News 2012 v2 - PalaMinerals

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August – December 2012
The Classics (https://palaminerals.myshopify.com/collections/the-classics)
• December Newsletter – December 3
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The Hot Spot (https://palaminerals.myshopify.com/collections/the-hot-spot)
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Library
Featured (/library) December 2012 Newsletter
Articles (/articles)
In this edition of Pala Mineralis we take this opportunity to offer our deepest thanks to you
for your patronage. Thank you also to all who have contributed content to our newsletters. We
Links (/links-to-other-sites)
wish everyone happy holidays.
Newsletters (/newsletters)
Shows and Conferences
News
• Tucson Time: February 5–17
Current Issue (http://m.palaminerals.com/news)
Pala International News
Back Issues (http://m.palaminerals.com/min-news-index)
• Pala’s Featured Mineral Specimens
Blog (/blog)
(/search-site) • Ruby for Tourmaline: Blue-cap’s 40th
Mineral and Mineralogy News

• Glass Act – Part Two
• Medusa Emerald at Natural History Museum
• Good as Gold: A Love of Labels
Pala Presents
• The Pegmatyte Veins of Pala
Recycle Bin
• Mad for Munich
• Gems & Gemology Features Pala Pieces
• Haut Heels
• Gems from the Red Land
Follow us on Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pala-International-Inc/145444156251)
Tucson Time: February 5–17, 2013
After the holidays, we’re looking forward to the world’s greatest gem and mineral show in February.
One-stop general information about individual shows can be obtained from the Tucson EZ-Guide
(http://www.xpopress.com/AZ-show-schedule.html).
Pala International will be represented in Tucson
as follows. We look forward to seeing our many
friends there. Visit the Pala International Show
Schedule
(http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gemfair-
tucson.html)
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/show_schedule.php) for future events.
AGTA GemFair
Pala joins nearly 100 exhibitors (http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gft-exhibitors.html) for

this annual extravaganza.
Event: AGTA GemFair (http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gemfair-tucson.html)

When: February 5–10, 2013
Where: Tucson Convention Center
Pala International Booth: 1016
The event website now features an interactive floorplan

(http://www.floorplangenie.com/Events/agta/gft2013/public/fphtml.aspx) allowing you
to see who is exhibiting by area of the convention center.
More than forty free seminars (http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gft-seminars.html) are

offered by notables in the world of gemstones and pearls.
Pala International’s Bill Larson will speak on the topic “Back to Burma” on
Wednesday, February 6, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. in the Mohave Room.
12th Annual Westward Look Mineral Show
Pala International and two dozen other world-class mineral dealers shack up at a Sonoran Desert
resort.
• Collector Day
(http://www.westwardminerals.com/)
(http://www.westwardminerals.com/sat.html) (Sat) features Kevin Brown and
selections from his private collection
• What’s Diggin’ – Recent Activity at the Adelaide, Rogerley and Oceanview Mines
(http://www.westwardminerals.com/sun.html) (Sun) features Adam Wright, Cal
Graeber and Jeff Swanger
Event: 12th Annual Westward Look Mineral Show

(http://www.westwardminerals.com/)
Where: Westward Look Resort
Pala International Suite: 224
See Pala International’s page
(http://www.westwardminerals.com/dealers/palaintl.html) on the Westward Look Show
site. See also this dealer map (http://www.westwardminerals.com/2012map.html).
(http://shop.bluecapproductions.com/product.sc;jsessionid=8FE028B9DB71A394F50E55683AE28940.qscstrfrnt02?
productId=83&categoryId=2)
Ed Swoboda was this year’s Sunday evening presenter and the event was captured by BlueCap Productions
(http://shop.bluecapproductions.com/product.sc;jsessionid=8FE028B9DB71A394F50E55683AE28940.qscstrfrnt02?
productId=83&categoryId=2).
59th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
TGMS is the largest gem and mineral show in the country.

This year’s theme is “Fluorite, Colors of the Rainbow.”
Event: 59th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

(http://www.tgms.org/)
Where: Tucson Convention Center
Pala International Booth: Aisle 5 East
[back to top]
(http://www.tgms.org/)
Tucson Transit Tips
Many shows will offer their own shuttles. View your transit and parking options here.
(http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/events/gemshow/transportation/) [back to top]
Pala’s Featured Specimens: Aquamarine from Pakistan

and Kunzite from Afghanistan
This month we feature a pair from Pakistan and Afghanistan. From the western front of the Himalaya
Mountains we find a couple of exquisite crystals still carrying a chunk from the host rock.
Etched aquamarine, 12 x 10.5 x 10 cm. Price available upon request. (Photo: Mia
Dixon)
This aquamarine is like a prismatic glacier poised in a bed of cleavelandite and accompanied by a
quartz point. There are a of couple traces of pink apatite and possibly tantalite on the specimen as well.
This aquamarine exsolved from its original form to its current etched shape, leaving a pastel-blue,
gemmy, ice-like sculpture. This oddity comes to us from Shigar Valley, Pakistan.
Kunzite in matrix, 7.3 x 5.5 x 7.4 cm. Price available upon request
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/db_search_v4.php?
action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=16457). (Photo: Jeff Scovil)
Just across the border, in Afghanistan, we find this classic pink prismatic kunzite crystal still wrapped
in the pegmatite host. It’s a classic lilac kunzite blade over 7 cm and very gemmy. It is quite a rare find
to see kunzite still attached to the matrix; almost all of the specimens seem to be loose single crystals.
A choice specimen for gem crystal collectors, from the Pech, Konar Province, Afghanistan.
Interested? Call or email us (mailto:info@palaminerals.com) to inquire. [back to top]
Ruby for Tourmaline: Blue-cap’s 40th
This year is the 40th anniversary of what one

museum curator called “the find of the
century.” In early 1972, history was made in
northern San Diego County with a stunning
find of “blue-cap” tourmaline specimens that
would go by the now-familiar names of
“Candelabra,” “The Rabbit’s Ears” and more.
That year, following world-class specimen

