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Jordi Fabre
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 Posted: Mar 10, 2014 13:52 Post subject: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference: https://www.nemineralconference.org/
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: May 07, 2014 16:34 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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I've been lucky enough to be invited to exhibit at the New England Mineral Conference. This is the mock-up with home made stands. The title is "A Trap Rock Suite - Minerals of the Trap Exposures of the North East". I hope the snow is gone, hate to waste a trip north by not poking around a bit.
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4899
Location: Barcelona
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| Posted: May 08, 2014 07:36 Post subject: New England Mineral Conference - THIS WEEKEND! |
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| Jeff Morrison wrote: |
Greetings Victor Rzonca, and all fellow mineral enthusiasts!
It’s not too late to come to the New England Mineral Conference being held at the Sunday River Conference Center in Newry, Maine on May 9th beginning at 2pm and Saturday between 9 and noon. If you are already registered, feel free to arrive early to see what the students are doing on Friday’s Education Day, and you can also visit the dealer wing and see the displays.
Many events on Friday are free. This year we have started what will be an annual event by inviting school students to produce posters on New England geology, compete for prizes and display their posters at the event. Come and see some great posters by our future geologist, mineralogists, collectors and miners. Along with the poster session, students will be able to go to different education stations to identify and learn about minerals. The dealer wing will be open to the general public along with the mineral display area. We have a very diverse group of dealers and they should have some great specimens and items for sale. I think you will also enjoy the displays with some of the fresh new tourmaline from 2013 being showcased along with other mineral specimens that are held in private collections and are rarely seen by the public. Free events are from 9-6:30pm Friday.
For the registered participants of the conference, there is a tour of the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum at 3:30pm on Friday and another at 9:00 am Sunday. You must have a paid registration and wear your name tag to get into this event. For those that want it, here will be a bus that will be going from the conference center to the museum both days. The bus will leave 15 minutes before the tour is to start so don’t be late. The bus will bring you back after the tour has ended. People can also take their own vehicles to the museum and we maps will be available at the registration desk. Please realize that the museum has not opened, and this is a behind the scenes tour…although rumor has it that they will be putting out some special displays for people to “ooh” and “aah” over.
Students who submitted posters are being encouraged to remain for the poster session from 4:30-6:00 pm. We encourage you to visit with them and ask questions. This should be educational for you and for them. I learned a few new things viewing the submitted posters.
The real excitement begins for the registered participants at 7:00 pm when Dr. Michael Wise of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Department of Mineral Sciences, talks on “New England Minerals in the National Gem and Mineral Collection” This should be a great talk as they have some wonderful material from New England. After Dr. Mike’s talk will be Sean and Lily Sweeny discussing (or singing) “Love on the Rocks”. Not really sure what this is about, but I am curious and it’s said it will be entertaining. Lily has been asking about some strange props for use during this presentation. You will have to come if you want to find out more.
After the talks, stop into the dealer wing for some mineral shopping, hanging out, conversing with friends, and new this year, visit the hospitality room with some light desserts and beverages. BYOB as the insurance man wanted my two best tourmaline crystals for payment if we served liquor. We all know that’s not going to happen.
Saturday is the big lecture day with Jim Nizamoff-“Waisanen Apatite’s”, Tom Mortimer-“Mineralogy of the Parker Mountain Mine, Center Stafford, New Hampshire”, Frank C. Perham-“Maine Pegmatite Mining Musings”, Ted Johnson-“The Branchville Pegmatite, Ringfield, Connecticut”, and Dr. Skip Simmons-“Recent Advances in the Study of the Mount Mica Pegmatite”. In case you haven’t yet gotten your fill of minerals, during the lunch break we will be having authors selling and signing books. The buzz is in the air with the biography on Frank Perham debuting at the conference. My wife said we had to get two copies because she wasn’t sharing hers. I don’t know if I should be jealous or not. Other authors and books available will be: Woody Thompson- The Geology of New Hampshire's White Mountains, Jim Clanin-The Fundamentals of Mining for Gemstones and Mineral Specimens, Bob Whitmore- The Pegmatite Mines Known as Palermo, Skip Simmons-Pegmatology, Bob Ritchie -A Sphere Maker's Craft, and Peter Cristofono- Rockhounding New England: A Guide to 100 of the Region's Best Rockhounding Sites. Fred Davis-U. S. Mica Industry Pioneer, CJ Stevens- Memoirs of a Maine Gold Hunter, The Next Bend in the River - Gold Mining in Maine, Maine Mining Adventures, and The Buried Treasures of Maine.
After the speakers, it’s live auction time. Last year there were some great items; this year looks to be the same with the silent auction following. Bid often and bid high. The money is going toward a great cause.
Dealers are open again late into the night with the hospitality room serving light snacks and beverages.
As stated before, Sunday morning offers another museum tour in case you didn’t get in on the first one, and also a field trip to one of the local mines. The trip location will be announced at the event. Cooking Carol will supply lunch on the field trip for anybody interested. You can sign up and pay for lunch at the registration table. Just remember to come hungry as she puts on quite a spread. I was so full after last year’s lunch that I could hardly move.
