THE PEGMATITE: the official bulletin of the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society
The Pegmatite is the official bulletin of the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society. Ten issues are published annually from September through June. Stay up-to-date on upcoming events and shows, especially in and around Southern California, and keep current on SDMG news, meetings schedule, school news and class schedule. Look for announcement details on upcoming field trips and follow-up reviews. Original articles are featured in every issue on topics that include gems, minerals, lapidary and jewelry art, and also fossils. In addition, meeting agenda and news of the Gemological Society of San Diego is also featured in the bulletin.
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Members have access to a full color print-friendly version of the bulletin (via email), included with their membership, and Members interested in purchasing print versions of the bulletin can look forward to a 17% discount off of the regular newsstand price. Members can email us to receive a guest pass for the discounted rate.
View Details for back issues of The Pegmatite
December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012
The Pegmatite – February 2013
Feature articles include a tribute by Bill Larson to Ed Swoboda, legendary figure in the world of minerals, who passed away on January 7. Their relationship dates to the 1970s. An extraordinary strike of blue cap tourmalines at the Tourmaline Queen, one of three mines they co-owned, brought them and their mine international fame. Swoboda seemed never to have lost his knack for making rare and unusual discoveries. With humor and admiration, Larson recounts the extraordinary life and legacy of "Ed Swoboda – Around the World in 80 Years."
In a thematic follow-up to last month's article on iris agates from the private collection of Oscar U. Zerk, the early 20th century industrialist, Shou-Lin Lee takes readers on her personal journey of learning how to cut this phenomemal gemstone in order to elicit its subtle beauty in "Iris Agate and the Whole Nine Yards of It."
Our very own Jim Mellos, SDMG Field Trip Coordinator, goes on another ill-fated adventure in search of fortune, with fame sure to follow, or so it would seem. Embarking upon an expedition to a super-secret location with his good buddy Dave, they risk life and limb in search of "The Pocket" and a trove of fluorites that are not quite the payday they had anticipated.
The February bulletin includes SDMG field trip details for Chuckwalla Springs (Feb. 23–24) and also the Tri-Colored Marble Family Field Trip (Mar. 9) during the 37th Annual Stoddard Wells Rock Hound Tailgate (Mar. 8–10), Victorville, CA; Tucson Show listings, as well as local show listings; and forthcoming events, including the SDMG Anniversary Banquet (Mar. 9) and the Sinkankas Symposium (Apr. 6).
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The Pegmatite – January 2013
Get it on MagCloud »Feature articles include an interview with master lapidary carver Harold Van Pelt in "A Private Passion Carved in Stone," by Lisbet Thoresen and photographed by Harold and Erica Van Pelt, and "Iris Agates from Oscar U. Zerk's Natural History Museum," written and photographed by Shou-Lin Lee. SDMG field trip details include Chuckwalla Springs (Jan. 12–13) and Q.I.A.'s Pow-Wow (Jan. 23–27); and a review of SDMG's Christmas Potluck.
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The Pegmatite – December 2012
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Feature articles include a profile of gem artist Nicolai Medvedev in "Master of Intarsia," by Lisbet Thoresen and photographed by Harold and Erica Van Pelt, and "A Day in the Life of a Rockhound," by Jim Mellos. SDMG field trip details include Chuckwalla Springs (Jan. 12–13); a review of the SDMG Field Trip to the Pala Chief Mine in November by Jim Mellos; and a review of SDMG's Gem Diego Show by Anne Schafer.
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The Pegmatite – November 2012
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Feature articles include "Gems from The Red Land," by geologist James A. Harrell and "Claudia Florian: Bringing Rough and Cut to Bonhams," by natural history specialist Alex Galesic. SDMG field trip details include Pala Chief Mine (Nov. 11) and Indian Pass (Dec. 2); and also CFMS Thanksgiving weekend Potluck at Wiley Well District (Nov. 22–25).
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The Pegmatite – October 2012
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Feature articles include "Wyoming Jades Revisited," by mineral collector and jade expert Roger Merk, and "Living to Tell the Tale: Water, the Most Important Provision to Bring on a Desert Field Trip," by SDMG Field Trip coordinator Jim Mellos. SDMG field trip details include Searles Lake (Oct. 13–14) and Pala Chief Mine (Nov. 11). A review of the October 5–7 field trip to Jade Cove, Big Sur is re-published courtesy of Robert Sankovich and Jim Brace-Thompson.
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The Pegmatite – September 2012
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Feature articles include "Identifying Inclusions in Gemstones," by analytical microscopist John I. Koivula, and "Digging for Triceratops in the Lance Creek Formation," by natural history specialist Alex Galesic. Garry Cannon reviews the San Diego County Fair and Shirley Leeson and Dee Holland profile Paul Williams' winning ways with his carved spheres at the CFMS show. Field trip details include Jade Cove, Big Sur (Oct. 5–7) and Searles Lake (Oct. 13–14).
At the SDMG General meeting held on November 9 Alex Galesic presented a lecture on his dino digging experience in Wyoming and signed copies of his article on the same topic which appeared in the September issue of The Pegmatite.
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