friedman Publishing Group, New York.
HUDSON, Rick. (1997). Gold, Gemstone & Mineral Sites of British Columbia, Volume I: Vancouver Island. Orca Book Publishers, Victoria, BC.
POUGH, F.H. (1996). Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals. 5th ed. Houghton Mifflin Co., New York.
SINKANKAS, John. (1997). Gemstones of North America, Vol. 3. Geoscience Press,Tucson, Arizona
SINKANKAS, John. (1998). Field Collecting Gemstones and Minerals. Geoscience Press, Tucson, Arizona.
WYKOFF, Gerry. (1985). The Techniques of Master Faceting. Adamas publishers. Washington.

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