after museum-quality specimen being eased
from the clay of the Tourmaline Queen Mine,
Pala International’s Bill Larson penned a piece
on the discovery for Lapidary Journal. The
article has been reprinted in the current
edition of Minerals: The Collector’s
Newspaper
(http://spiriferminerals.com/124,MINERALS-
--The-Collectors-Newspaper--5.html)
(http://spiriferminerals.com/124,MINERALS---The-Collectors-Newspaper--5.html),
published by Poland’s Geological Society “Spirifer.” The article is richly illustrated with on-site and
studio photographs, some of which have never been published.
Accompanying Bill’s article is a profile of the Tourmaline Queen by Spirifer’s Tomasz Praszkier. The
text and accompanying photographs take you through the years at the mine, which turns 110 in March.
While the mine is no longer active, it has produced lifetimes of treasures.
Ruby (hint, hint) is the traditional 40th anniversary gift. [back to top]
Glass Act – Part Two
Gemstone models and specimens from Czechoslovakia
In our sibling
e-newsletter
last month we
featured
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#denver_nov)
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#denver_nov) a collection of
hand-cut glass crystal models, pictureed at right, acquired by Pala International’s Bill Larson this year
at the Denver show. The set of models now has a place
(http://www.mineralogy.eu/models/unsigned_glass02.html) in the Virtual Museum of the
History of Mineralogy.
Bill brought out three more collections, which we share here. We begin with a set of 72 glass models of
faceted and cabochon gemstones from the early 20th century.
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/model_set_a1_lg.jpg)
According to the enclosed table, this set is from Rovensko Pod Troskami, Semily, Czechoslovakia, early
20th century. Seventy-two colored glass gemstone models (size ranging from 1.10 to 1.95 cm), attached
hand-tinted legend, loose Tabulka (table, 47.5 x 31 cm) compiled by P. Homola, teacher training school
in Turnov, in chamois-leather, linen lined inner lid and faux leather covered case (36.5 x 25 x 2.5 cm).
Click images to enlarge. (Photos: Mia Dixon)
The enclosed table lists N ame, Species, Color, Crystal System, Density, Hardness, Refractive Index,
Refraction, Circular Dichroism, Locality, Shape Cuts, Application N ote. Click images to enlarge.
(Photos: Mia Dixon)
The second collection, also from the early 20th century, contains 24 models of faceted and cabochon
gemstones.
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/model_set_b1_lg.jpg)
U nsigned, from Czechoslovakia, 24 colored glass gemstone models (size ranging from 1.5 to 2.4 cm)
with German-language labels in chamois-leather, silk-like lined inner lid and black leatherette case (21 x
17.5 x 2.4 cm). Click images to enlarge. (Photos: Mia Dixon)
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/model_set_b2_lg.jpg)
Lastly, a set of 24 gemstone specimens from Bohemia.
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/model_set_c1_lg.jpg)
U nsigned, 24 gemstone specimens in individual cardboard boxes, secured by cotton or glue with a loose
glass lid (size ranging from 0.6 to 5 cm) with Slovak-language labels and affixed writeup by V. Lejsek,
Kozákovské drahé kameny (Kozá kov gemstones), in hard cardboard and black faux leather covered
case (37.5 x 31 x 5 cm). Added label: “Collection of Czech Gemstones/ N orth Bohemia Region/ Bohemia,
19 th. [sic] century.” Click images to enlarge. (Photos: Mia Dixon)
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/model_set_c2_lg.jpg)
[back to top]
Medusa Emerald at Natural History Museum

(Photo courtesy Library of Congress)
In 1907, George Gibbs, above, published his novel The Medusa Emerald. His illustrations appeared
in many magazines as well as his own books. Today we have the opportunity to see the real Medusa
Emerald on display at London’s N atural History Museum. This unique specimen is being presented in
the museum’s Green Z one exhibition area known as The Vault (http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-
us/galleries/green-zone/vault/index.html). The specimen was mined in Z ambia in 2008 and
sent to The Collector’s Edge in Colorado to be cleaned of its quartz matrix.
After and before. Above, the Medusa emerald after being released from its matrix,
below. (Photos courtesy The Collector’s Edge)
The Medusa began its one-year exhibition on July 20. Also in The Vault are:
• The Devonshire Emerald, at 1,383.93 carats, one of the largest uncut emeralds in the world
• The Tissint Martian meteorite, which fell near the Moroccan village of Tissint in the summer of
2011
• The Esquel pallasite, a meteorite embedded with gem-quality olivine crystals, found in 1951 in
Argentina
• The rare Dar Al Gani meteorite, from the Moon, found in 1998 in Libya
[back to top]
Good as Gold: A Love of Labels
When we visited (http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#hugheses)

Elise Skalwold at Cornell in October, she told us a story (recounted below) that will appeal to anyone
who ever has visited the archives of higher learning and other institutions. Yes, typewritten
correspondence is great for the information it contains, even an email printout, but there’s nothing
like handwriting to connect us with the character of our subjects.
In 2009 someone handed me a little bottle of diamond crystals with an old curled label— the diamonds
were not necessarily significant in themselves, very, very tiny and various colors— you can see them
here (http://www.nordskip.com/diamondcrystals.html). (Antoinette Matlins used the top
photo in the latest edition of her diamond book
(http://antoinettematlins.com/books.html#diamonds).)
I like old documents, especially handwriting, as you know. I think without that first label I might not
have pursued what has become a big project for me: often when an institution accepts a collection, old
labels are discarded (or maybe filed and then someone in the future throws the file out...in this case
sometime in 125 years).
Everyone said I would never find the original Silliman (http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?

colid=717) labels which accompanied a diverse mineral collection Cornell acquired in the 1870s from
Silliman who was then at Y ale. I took the diamond photo in 2009, sporadically searched for records,
labels, any documentation; this past summer I found a stash of dozens of labels hidden under a shelf.
In the meantime, I’ve been researching Benjamin Silliman Jr. and have uncovered a “colorful” person.
Good as gold. Above, pairing of a label with its gold specimen, 2 cm high on a
quartz matrix. Below, a label Elise thought showed that Silliman would be quite
happy hawking specimens on eBay. Both labels date from the 1860s. (Photos: Elise
Skalwold)
And Amethyst…
In October, in our sibling publication, Elise reviewed a monograph on amethyst, isssued by

Lithographie.
No. 16 in Lithographie’s monograph series is so visually luscious one’s mouth

actually begins to water as page after page of exquisite purple-hued imagery
greets the eye. This long anticipated volume brings together a diverse group of
authors and photographers whose passion for this most highly-prized variety of
quartz is self-evident in each of their contributions. [Read more here…
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#lithographie_amethyst)]
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#lithographie_amethyst)
Quartz, variety amethyst, 9 cm tall, Amatitlá n, Guerrero, Mexico. Bill Larson collection. (Photo: Jeff
Scovil)
[back to top]
Pala Presents
The Pegmatyte Veins of Pala, San Diego County
By G. A. Waring
With Pala Presents, we offer selections from the library

of Pala International’s Bill Larson, who will share with us
some of the wealth of information in the realm of minerals and mineralogy.
At the beginning of “The Pegmatyte Veins of Pala

(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/pegmatyte_veins_pala.php),” our current Pala
Presents offering, G. A. Waring quotes H. W. Fairbanks regarding the “simple” geological structure of
San Diego County: desert on the east, mesa on the west, and the “range of crystalline rocks in the
middle.”
It is these crystals, found in pockets and veins as Waring describes, that continue to thrill miners,
dealers, and collectors 107 years after Waring’s study was published in The American Geologist.
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/pegmatyte_veins_pala.php)
[back to top]
Recycle Bin
Below are four recent items from our sibling publication, Palagems Reflective Index
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#november_head), will be of
interest to mineralophiles.
Mad for Munich
Pala International loves to have had the opportunity over the last two years to have floor space at the
Munich Show. This year, Pala also contributed to the show’s themed exhibition, “African Secrets.”
Several Pala people were caught in the camera lens of fellow Southern Californians Eloï se Gaillou and
Alyssa Morgan, members of the Mineral Sciences staff of the N atural History Museum of Los Angeles
County, who attended the show. Behind-the-scenes shots and more are included in Gaillou’s Minblog
post (http://nhminsci.blogspot.com/2012/11/munich-show-2012.html).
(http://nhminsci.blogspot.com/2012/11/munich-show-2012.html)
Quartet No. 1. Trapiche emeralds from Colombia at the Munich Show. For a look at
this phenomenon in other material, see “Trapiche Tourmaline from Zambia
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2011_v3.php#trapiche).”
(Photo courtesy Eloï se Gaillou)
(http://nhminsci.blogspot.com/2012/11/munich-show-2012.html)
Quartet No. 2. Left to right, dealer Christophe Gobin, photographer Jeff Scovil,
dealer Alain Martaud, and your host of her virtual tour on MinBlog, Eloï se Gaillou.
(Photo courtesy Eloï se Gaillou)
And Pala pix…
The photos below are included, with ten more, in “Munich 2012
(http://www.store.palagems.com/munich_2012.htm)” on Palagems.com.
Escargot mignon. Here’s Christophe Gobin again, holding “The Snail.” Rarely, in a
photo, do you get a sense of scale for the little snail. (Photo: Bill Larson)
“He what?!” Bill Larson, reacting to news that Christophe dropped “The Snail.”
(Photo: Bill Larson)
Will Larson was quoted in Süddeutsche Zeitung, Germany’s most popular national daily newspaper.
We provide a rough translation of a excerpt below.
The darling of German windowsills, “The Snail” is an approximately fist-sized

