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10 Photo Tips • Jewelry Arts Expo Classes

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LAPIDARY JOURNAL

FEBRUARY MARCH 2007 2007

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Digital Images Work Online and in Print! www.lapidaryjournal.com

JewelryArts &

LAPIDARY JOURNAL

Serving Each Other

O

kay, I admit it: “Pixel Perfect,” our cover story on digital images that begins on page 24, is a tad self-serving. It isn’t just about helping us, though. It’s really about helping you promote yourself. Widely in use for several years, digital photography is now supplanting film photography at every level. The advantages are impressive: you can see the shot immediately and reshoot then and there, as often as you like, without wasting all that time and all those additional film and development costs. Digital images don’t require much physical storage space, and their required electronic memory is both available and cheap. You can instantly share images worldwide on the Web or in an e-mail. Above all, digital images are part of the future, part of the electronic medium that’s reshaping and will continue reshaping every industry, art, pastime, and academic pursuit in ways we can’t even imagine. One thing digital images are not, however, is part of the electronic world alone: they now dominate the world of print almost as much as they naturally dominate the Internet. And just as there are requirements for using digital images in electronic media, there are also requirements for using digital images in print — but the requirements differ, a point that seems to be very difficult to get across. I know. I’ve been one of the people who’s had trouble getting it, and I deal with using digital images in print every day. I’ve driven our graphic artists nuts by sending them digital images to use in a layout and then asking them why they’ve taken a scrumptious picture and reduced it to the size of a postage stamp. “The image is too small: that’s as big as we can run it.” “But I looked at it on my computer: it was huge and really sharp. What do you mean?” Oddly enough, they’ve been right and I’ve been wrong. Those images I looked at on my screen were huge and sharp and more than big enough to view large and at high resolution — in an electronic environment — but not, I’m afraid, when they’ve been condensed enough to view them in high resolution in print. What’s true for a page in a magazine is true for a business card, postcard, poster, or for that matter, a (nonelectronic) billboard. The reverse is also true. If you want to send people a quick look at your work, you don’t want to e-mail them a bunch of huge files that will take forever to open up and maybe crash their computers, because what’s big enough for print isn’t just more than enough for cyberspace, it can be the electronic equivalent of a fatal overdose. Whether you take your own photographs, get a friend to do it, or hire a pro, the more you understand about using digital images in different media, the better your chances are of successfully putting those images to use. Of course, if your better understanding of digital images just happens to mean sending more suitable images my way for possible publication, you’ll be making my life easier, too.

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EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Merle White Art Director Kevin Myers Managing Editor Helen I. Driggs Step by Step & Special Projects Editor Denise Peck Associate Editor Jane W. Dickerson Assistant Editors Kristen L. Gibson Sara E. Graham Special Assistant Editor June Culp Zeitner Contributing Editors Tom & Kay Benham Calendar Editor Megan Zborowski Foreign Correspondents Si & Ann Frazier Associate Art Director Michelle Gerdes Assistant Art Directors Patricia Butler Karen Dougherty BUSINESS Publisher Joseph Breck Business & Operations Manager Donna L. Kraidman Marketing Director David Weiman Marketing Services Manager Michele P. Erazo (610) 232-5710 E-mail: [email protected]

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BOOKS Publisher Linda Stark Editorial Director Tricia Waddell Art Director Paulette Livers Managing Editor Rebecca Campbell For questions regarding our book program, call (970) 669-7672 Monday-Friday, 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M. (MST) or e-mail [email protected]. Subscriptions Order Line/Customer Service: (800) 676-4336. Callers outside of the U.S. call (386) 447-6318. Lapidary Journal (ISSN:0023-8457) (USPS:304-940), is published monthly by Interweave Press LLC, 201 E. Fourth St., Loveland, CO 80537-5655. (970) 669-7672. Periodicals postage paid at Loveland, CO 80538 and additional mailing offices. Subscription rates: U.S. $29.95 for 12 issues; Canadian & foreign $41.95 (U.S.) surface mail; $83.95 (U.S.) air mail. Single issue, $4.99 Annual Buyers’ Directory $6.99 plus $4.50 shipping and handling, $11 international. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Lapidary Journal, Subscription Service, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235, (800) 676-4336, [email protected]. Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40929050. Return undeliverable Canadian address to: AIM, 7289 Torbram Road, Mississauga, ON L4T 1G8, Canada. Manuscripts and photographs are invited. For writers’ guidelines, call (610) 232-5715 or e-mail [email protected], subject line “writers’ guidelines.” Copyright © 2007 Interweave Press LLC, All rights reserved. Reproduction of this copyrighted material in any manner without the express written permission of Publisher is strictly forbidden. Lapidary Journal is not responsible for manuscripts, photographs or other material, whether solicited or not, unless a signed, prior written agreement is executed. All manuscripts, photographs or other material submitted will be conclusively presumed to be for publication unless accompanied by a written explanation otherwise. Once accepted by Publisher, materials become the sole property of Lapidary Journal, who has the unconditional right to edit or change material. All manuscripts, photographs or other material accepted by Publisher will be paid for at a rate solely determined by Publisher unless a signed, prior written agreement is obtained. No payment is owed until and unless work is published. Lapidary Journal is not responsible for any liability arising from any errors, omissions or mistakes contained in the magazine and readers should proceed cautiously, especially with respect to any technical information, for which Lapidary Journal does not warrant the accuracy and further disclaims liability therefrom.

