Gem Capers // 2023
Minerals of India
October 20 – 22 / Palmer Auditorium
The Austin Gem and Mineral Society’s annual gem and mineral show is open to the public and held at the Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas. The 2023 event will host over 30 vendors selling gemstones, jewelry, beads, mineral specimens, fossils, crystals and more!
2023 Dates
Friday, October 20
9am – 6pm
Saturday, October 21
9am – 6pm
Sunday, October 22
10 am – 5 pm
Mesolite, India // Zeolites are a class of minerals found in basalt flows including Mesolite
AGMS 101: Introduction to Cabbing
Prerequisite: AGMS Member in good standing (2023 dues are paid) and 18 years of age or older.
Class Description: Basics for using machines in workshop safely and how to form cabochon stones.
Class Length: Teacher preference. Start and end times listed by event
Class Size: 3 - 6 students, teacher preference
Available Classes
AGMS 102: Introduction to Slab and Trim Using Saws to Cut Stones
Prerequisite: AGMS Member in good standing (2023 dues are paid) and 18 years of age or older.
Class Description: Basics for using slab and trim saws. This is a basic introduction.
Class Length: 2 hours
Class Size: 4 students
Available Classes
AGMS 102: Making Cabochon Doublets
Prerequisite: AGMS 101 Cabbing
Class Description: Making a Doublet Cabochon – process and reasons
Class Length: 6 hours
Class Size: 4 students
Available Classes
AGMS 501: Introduction to Wire Wrapping
Prerequisite: AGMS Member in good standing (2023 dues are paid) and 18 years of age or older.
Class Description: Introduction to making wire-wrapped jewelry.
Class Length: 5 hours
Class Size: 4 students
Available Classes
Introduction to Silver Smithing
Prerequisite: AGMS Member in good standing (2023 dues are paid) and 18 years of age or older.
Class Description: Introduction to making silver rings and earrings
Class Dates: Aug 12 (9am - 3pm) & Aug 13 (12pm - 4pm)
Class Size: 4 students
Available Classes
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Austin Gem and Mineral Society
Meetings are held the 4th Thursday of the month at 6719 Burnet Lane, Austin Texas.@ 7p.m.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend the Austin Gem & Mineral Society's annual show October 20-22 at Palmer Event Center in Austin, Texas.
To celebrate this year’s show theme, “Minerals of India” AGMS will monthly showcase representative mineral specimens from member collections leading up to our annual show in October.
These posts will occur on the 20th of each month leading up to the annual show.
The September representative specimen is a beautiful ruby crystal. In Sanskrit, ruby the word for ruby literally translates to “king of gems”.
This ruby is from near the city of Mysore in the state of Karnataka in India. Ruby is a member of the Trigonal crystal system. This specimen’s size is 53 mm in height, and its hexagonal shape can be clearly seen. The specimen is a deep red crystal.
The chemical formula of ruby is Al2O3:Cr. Corundum, which ruby is a variety of, is an aluminum oxide. Ruby has trace amounts of chromium in its crystal structure to give it the red color. On the Mohs hardness scale it is a 9. Ruby has a sub adamantine or vitreous luster and a specific gravity of 3.97-4.05. It is an orangy red through strongly purplish red in color due to the chromium element in it.
In the town of Subramaniam, close to Madikeri, Karnataka, India, large hexagonal pillars of ruby are mined; deposits are also located in the nearby villages. The stones are mainly hexagonal but come in many sizes and shapes. They have a maroon color, and some show 16 mm dot inclusions of hematite. These rubies range from 20 to 100 mm across the pinacoidal face, with the length across the prism faces varying from 10 to 50 mm. Their weight ranged from 10 g to 2 kg, though specimens are as large as 15 kg.
Join us at the Austin Gem & Mineral Show to see this beautiful specimen on display!
For show details go to www.agms-tx.org
4 CommentsComment on Facebook
Although Professor Heierman's clever masquerade as a rich buyer enabled him to find the legendary giant Indian rubies, he did run into some unexpected hostility. The Geology Department is now deciding whether or not to characterize his expedition as a success.
I have never paid 8 bucks for a gem show and paid parking, shame, i would love to go.
Join us for our Gem and Mineral Show October 14-15. See Flyer.
Katy Greene Beer
Join us for this year's last First Saturday event September 2nd from 9 to 1 in the AGMS clubhouse. We'll have ID My Rock, Wheel of Fortune, Member Sales, Kids Activities, Nature's Treasures, Club Merchandise, door prizes, snacks, tours, and more! Everyone is welcome - indoor event - 6713 Burnet Lane - www.agms-tx.org
2 CommentsComment on Facebook
Nice
Do your events draw a lot of mineral collectors that are looking for high quality non-polished specimens?
Mark your calendars and plan to attend the Austin Gem & Mineral Society's annual show October 20-22 at Palmer Event Center in Austin, Texas.
To celebrate this year’s show theme, “Minerals of India” AGMS will monthly showcase representative mineral specimens from member collections leading up to our annual show in October.