rhodochrosite, shaped like a black worm with a red “house.” “I like the shape,”
says Will Larson, a young man dressed in a purple shirt, and as he says it, he
shows almost childlike enthusiasm. Will’s father [Bill] said the specimen was
discovered* from the South Africa N’Chwaning mine during manganese
removal. The Austrian dealer and collector Rudolf Watzl estimates the value of
the specimen at about ten million euros. [Implying that it is invaluable,] he says,
“This is your possession, but not with money to offset,” looking longingly at the
glittering red. These minerals show that, in the Larson home, value is put into
curious shapes, such as Will’s “Mickey Mouse” and “deadmau5,” precious stones
in orange [olmiite] and green [prehnite], which strikingly resemble their
namesakes.
“The value of the pieces is not calculated in price,” says Will Larson, who works
day-in-day-out with mineral specimens: “It is the love of their beauty.” And that
is there to be seen—if the grandeur of the stones is reflected in the eyes of the
beholder.
_______________
*The German-language version of the article states, inaccurately, that “The
Snail” had been “smuggled” (geschmuggelt) from the mine.
[back to top]
Gems & Gemology Features Pala Pieces
Pala International is cover star of the current

Gems & Gemology journal, issued last month by
GIA. The specimen and stones, photographed by
Robert Weldon, herald the featured article,
“Gemstones from Vietnam: An Update
(http://www.gia.edu/doi/10_5741-
GEMS_48_3_158),” by Dr. Le Thi-Thu Huong
and a team of coauthors. The article discusses the
country’s major gemstones, highlighting recent
production and new finds. N ew information is
included on the gemological properties and
chemical composition of ruby, sapphire, spinel,
tourmaline, garnet and peridot from the major
localities. Other stones also are reviewed.
The luscious jumble of a ruby specimen pictured

above is from Luc Y en, in northeastern Vietnam.
It’s in the collection of Bill Larson. Luc Y en
produces a host of gemstones and minerals, as
listed in this Mindat entry
(http://www.mindat.org/locdetailed-
6947.html).
The three faceted gemstones, from Pala

International, also hail from northern Vietnam.
Left to right, they are a 1.97-carat blue spinel, a
5.07-carat red spinel, and a 2.27-carat ruby. (http://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology)
About that ruby specimen…
Will Larson shares a remarkable memory regarding acquisition of the specimen.
When I was 12 years old my father took me on a Southeast Asia tour visiting Burma, Thailand and
Vietnam. Vietnam was our last stop and was an amazing experience. I remember flying into Hanoi,
and my father pointed out the Russian-made planes, which looked rusty and old. He said we will not
fly on those because of safety issues, and sure enough a few days later one crashed trying to land at
Siem Reap Airport in Cambodia. After clearing customs we arrived at the house of my father’s contact,
Sun Ta. The architecture is different, as they are very narrow but tall, three-story homes. What I
probably remember most was that Sun Ta had a side business making T-shirts, like the ones you see at
the store for fifteen dollars with cheap print on them. It was cool, I thought, to make your own T-shirt
and being at the age of 12 I was fascinated with how it all worked. I played around and I was allowed to
stamp my own shirt that I still have to this day (although a little small). We checked into our hotel and
then got some shut-eye because we had to leave late that night to make it to the Luc Y en Women’s
Market by 5:30 a.m. when it opened. The trip was about 225 km on many dirt roads, today an
estimated 3 hours and 32 minutes on Google Maps, but on our trip took us closer to 7 hours. The trip
was bumpy and I was so sleepy it was painful. The guy in the back of the Mitsubishi Pajero was riding
in the trunk clutching an AK-47; I’m sure it was even more uncomfortable for him.
Aquamarine from the collection of Will Larson, acquired when he was twelve years
old (http://www.store.palagems.com/php/db_search_v4.php?
action=gemdetail&inventory_number=15678). (Photo: Wimon Manorotkul)
I couldn’t wake up for the Women’s Market, as I had passed out in the back seat of the car, but at 6:30
the Men’s Market opened and my dad came back just before to wake me up and show me what he had
purchased at the Women’s Market. I was able to purchase a few things: small spinels and tourmalines
including an aquamarine crystal I still own. As we walked around the village the people of this area had
not seen a Caucasian child before and found me very curious. At one point in the mid-afternoon I had
about 300 people following me just to get a closer look and of course they loved to touch my hair, as it
was good luck. I was also asked when I would marry by many of the young girls who seemed to be
around my age and already had a two-year-old child. Farming villages are very different in Vietnam
than here; it was quite a culture shock back then. I started thinking about what I should do for
marriage and when I should have children. Ha! I was a cute and confused twelve-year-old. We stayed
for just part of the day, as we had an appointment with the doctor on the return back to Hanoi that
evening.
Our trip back was full of adventure. The first thing we saw was a small open-pit in the middle of a rice
paddy field. They were in fact digging for gems and allowed my father and me to see what they were
doing. I found a few small bits of ruby in the stream that they let me keep. The farmers who were
digging brought us a few pieces they had found earlier that had promoted the digging. It was
unfortunately nothing too exciting, but there was a cute little spinel. Regrettably due to some
circumstances they were unable to sell us the piece, so we moved on to continue our journey.
We stopped off to visit a