After the field trip you still have time to visit mom and give her a big hug and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. Better yet, bring her along to the conference and buy her a field trip visit! Who knows? Maybe she’ll find her own hunk of gem rough for a piece of jewelry!
Check us out on the web at https://www.nemineralconference.org/
We’ll be seeing you very soon!
Jeff Morrison, President
New England Mineral Association
207-232-4973
jmorris7(at)maine(dot)rr(dot)com
Our mailing address is:
PO BOX 33
EAST POLAND , ME 04230-0033
United States
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Don Lum
Joined: 03 Sep 2012
Posts: 2856
Location: Arkansas
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| Posted: May 08, 2014 09:32 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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| vic rzonca wrote: | | I've been lucky enough to be invited to exhibit at the New England Mineral Conference. This is the mock-up with home made stands. The title is "A Trap Rock Suite - Minerals of the Trap Exposures of the North East". I hope the snow is gone, hate to waste a trip north by not poking around a bit. |
Very nice display, Vic. I wish I could be there to see it in person.
Don
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jun 09, 2014 09:56 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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As part of the New England Mineral Conference the attendees were treated to a tour of the work done so far at the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum in Bethel, Maine. Not far from completion, the museum is going to be a great educational resource and exhibition of the incredible mining history of Maine. I'll apologize now for the poor quality of the images.
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| A beautiful remodel and new post and beam addition blends in perfectly with downtown Bethel. |
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| Yet to be stocked with piles of Maine tourmaline. |
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| The next four are a panorama of the first floor. |
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| Painters tape, not to be part of the final exhibit, give an idea of the layout. |
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| Trimmed, very good quality mica. One of the reasons pick was put to rock in the early days. |
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| Carl Fancis wearing his hat as docent. |
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| Carl lapses into a story about the one that got away. |
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| Nobody's believing a word of it. |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jun 09, 2014 10:24 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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Maine Mineral and Gem Museum.
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No. Carl is not recieving any mysical power from that quartz.
I think. |
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| Some of the real magic of Maine. |
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| Let me apologize again for the quality of image. |
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| This and the previous image are the same piece. Some really amazing things have come out of the dirt in Maine. |
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jun 09, 2014 13:03 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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On Sunday of the conference Jeff Morrison opened the Havey mine to those interested, and there was much interest. I'd personally like to thank Jeff, in this collectors forum, for his hospitality. To be able to get up close to a working gem mine was edifying. To be able reach your hand into cleavlandite mush and pull out piles of 10 cm. sized green tourmalines is an experience not to be missed. Unfortunately, I did miss it.
But I did find 2 mm. size pocket aquamarines and a nice grouping of pale purple fluorapatites to 3mm.. It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all. A mineral conference in the heart of Maine gem country should not be missed.
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| Jeff, leaning against the pick-up, with friends, excavator and compressor. Some of the tools needed for successful mining. |
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| Just below the pines in the distance is the location of my find. |
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| It was pretty much asses and elbows. I'm sure everyone found something to take home. |
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| Fred Wilda, mineral artist, with his back to us enjoys homemade chili and strawberry-rhubarb pie. Jeff chills in the lawn chair. |
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| MMMMM. Chili. MMMMMM Pie. Thanks again, Jeff, and everyone who put on the conference. Although I spent most of my time there in the woods searching out an old location, and finding it, I plan not to miss this gathering next year. |
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| Not all the snow was gone. |
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| Packing scrap mica at the ore shoot at our "lost location". The mine itself was another mile and a half into almost trackless wilderness. |
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On the way to the "lost location" Around a 6m. fall.
Thanks for your time. |
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Mike Wood
Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 456
Location: Northern England
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| Posted: Jun 09, 2014 16:06 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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Great report Vic. I really appreciate all the photo's. The day trip to the quarry/mine looks like it was a good experience. But I think I probably would have gone for a walk in the woods, like you did. I bet it was nice and quiet.
Mike
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John Cornish
Joined: 19 Oct 2009
Posts: 126
Location: Port Angeles
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| Posted: Jun 10, 2014 07:40 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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Hi Vic and All,
Thanks so much for including a report of the New England Mineral Conference to FMF. I'd heard of this event and was thrilled to see your report and to learn a bit more of this programs activities. Looks like a fun time and your display; wonderful!
One day we should actually meet, I see you driving by lots, at least in Tucson...
Again, thank you for posting your report! All the very best,
John
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vic rzonca
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 820
Location: MA
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| Posted: Jun 12, 2014 19:22 Post subject: Re: The Second Annual New England Mineral Conference |
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| Thanks Mike, it's a pleasure sharing on this site. John, we've come very close to meeting and we have some mutual friends. Maybe JSW, you and I could catch lunch in Denver. I'm a moving target in Tucson, as you know, and the five weeks I spend working at the show seems like five minutes.
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