These posts will occur on the 20th of each month leading up to the annual show.
The September representative specimen is a beautiful cavansite in formation.
This cavansite is from Wagholi Quarries, Wagholi, Pune District, Pune Division, Maharashtra, India. Cavansite is a member of the Orthorhombic crystal system. The specimen size is 2.75 cm in width. The specimen is a blue cavansite accented by white/clear heulandite crystals.
The chemical formula of cavansite is Ca(VO)Si4O10·4(H2O). Calcium vanadium silicate (cavansite) is a hydrous calcium vanadium phyllosilicate mineral. On the Mohs hardness scale it is a 3 to 4. Cavansite has a vitreous or pearly luster and a specific gravity of 2.25-2.33. It is a brilliant sky-blue to greenish blue in color due to the vanadium element in it.
The landscapes and the geology of West-Central India and the Maharashtra State are dominated by a large igneous province located on the Deccan Plateau, also known as the Deccan Traps. The “Traps” consist of multiple layers of ancient, deep black and solidified, flood basalt flows. These flows are stacked one on top of the other, that together are more than 2,000 m (6,600 ft) thick and cover an area of approximately 500,000 km² (200,000 sq mi). They are one of the largest volcanic features on Earth.
The basalt flows commonly have large and small open cavities, or vugs, scattered unevenly throughout the rock matrix. For decades at least, the residents of the City of Jalgaon, and other regions of the Deccan Plateau, have found open vugs, lined with clusters of sparking crystals, such as this cavansite. It is usually found while digging building foundations, or water wells or in rock quarries located in the rocky basalt terrains of the area.
Join us at the Austin Gem & Mineral Show to see this beautiful specimen on display!
For show details go to agms-tx.org
3 CommentsComment on Facebook
So beautiful !!!!
Blade N Beth Davis 😬
Fun fact: the last quarry where Cavansite/Pentagonite was mined, shut down about 7 months ago. These are no longer producing.
Upcoming Events & Meetings
General Meeting 4th Thursday each month
The general public is invited to visit AGMS General Meetings in person or on ZOOM. Meetings are held at our clubhouse at 6719 Burnet Lane, Austin beginning at 7:pm on the 4th Thursday of each month. If you have a question regarding an upcoming meeting, click here.
Our monthly meetings are available via Zoom video conferencing. All are welcome to attend our meetings.
Here’s the meeting link:
Join Zoom Meeting
| https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89935833223?pwd=OU1VTGxmZ3ZWZkxGeG9QSG9rUFM2Zz09 |
Meeting ID: 892 8892 4566
Passcode: 4XpHpR
NOTICE: Currently, we meet in-person with mask wearing as a personal option. We will continue to offer Zoom video conferencing to members and guests.
Gem & Mineral News
- Stonehenge Alternatives to Exploreby Admin (Blog | Rock & Gem Magazine) on September 25, 2023 at 10:00 am
- Gem Faceting: Super Star Designby Admin (Blog | Rock & Gem Magazine) on September 18, 2023 at 10:00 am
- Gem Faceting: Hoshi Designby Admin (Blog | Rock & Gem Magazine) on September 18, 2023 at 10:00 am
- How to Melt Silver to Make Jewelryby Admin (Blog | Rock & Gem Magazine) on September 18, 2023 at 10:00 am
- What are Common Opal Colors?by Admin (Blog | Rock & Gem Magazine) on September 4, 2023 at 10:00 am
The Austin Gem and Mineral Society welcomes you to join us!
Membership Benefits
- Connection and networking with other rock hounds, mineral collectors, geological experts, jewelry artists, gem and mineral professionals and experts, gem and mineral vendors, educators, and a plethora of rock related subject matter experts in a wide variety of gem and mineral related topics.
- General club meetings offer speakers and presentations on a wide variety of gem and mineral topics.
- Access to our website membership portal includes access to member blogs, member specific announcements, posts on member boards, SIG meetings/topics and online discussions (Special Interest Groups: Min Sig, Paleo SIG, Silversmithing SIG, Jewelry SIG, Lapidary Sig, Faceting SIG)
- Access to clubhouse resources includes: large meeting room, lapidary/cabbing workshop, faceting workshop, slab shack saws, extensive resource library, and display exhibits of gems and minerals
- Annual events and activities include: Gem Capers (annual gem and mineral show held at the Austin Palmer Event Center), Swap Meet, Club Auction, Holiday Party
- Classes: Cabbing, Faceting, Silversmithing, Slab Saw, other classes are offered as needs and instructors are identified
- Field trips and rock hunts for members only
Have a Question?
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Federation and Club Resources
Visit these other websites for related information on gems and minerals, activities, learning opportunities, and more.
Federation of Mineral Societies
The Austin Gem and Mineral Society is part of SCFMS (The South Central Federation of Mineral Societies). SCFMS is one of seven different regional federations in the US that are members of the AFMS (American Federation of Mineralogical Societies).
Please note that these links are third party websites that are not maintained by AGMS. AGMS is not responsible for materials found on these sites. Please use caution when visiting an unfamiliar site.