doctor that, rumor had it,
owned a few great ruby
crystals from Luc Y en. We
were greeted warmly and
treated to some very good
hot tea. The doctor then
brought out his collection
of ruby and it was amazing
because we had never seen
this kind of quality before.
Out of everything we saw
in the Women’s and Men’s
markets, his collection was
far better. The problem
was he was not really
interested in selling any of
the pieces from his
collection piece by piece, as
he loved them all. Ruby is
very good luck in
Vietnamese culture. He did
tell us that if he was able to (http://www.store.palaminerals.com/db_search_v4.php?
get enough for these then action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=19383)
he could perhaps purchase It’s no “deadmau5
the condo he wanted, and (http://www.store.palagems.com/munich_2012.htm#deadmau5),”
but it’s not everyday that you find a Mogok ruby crystal (Inv. #19383
this was in 1997 so condo (http://www.store.palaminerals.com/db_search_v4.php?
prices were about the value action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=19383)) that mimics the
of his rubies. So he said he Venus of Willendorf. (Photo above: Mia Dixon)
would maybe work it out.
We of course wanted to
buy it all but didn’t have
enough money on us. As
we negotiated and
negotiated we were forced
to call my mother at
midnight in the U .S. so
that we could do a money
transfer. U nfortunately we
found out there was really
no way of transferring the money to Vietnam without using a Visa card that had heavy fees associated
with it, but it would be done quickly. Luckily the doctor was able to negotiate a better price on the
condominium and this allowed him to reduce the price of his collection so we could then finalize the
deal. One of the crystals from that deal is on the cover of Gems & Gemology.
It was a long, bouncy, and slow ride back to Hanoi and we were all exhausted. It was about 6 p.m.
when it started to get dark and I was nodding off trying to get some sleep. I remember waking up to a
large bounce, undoubtedly caused by a big pothole. Soon after, we drove over train tracks when a loud
bang and then shouting occurred. A motorcycle had hit us from behind and the driver appeared to be
quite drunk. Our contact told us to keep our heads down and to not show anyone we were foreigners.
Being twelve years old I just couldn’t help myself and I popped my head up as far as I dared to sneak a
look. I remember watching our driver get out of the car, walking to the back by the motorcycle and was
very calm as he approached the motorcyclist. In my memory I imagine him talking off aviator
sunglasses, but I know he wasn’t wearing them since it was too dark, but what he did do was take out
something from his pocket and flash it real quietly. I never got to see what it was, but as soon as it was
out the driver of the motorcycle turned around and ran away, leaving behind his motorcycle and the
crowd that had now grown around the drama. Later I found out he was working for the CID (central
intelligence agency) in Vietnam and the guy who hit us obviously didn’t want to mess with that. After
that our journey back to Hanoi continued without any problems. A few days later we headed home
with the Southeast Asia trip concluded. [back to top]
Haut Heels from Chanel
From Cannes to Munich to La Jolla, mineral crystals are gracing the display windows and cases of
Chanel and J. Crew, courtesy Brice Gobin and Larsons Jeanne, Bill, and Will.
Brice Gobin spotted this display in Cannes last month, on the Promenade de la
Croisette. The mannequin even has amethyst eyebrows, he told us.
Jeanne Larson noticed a similar display, in Munich. She told us that the quartz
matrix and gray beryl of the heels actually are rendered in plastic. We liked the
contrast of the (also plastic) oversized crystal terminations and the reflected windows
and doors.
Bill Larson spotted this image in the Bangkok airport. The ad’s model features slabs
of Brazilian agate.
Storefront of the J. Crew in La Jolla, where Pala’s Will Larson saw…
… display cases of jewelry perched on quartz crystals.

[back to top]
Gems from the Red Land
Members of the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society are lucky:
they receive an electronic subscription to The Pegmatite
(http://www.sdmg.org/the-pegmatite/), the nicely
produced bulletin of the Society.
This month features “Gems from the Red Land,” an article

by James A. Harrell, Professor Emeritus of Geology at the
U niversity of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The article is informed
by 23 years and 33 visits to mines and quarries in Egypt, and
beyond. The “Red Land” of the title, or Desheret, refers to
the barren deserts that flank the rich N ile Valley and Delta.
Lifeless, perhaps, but this is where Egyptians found lively
carnelian and the meteoric Libyan Desert Glass as well as
peridot, emerald, amazonite, amethyst, and turquoise, all of
which are discussed and illustrated in the article.
This eight-page piece— focusing on some of the 31 varieties

(http://www.sdmg.org/the-
of material employed in Egyptian jewelry (and their mines)
pegmatite/#anov2012)
— should whet the appetite for Dr. Harrell’s in-progress
book, Ancient Egyptian Rocks and Minerals: Varieties, Sources, Uses and Technologies. Although he
has surveyed about 200 mines and quarries, in “Gems from the Red Land” Dr. Harrell drops tempting
hints at the possibility of overlooked deposits of Dynastic (i.e., Pharaonic) varieties.
The Pegmatite is available to non-Society members in a reasonably-priced digital edition (as well as
print edition). Details are on the San Diego Mineral & Gem Society website
(http://www.sdmg.org/the-pegmatite/#anov2012).
Roman gold finger ring, above, set with an emerald, almost
certainly from Egypt, engraved with the portrait of a member
of the Severan dynasty, either the Empress Julia Domna (d. 217
C.E.) or the Princess Plautilla (d. 212 C.E.), Michael C. Carlos
Museum, Emory U niversity, Atlanta, gift of Michael J. Shubin.
Emeralds, below, from the Wadi Sikait mine, collected by
James A. Harrell. (Photos: Lisbet Thoresen)
[back to top]
— End December Newsletter • Published 12/3/12 —
October 2012 Newsletter
In this edition of Pala Mineralis we call your attention to a recent robbery of the California
State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa. Please be on the alert for attempted sales of
unusual specimens. Read more below.
Jeff Post, curator-in-charge of the N ational Museum of N atural History
mineral collection, flanked by Will and Bill Larson at last month’s
Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show in Denver. (Photo: David Hughes)

• Pala at Munich Show, October
26–28, 2012
• Nature’s Mirror: Asia’s
Viewing Stones

• Pala’s Featured Mineral
Specimen

• California Mining and Mineral
Museum Robbed
(http://elementsmagazine.org/toc/toc_v8n4.pdf)
• Crystal Set The August edition of Elements is devoted to granitic
• Photo Essays: Mines and Gold pegmatites. See the table of contents here
(http://elementsmagazine.org/toc/toc_v8n4.pdf).
Pala Presents
• Exhibition of Ron Gladnick Collection
• The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego County Gemstone Miners, Pt. IV
Recycle Bin
• University of Arizona’s Virtual Geology
• The Weardale Giant
Mineralientage München 49th Munich Mineral Show

October 26–28, 2012
Pala International will be in Hall A6 Pavilion Booth 27

(http://munichshow.com/en/)
Pala International will be offering fine mineral specimens at this year’s Munich Show
(http://munichshow.com/en/).
When: October 26–28, 2012

Where: Munich Trade Fair Centre
Hours:
Friday, October 26: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Trade only)
Saturday, October 27: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sunday, October 28: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Booth: Hall A6 Pavilion Booth 27
This year’s special exhibit is titled “African Secrets,” which will feature more than 300 pieces from
private collections as well as those of museums in London, Paris, Milan, Johannesburg, Brussels, Los
Angeles and Luxembourg. Localities and minerals represented will be vanadinites from Mibladen in
Morocco, malachites and wulfenites from Congo, tanzanites from Tanzania, and tourmalines,
aquamarines, fluorites and more from Erongo and Tsumeb in N amibia. De Beers will exhibit one of its
largest octahedron diamonds at the show. This exhibit will be covered in the debut of the Theme Book,
a high-quality hardcover, which will be published in addition to the show catalog. Both publications
will be delivered from the show store (http://munichshow.com/en/the-munich-
show/shop/the-show-catalogues/) beginning October 1.
action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=19245)
Zoisite, whose blue and violet varieties are known as tanzanite (below left, Inv.
#20398 (http://www.store.palagems.com/php/db_search_v4.php?
action=gemdetail&inventory_number=20398)), comes in a range of
hues, as shown below right (Inv. #19328
(http://www.store.palagems.com/php/db_search_v4.php?
action=gemdetail&inventory_number=19328)). The yellow-green crystal
pictured above has hints of blue at opposite angles, with the lower quarter
sporting a lavender color. Inventory #19245
action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=19245) from
Palaminerals.com. All items from Tanzania. (Photos: Above, John McLean;
below, Mia Dixon)
action=gemdetail&inventory_number=20398)
action=gemdetail&inventory_number=19328)
As usual, there are many activities (http://munichshow.com/en/the-munich-show/public-

days/hands-on-experiences/) for the junior set, such as gemstone faceting, but another activity is
available to children of all ages— if you are visually impaired, that is. The “Comprehending Stones”
exhibit, presented by Mr. and Mrs. Schwinghammer, is hands-on, “from the edgy surface of a pyrite to
the soft texture of a soapstone.”
For more information visit the show website (http://munichshow.com/en/). See the Pala
International Show Schedule (http://www.store.palaminerals.com/show_schedule.php)
for future events.
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_docs/ad_munich_2012.pdf)
See our ad
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_docs/ad_munich_2012.pdf) in
this year’s program. The specimen is now in the collection of Ron Gladnick. For more on the
collection, see Pala Presents below.
[back to top]
Nature’s Mirror: Asia’s Viewing Stones
This past week
(http://www.spirit-
stones.com/2008/02/07/modern-
chinese-scholars-rocks-a-guide-
for-collectors/)
In Modern Chinese Scholars’ Rocks
(http://www.spirit-
stones.com/2008/02/07/modern-
chinese-scholars-rocks-a-guide-
for-collectors/), author Kemin Hu
shares her expertise as a dealer and
collector.
(http://www.bowers.org/index.php/search/results/bonsai), Southern California’s Bowers
Museum featured special displays and lectures on bonsai and “viewing stones.” Bonsai, miniature
living trees, will be familiar to many of our readers. But the contemplative appreciation of large-writ-
small in bonsai also applies to stones. Viewing stones resemble landscapes, mountains, waterfalls, and
more, as well as free-form sculptures, geometric designs, and anthropomorphic and bestial forms.
Viewing stones can be large and weighty, suitable for a garden, for instance, or small enough for
display on a desk.
Viewing stones (and/ or the art of their appreciation) are known by different names: “scholar’s rocks”
or Gongshi (China), Suseok (Korea), Suiseki (Japan). Glossary entries
(http://www.suiseki.com/glossary/chinese.html) from these three Asian cultures indicate the
connoisseurship that has developed over centuries regarding the stones’ aesthetic and ruminatory
qualities.
The most prized of these stones have had little or no human help in achieving their display-state.
Locality can be key to collectibility and in some cases, as with fine mineral specimens, sources may be
played out. The smaller stones often are installed on a custom-made pedestal of carved wood or resin;
they also can be placed in a shallow tray of sand. According
(http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2000/world-of-scholars) to the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, four aesthetic principles of the stones were codified by the Tang dynasty
(618–907).
For a quick view of the variety of viewing stones from Asia and elsewhere, see examples
(http://www.bonsai-nbf.org/site/viewing_stones.html) from the collection of the N ational
Bonsai Foundation. For detailed descriptions of some of the many types of Chinese scholars’s rocks,
visit this blog (http://www.spirit-stones.com/category/types-of-scholars-rocks/) by
collector, dealer and author Kemin Hu.
Also at the Bowers…
Jade has been fashioned in China since the N eolithic period, and jade objects from as early as 3500
B.C.E. have been found there in tombs. An ongoing exhibit at the Bowers, “Ancient Arts of China: A
5000 Year Legacy (http://www.bowers.org/index.php/art/exhibitions_details/6)”
features jade objects, such as a jade cong (a square-shaped cylinder) that dates from between the 31st
and 22nd centuries B.C.E.
Jewelry enthusiasts will want to browse “Read My Pins: The Madeleine Albright Collection
(http://www.bowers.org/index.php/art/exhibitions_details/59)” at the Bowers. Albright,
who was the first female U .S. Secretary of State, became known for actively accessorizing by using her
collection of brooches in understated and not-so-understated ways of sending a message regarding her
mission as the country’s chief diplomat. The exhibition opens October 20. [back to top]

Pala’s Featured Specimens: Fluorite from Illinois
This month we feature a beautiful single crystal of blue fluorite showcasing a nice purple phantom
inside. In the center of the piece, when lit from the bottom as seen below, the fluorite has a wonderful
yellow-orange core. The complex surface of the fluorite has nice luster and the piece overall has little
damage.
Fluorite from the Minerva # 1 Mine in Hardin County, Illinois, 8 cm x 7 cm x 5 cm.

Below, specimen was back-lit using fiber-optic lighting. Price available upon request.
(Photo: Mia Dixon)
Interested? Call or email us (mailto:info@palaminerals.com) to inquire. [back to top]
California Mining and Mineral Museum Robbed
Last Friday afternoon, a robbery occurred at the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in
Mariposa. According to a State Parks press release
(http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/712/files/2012MariposaMMM Closed.pdf), “a number of
display cases, doors and other items were damaged by the approximately two suspects who entered the
museum and stole an undetermined amount of precious minerals.” The parks agency was in the
process of conducting an inventory of missing items, per the October 1 release. A Los Angeles Times
story (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0930-mining-museum-
20120930,0,7834403.story) estimated the stolen loot to be worth as much as $ 2 million. That
story claimed that the remaining valuables have been moved off site for the inventorying.
Any leads regarding this robbery should be given to the California Highway Patrol – Central Division
Investigative Services U nit at 559.277.7250.
[back to top]
Crystal Set
In our last edition of Pala Mineralis, we called

(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/news_2012_v2.php#uruguay) attention to outsized
Mickey Mouse ears of geodic amethyst from northern U ruguay, courtesy of Sergio Aramburu, of
U ruguay Amethyst (see website (http://www.stonesagateamethyst.com/)). This time around it
is rabbit ears from a Stone Age television…
Wired. Above, a quartz crystal formation in a “V” arrangement. Below, amethyst

with calcite. (Photos: Sergio Aramburu)
Mesa de las montañas. Calcite with varieties of colored quartz, including
amethyst. (Photo: Sergio Aramburu)
At last month’s show in Denver, collector Gene Meieran, center, is made an
honorary member of U ruguay Amethyst, for his support and help. Sergio Aramburu
is second from right. (Photo courtesy Sergio Aramburu)
[back to top]
Photo Essays: Mines and Gold
Two photo essays, both posted in early August, caught our eye recently, and we thought we’d share
them.
Destiny of Abandoned Mines
The Russian English-language entertainment blog, English Russia, posted a parcel of photos of
abandoned mines. Pictured are mines for calcite, for the limestone used in the Kremlin’s original white
stone walls and for muscovite. See “Destiny of Abandoned Mines
(http://englishrussia.com/2012/08/05/destiny-of-russian-abandoned-mines/)” (and
ignore the dopey ads… ).
Calcite mine from the English Russia website.
Gold
Boston Globe picture editor Lane Turner assembled 36 photos devoted to the extraction and
processing of gold. Also included are photos of the people involved in the industry: miners, smiths,
sellers, even protesters. See “Gold
(http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/08/gold_1.html).” [back to top]
Pala Presents
Exhibition of Ron Gladnick Collection
By Will Larson

some of the wealth of information in the realm of minerals and mineralogy. The present article
happens to be from the pen of Pala’s Will Larson.
During this year’s Westward Look Show in Tucson, the mineral collection featured on Collector’s Day
was that of Ron Gladnick. In this year’s third edition of Mineralogical Almanac
(http://www.minbook.com/mineralogical_almanac.html), Will Larson takes us through
the metamorphosis of Gladnick’s collecting focus, which didn’t begin with fine mineral specimens.
We are pleased to reprint the article, “Exhibition of Ron Gladnick Collection

(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/gladnick.php)” in our Pala Presents series.
From the Collection… Kunzite. 7.3 x 5.5 cm. Pech, Konar Province, Afghanistan.
(Photo: Jeff Scovil)
[back to top]
The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego

County Gemstone Miners
Part IV of IV by Peter Bancroft
With this edition of Pala Mineralis we conclude the four-

part series published by Peter Bancroft in 1996 regarding
San Diego County’s Sickler family.
This installment follows Fred Sickler (who would become Fred Sr.) and his new wife Florence Awilda
Orcutt far from the tourmaline mines of Southern California— to Shungnak in the U .S. territory of
Alaska. Fred had obtained civil service employment, but this was no desk job; he was to teach Inuit
people how to domesticate reindeer, used for food, rather than be at the mercy of unpredictable
migration patterns. During his decade in the area, Sickler’s photographs of the aurora borealis
phenomenon were said to have been the first ever published. Florence Sickler, meanwhile, became a
teacher, nurse and midwife to the native people.
U pon their return to Southern California, the Sicklers first moved to Los Angeles before Fred secured a
job as foreman at the Pala Chief Mine, with which he would have an on-again, off-again relationship.
Read Part IV of “The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego County Gemstone Miners
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/sicklers4.php)” by Peter Bancroft.
Fred Sickler, Sr., age 84. (Photo: George Ashley)
[back to top]
Recycle Bin
Two recent items from our sibling publication, Palagems Reflective Index
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v2.php#geology), will be of interest to
mineralophiles.
University of Arizona’s Virtual Geology
The U niversity of Arizona has a thriving mineralogy program, and is host to the RRUFF Project
(http://rruff.info), an integrated database of Raman spectra, X -ray diffraction and chemistry data
for minerals. Two U A geoscientists also are involved in N ASA’s Curiosity rover. Prof. Bob Downs and
graduate student Shaunna Morrison are “primary data downlink leaders,” members of a team charged
with IDing the minerals that come Curiosity’s way on its two-year journey on Mars. Read all about the
high technology behind the project here (http://uanews.org/story/taking-robotic-geologist-
mars).
Hmm…
[back to top]
The Weardale Giant
The Weardale Giant is the name given to a huge fluorite specimen uncovered recently in the Weardale
mining district of northern England. It is also the name given to the legendary giants of the area, the
blacksmiths Mug, Con and Ben, who could afford but one hammer between them. As they forged
swords, they tossed the hammer back and forth, mindful of the curse upon them: if the hammer were
to be dropped, they would vanish. It was Mug whose eyesight faltered along with his grasp; the
hammer left a deep rift, now known as the Howden Valley.
Just a trim in back, please. The Weardale Giant is relieved of heavy matrix with a
diamond saw to make it lighter for transport. (Photo courtesy Cal Graeber and Jesse
Fisher, U K Mining Ventures)
But back to the specimen. The “Giant” was so big— likely half a ton— it took from July 10 to August 13
in order to pry it loose and move it down ramps to the mine’s transport. Then its matrix was sawed to
make it more manageable, and down the mountainside for shipment to California. With any luck it will
be displayed at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, in perfect harmony with the 2013 theme, fluorite.
Read all about The Weardale Giant

(http://www.ukminingventures.com/weardalegiant.htm). [back to top]
— End October Newsletter • Published 10/3/12 —
August 2012 Newsletter
In this edition of Pala Mineralis we feature a slide show on African colored gemstones and a
relatively new find that led to some new names. South America unearths Mickey Mouse, if he’d
appeared in Donnie Darko. We conclude Kyaw Thu’s dissertation on Mogok and continue the
saga of the Sicklers. And our featured specimen is on summer vacation as we prepare for events
in Dallas and Denver. Stay cool…
Bill Larson answers questions at Pala International
during a recent visit by members of the Rotary Club of
Fallbrook. (Photo: Geri Vigil)

• Bill Larson to Present at Dallas Symposium: August 25, 2012
• Pala at Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show September 12–16, 2012
• Tanzania Talk: Bill Larson’s Keynote Slide Show
◦ Video: A visit to the tanzanite mines with Will Larson

• Pala’s Featured Mineral Specimen is on summer vacation…

• Blues Brothers: Scott and Lavinsky Honored with New Mineral Monikers
• Mickey Mouse from Uruguay
Pala Presents
• The Igneous Rocks of the Mogok Stone Tract
Concluding Chapters of a PhD Dissertation by Kyaw Thu
• The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego County Gemstone Miners – Pt. III
A reprint by Peter Bancroft
Recycle Bin
• Dr. Shah’s Gem & Jewelry Stamp Museum
• Pala’s Carranza Connection
• Tourmaline Deposits of the Americas
Bill Larson to Present at Dallas Symposium:

August 25, 2012
The theme of this year’s symposium is “Expeditions to Bring

Out Mineral Specimens from Around the World.” Pala’s Bill
Larson will present on “Burma’s Ancient Valley of Gems and
Rubies,” regarding travels to the source in Mogok. Herb
Obodda will discuss “Dangerous Beauty: Minerals of the
Hindu Kush,” regarding the opening of Afghanistan and
Pakistan for mineral specimens, 1969–present. Mineral
cleaning and preparation technology will be handled by Jon
Voelter. Rock Currier will look at “Exploring the Mines of
Dal’negorsk, Siberia,” and Les Presmyk will discuss “Bisbee,
Arizona: History, Significance and Treasures.”
Two sessions will address “Science for the Collector.”
Dr. David London, of the U niversity of Oklahoma, will speak
on “Gem-Forming Pegmatites: How N ature Makes Big, Clear
Crystals.” Dr. Peter Megaw, president of IMDEX / Cascabel,
will present on “Formation of Open Pockets of Collectible
Crystals in Carbonate Replacement Deposits – Tsumeb ,
Dal’negorsk and Milpillas.”
Seating is limited, so see the symposium website

(http://dallassymposium.org/) for details.
(http://dallassymposium.org/)
(http://shop.bluecapproductions.com/product.sc?
Last year’s symposium featured luminaries from seven institutions from across the country. It’s available
(http://shop.bluecapproductions.com/product.sc?productId=78&categoryId=2) from BlueCap Productions. Just enter the code
palaintl when you’re asked for it while ordering. What’s Hot In Tucson 2012 and What’s Hot In Munich 2011 also are available. Click images
below for more info.
(http://shop.bluecapproductions.com/product.sc;jsessionid=57AC982ADEAB6BCF1E2B00678CE1D360.qscstrfrnt03?
(http://shop.bluecapproductions.com/product.sc;jsessionid=57AC982ADEAB6BCF1E2B00678CE1D360.qscstrfrnt03?
[back to top]
Pala at Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show
September 12–16, 2012
Pala International will be at the Colorado Mineral & Fossil Show.
• When: Sept. 12–16, 2012

• Where: Ramada Plaza Hotel (formerly Holiday Inn Denver–Central), 4849 Bannock St.
◦ Room 183
• Hours:
Wed.–Sat.: 10 a.m.– 6 p.m.
Sun.: 10 a.m.– 5 p.m.
We look forward to seeing our many friends there. For more information visit the show website
(http://www.mzexpos.com/colorado_fall.htm).
action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=18936)
Fluorite crystals, x3, from St. Peter’s Dome, Pike’s Peak, Colorado, 3 x 5.8 x
3.5 cm. Two of the specimen’s three labels: one from the Collection of T. M.
Phetteplace and the other stating it was acquired in N ovember 1946. It’s
available (http://www.store.palaminerals.com/db_search_v4.php?
action=mineraldetail&inventory_number=18936). (Photo: John
McLean)
Visit the Pala International Show Schedule

(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/show_schedule.php) for future events. [back to top]
Tanzania Talk: Bill Larson’s Keynote Slide Show

(http://www.store.palagems.com/africa_2012.php)
Note: Beginning with the third slide, click the boxed “i” to view captions.
In April, Pala International’s Bill Larson delivered a keynote address to The Arusha International Gem,
Jewelry and Minerals Fair, held in Arusha, Tanzania. The subject was “The Importance of African
Colored Gemstones in Today’s Market.” We’ve turned Bill’s PowerPoint presentation into an online
slide show (http://www.store.palagems.com/africa_2012.php) for your viewing pleasure.
Video: A visit to the tanzanite mines with Will Larson
While in Tanzania for the Arusha show, Will Larson toured the local tanzanite mines, video camera in
hand. He visited the TanzaniteOne mine in “Block C,” as shown below, with Shawn George, left, as well
as two mines in “Block D.” The resulting video, First Voyage to Tanzania – Tanzanite – A Stone of
Beauty, inaugurates Pala International’s Y ouTube channel, available here
(http://www.youtube.com/user/PalaInternational).
(http://youtu.be/NPwhfsgfNi8)
See also Will Larson’s written report on the Arusha show and visits to the mines, on
Palagems.com (http://www.store.palagems.com/arusha_2012.htm).
[back to top]
Blues Brothers: Scott and Lavinsky Honored with New Mineral Monikers
Scientists at the U niversity of Arizona have identified two new minerals from the Wessels Mine,
Kalahari Manganese Field, in north central South Africa. The material was produced in 2011, while
miners searched for the well-known gem sugilite from this locality.
The first of the new minerals is scottyite, named in honor of Michael M. “Scotty” Scott, the first CEO
of Apple Computer and gem collector extraordinaire. Scottyite forms millimetric masses of cobalt-blue
color without cleavage. It has the chemical formula BaCu2Si2O7, and orthorhombic symmetry. The
synthetic equivalent of scottyite has unusual magnetic properties, which makes it interesting to
semiconductor researchers. (Before Apple, Scott was director of manufacturing at N ational
Semiconductor.) More information and photographs are available at RRUFF
(http://rruff.info/scottyite/names/asc/). See also our 2005 profile of Scott’s collection at
Palagems.com (http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2005.htm#scott).
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/scottyite_lavinskyite_lg.jpg)
Blues brothers. Photographed here is a co-type specimen of both species, showing the intense blue mixture of
scottyite and lavinskyite in slate-blue richterite as well as the white pectolite matrix, 2.5 cm tall. Click
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/images/mineral_news/scottyite_lavinskyite_lg.jpg) to
enlarge. (Marcus J. Origlieri specimen and photograph)
Scottyite is associated with the second new mineral, lavinskyite, a lithium copper silicate related to
plancheite. The name honors Dr. Robert M. “Rob” Lavinsky, proprietor of the mineral superstore The
Arkenstone (http://irocks.com). Lavinskyite forms blue, bright acicular crystals, in association
with scottyite, richterite, and pectolite. More information and photographs are available at RRUFF
(http://rruff.info/lavinskyite).
The International Mineralogical Association (http://pubsites.uws.edu.au/ima-cnmnc/)

just approved the new mineral appellations in June 2012. Congratulations!
Michael Scott, left, and Rob Lavinsky, recently had new minerals named in their
honor.
A young Rob Lavinsky pictured in Christine Pfaff’s “Spotlight on
Juniors” column, Rocks & Minerals, Jan–Feb 1990.
RRU FF is an integrated database of

experimental mineral information, including
X -ray diffraction, electron microprobe, Raman
and IR spectroscopy of minerals. More
information here
(http://rruff.info/about/about_general.php)
(http://rruff.info/about/about_general.php).
[back to top]
Mickey Mouse from Uruguay
This is not the title of an outtake (http://youtu.be/RwUI-sBFkiU) by Irish badboy-rockers

Fatima Mansions. N o, Mouseketeers, we’re referring to a plus-sized geodic amethyst from Artigas, a
department in northern U ruguay. The photos of the Mickey-esque mammoth were sent to us by Sergio
Aramburu, of StonesAgateAmethyst.com (http://www.stonesagateamethyst.com),
purveyors of amethysts and agates from the region.
Eerie ears. This 11-ton amethyst contains 30 calcites, such as the one shown below.
(Photos: Sergio Aramburu)
According to the website, the amethysts in this region were formed 130 million years ago. These
formations were caused by gas-created cavities in lava, the walls of which gradually became encrusted
with the violet variety of quartz silica via entry of a water solution.
Hewn by Nature. This sculptural illuminated calcite obtained no repair. It weighs

39.4 kg and measures 27 cm in height. (Photo: Sergio Aramburu)
[back to top]
Pala Presents
The Igneous Rocks of the Mogok Stone Tract
Concluding Chapters of a PhD Dissertation by Kyaw Thu

some of the wealth of information in the realm of minerals and mineralogy.
In this installment, we present Chapters VII and VIII

(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/mogok5.php) of Kyaw Thu’s 2007 PhD dissertation,
which survey the petrogenesis and geochronology of the Mogok Stone Tract’s igneous rocks.
Five major sections are devoted to economic geology.
• Classification of Mogok Gemstone Deposits

• Gemstone Deposits in Pegmatite
• Gemstone Deposits in Syenite
• Peridot Deposits
• Gemstones in Skarn
The summary and conclusions are covered in seven sections.
• Objectives and Scope of the Research

• Geological Features
• Petrography
• Petrochemistry and Interpretations
• Petrogenesis
• Geochronology
• Gemstones
The Appendices consist of spectrographic images.

Figure 7.10. (a) Topaz crystal in pegmatite groundmass; (b) some big terminated
topaz crystals; (c) topaz crystal penetrates in quartz with muscovite at the base; (d)
unusual aquamarine cat’s eye, 90.80 carats, from Sakhan-gyi; (e) herderite crystal,
23.02 carats; (f) rough (120 g) and faceted (6.202 carats) yellow scheelites; (g) large
elongated quartz crystal (10 cm in length); (h) large goshenite crystal, 8 x 6 x 4 cm,
shows prism, pyramid and basal pinacoid
[back to top]
The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego

County Gemstone Miners
Part III of IV by Peter Bancroft
If you’ve already read our other offerings regarding the

turn-of-the-century tourmaline craze, don’t pass up the
third installment in Peter Bancroft’s profile of San Diego County’s Sickler family. It provides a look at
the role played by Southern California Chinese immigrants in that chapter of the region’s gemstone
trade.
Ah Quin, right, with an employer in Santa Barbara before settling in San Diego. In
the 1880s he would become a regular buyer of tourmaline from M. M. Sickler, for
export to China. (Photo courtesy Georgia Quin U ng)
Along the way, you’ll read of tourmaline-as-lotto-prize, knifings in the mines, a gunshot to the leg (via
the Agua Tibia Ranch— we’re not kidding), orphan miners, the demise of the Sickler flour mill and
more.
Part III concludes with the wanderings, both stateside and abroad, of kunzite discoverer Fred M.
Sickler, Sr., who eventually became fluent in a septet of tongues as he studied mineralogy in
Heidelberg, practiced journalism in Panama, and got mixed up in the Boer War, amongst other
escapades.
Read Part III of “The Sickler Family: Historic San Diego County Gemstone Miners
(http://www.store.palaminerals.com/sicklers3.php)” by Peter Bancroft. [back to top]
Recycle Bin
Three recent items from our sibling publication, Palagems Reflective Index
(http://www.store.palagems.com/gemnews), will be of interest to mineralophiles.
Dr. Shah’s Gem & Jewelry Stamp Museum
In late June, Dr. Rajnikant Shah unveiled a virtual museum devoted to postage stamps of gemstones,
minerals, jewelry, clocks, coins, and gold and silver. The museum database has over 10,000 items.
Visitors can easily filter down to an area of particular interest. A search function also is available.
From Kenya, this first day cover features stamps depicting galena, rhodolite, ruby,
grossular, fluorite, sapphire, tourmaline, aquamarine, trona, amazonite, gypsum,
kyanite, amethyst and agate. See
(http://www.stampsongemsandjewelry.com/StampDetails.aspx?
stampType=V&variationStampID=19536&stampID=13342) the website for
larger image. (Image courtesy Dr. R. Shah)
According to the website, Dr. Shah began collecting at school in Jaipur, India, in the year of the
country’s independence, 1947. The first stamps came from his parents, who lived in Burma. Thirty
years later, he found himself in the U nited States in his family’s profession: gemstones. The travel that
the business required gave him access to stamps from a variety of countries. In his choice of philatelic
themes, he brought together his hobby with his profession.
Visit Dr. Shah’s Gem & Jewelry Stamp Museum here

(http://www.stampsongemsandjewelry.com/). [back to top]
Pala’s Carranza Connection
The following was a postscript to last month’s gem news item

(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v2.php#emerald_czar) on the
Colombian emerald trade vis-à-vis the impending death of Victor Carranza, the country’s “Emerald
Czar.”
Pala International has owned and sold some of the world’s finest mineral specimens. As president Bill
Larson likes to muse there are no absolute criteria for what is the finest, but often a piece comes along
that is certainly revered. One such is the Y amile emerald specimen. Found in the Muzo mine and
named for Victor Carranza’s youngest daughter, it is now in the collection of businesswoman and
philanthropist Lyda Hill, perhaps destined to grace the hall of minerals in the Dallas Museum of
N ature and Science. (A merger of three Dallas museums, including the MN S, will result in a new
museum, opening in January, the Perot Museum of N ature and Science.)
Two views of the Y amile emerald mineral specimen. Above, photographed by
Rodrigo Moncada from his Colombian Jewelry – History & Art. Below,
photographed by Harold and Erica Van pelt, from Thompson’s Ikons.
Pala’s involvement began with Bill Larson being shown the piece in Munich in the late 1990s. The price
at that time was in the multi-millions of dollars. The interesting part for Larson was not only the two
large, superb colored emerald crystals typical of Muzo, but also that the mineral specimen had been
carefully removed from a pocket so that it retained perfect, large, beautiful twinned calcite crystals.
Pala followed the specimen until it resurfaced a few years later, at a considerably reduced price. This
time the piece was in possession of an emerald dealer who had supplied cut emeralds to Pala for years.
Larson suggested a unique situation: an offer of purchasing half and leaving Carranza with 50%
ownership. This deal was approved and Larson called upon his long-time friend Wayne Thompson to
purchase 25% . This he did. The emerald would later be featured on page 157 in Thompson’s now-
famous book Ikons: Classics and Contemporary Masterpieces of Mineralogy.
Then-GIA president Bill Boyajian holds the Y amile emerald specimen.
U pon seeing it, Boyajian told author-photographer Moncada that the
Y amile was the finest such specimen he had seen in his life. (Photo:
Rodrigo Moncada)
Pala cleaned the specimen and had several of the broken areas trimmed to near perfection. After
holding the specimen for a year, Pala sold the piece to Fine Minerals International. The profit was split
among the partners. Fine Minerals took the risk and trimmed away the few remaining flaws and then
later sold the specimen to Lyda Hill. Hopefully the public will be able to visit this great memory of the
Muzo mines and the legend of the Emerald Czar. [back to top]
Tourmaline Deposits of the Americas
From a lecture in Italy by Brian Cook
Brian Cook of N ature’s Geometry takes us on a tour of three famous mining regions accompanied by
some photos from geography to geology, from specimens to gems and jewelry.
Starting here in the U .S., Cook presents the two great tourmaline mining areas at the furthest
extremities of the country, from the blue and green tourmaline of Maine to the pink tourmaline of
Southern California. Then, heading south, we go to Brazil for the wild array of tourmalines, finishing
with an in-depth look at the most rare and famous tourmaline variety of all… paraiba.
Access the PDF of the presentation here

(http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_docs/cook_italy_talk.pdf) (13.4 MB).
Two slides from the presentation on tourmaline by Brian Cook. (Images courtesy
Brian Cook)
[back to top]
— End August Newsletter • Published 8/3/12 —
INDE X OF A LL ISS UE S ( /MIN- NE WS -IN DE X)
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info@palaminerals.com All items subject to prior sale.
(mailto:info@palaminerals.com)
The views expressed are those of the authors and
+1 800 854-1598 toll-free do not necessarily represent or reflect the views
+1 760 728-9121 main of Pala International.
+1 760 728-5827 fax
© 2017 Pala International
912 South Live Oak Park Road All worldwide rights reserved.
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Mineral and Mineralogy News

Shows and Conferences

Tucson Time: February 5–17, 2013

Pala joins nearly 100 exhibitors (http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gft-exhibitors.html) for

Event: AGTA GemFair (http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gemfair-tucson.html)

The event website now features an interactive floorplan

More than forty free seminars (http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gft-seminars.html) are

12th Annual Westward Look Mineral Show

Event: 12th Annual Westward Look Mineral Show

59th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

TGMS is the largest gem and mineral show in the country.

Event: 59th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

Tucson Transit Tips

Pala International News

Pala’s Featured Specimens: Aquamarine from Pakistan

Interested? Call or email us (mailto:info@palaminerals.com) to inquire. [back to top]

Ruby for Tourmaline: Blue-cap’s 40th

This year is the 40th anniversary of what one

That year, following world-class specimen

Mineral and Mineralogy News

Glass Act – Part Two

Gemstone models and specimens from Czechoslovakia

Lastly, a set of 24 gemstone specimens from Bohemia.

Medusa Emerald at Natural History Museum

Good as Gold: A Love of Labels

When we visited (http://www.store.palagems.com/gem_news_2012_v3.php#hugheses)

Everyone said I would never find the original Silliman (http://www.minrec.org/labels.asp?

In October, in our sibling publication, Elise reviewed a monograph on amethyst, isssued by

No. 16 in Lithographie’s monograph series is so visually luscious one’s mouth

The Pegmatyte Veins of Pala, San Diego County

With Pala Presents, we offer selections from the library

At the beginning of “The Pegmatyte Veins of Pala

Mad for Munich

And Pala pix…

The darling of German windowsills, “The Snail” is an approximately fist-sized

Gems & Gemology Features Pala Pieces

Pala International is cover star of the current

The luscious jumble of a ruby specimen pictured

The three faceted gemstones, from Pala

Will Larson shares a remarkable memory regarding acquisition of the specimen.

We stopped off to visit a

Haut Heels from Chanel

… display cases of jewelry perched on quartz crystals.

Gems from the Red Land

This month features “Gems from the Red Land,” an article

This eight-page piece— focusing on some of the 31 varieties

— End December Newsletter • Published 12/3/12 —

October 2012 Newsletter

Shows and Conferences

Pala International News

Mineral and Mineralogy News

Shows and Conferences

Mineralientage München 49th Munich Mineral Show

Pala International will be in Hall A6 Pavilion Booth 27

When: October 26–28, 2012

As usual, there are many activities (http://munichshow.com/en/the-munich-show/public-

This past week