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Questions, Answers, & Tips By Tom & Kay Benham, Contributing Editors

Etching Silver

Q::

I really enjoy your column of questions and answers. I have one. I bought some ferric nitrate nonahydrate in order to etch silver. I have used Etchant to etch copper and brass but thought that the ferric nitrate, as I was told, would work on silver. It did not. Perhaps there is someone out there who has had success with this and knows the proportions of powder to water in order to make it work. Edith Sommer, via e-mail Palo Alto, CA

A::

We found complete directions for etching silver with ferric nitrate nonahydrate powder on the Enamel Guild Web site: www.enamel guild.org/PhotoEtch.htm. Be sure to follow the safety warnings of adding the acid into a large of amount of water so the acid can disperse into the water evenly and, most importantly, to prevent an explosion. The acid mixture will only last two to three weeks and must be stored in an airtight, lightproof container. The directions indicate that the ferric nitrate acid takes seven to 12 hours to work. So, if you didn’t allow for this length of time that may have been the problem. Good luck. Source for Hand Faceters

Q::

Our lapidary group teaches hand faceting. Our numbers are increasing and we need a steady supply of five to six hand faceters a year. Unfortunately, we can’t find a manufacturer any longer, and wonder if you or your readers would know of a source. Peter Dawson, via e-mail Victoria, BC

A::

When we read Peter’s question we immediately thought about Jack Lahr’s Lap-Lap hand faceting unit. Unfortunately our emails to him were returned as non-deliverable. We contacted several sources in our attempt to track him down and finally contacted the

6 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, March 2007

Columbus Rock & Mineral Society in hopes that they could help us as Jack lived in that vicinity. Don Walker, Club President, was kind enough to respond and told us that Jack Lahr had died in February 2006. We were greatly saddened to learn of his death. Jack was a valuable member of the lapidary community and he will be missed. If any of our readers have suggestions for the Victoria Club please contact us. Drilling Stone

Q::

I have several beautiful amethyst and quartz slices that have the rough crystal edges around the outside edge. Rather than wirewrap them, I would prefer to drill a small hole (or holes) to utilize them in jewelry. Can I drill safely? I have a Dremel and diamond bits, including hollow diamond bits. Can you recommend any reference material that provides information on what stones are safe to drill without risking damage to them? Marilyn Valenti, via e-mail West Haven, CT

A::

First of all, Marilyn, when working with any stone there is never a guarantee that the stone will never crack or chip — that’s just a fact all lapidaries must deal with. Second, we would recommend that you not use your Dremel tool for this operation as the motor just runs too fast — generating too much heat for this process. We’ve answered questions about drilling stone in several of our columns, i.e. March 2004, February 2005, and as recently as October 2005. We recommend using a drill press and diamond bits for better control. We find we are able to drill dozens of holes by following these suggestions (from the October 2005 Jewelry Journal): (1) Use a good quality sintered diamond drill bit. (2) Drill only hard rock or glass, no metal.

(3) Drill at fairly slow RPMs. (4) Use water as a coolant. (5) Withdraw the diamond drill bit from the hole often to allow the fresh cooling water to flow in and flush out the waste material. (6) Use a small drill press. You’ll put less stress on your diamond drill bits and stone by using a drill press rather than hand drilling using a flexible shaft or electric drill. Just work slowly and deliberately and you shouldn’t have a problem. Putting too much pressure on the stone or rushing the process can cause fractures. Constantine Gems?

Q::

I have a box full of 15 various size and color gemstones that are faceted and they are encased in a brown box with a protective cover over them. The box reads “Constantine Gems” and was found in a large lot of antique jewelry that belonged to a man that traveled all over the world. He was also a very religious man, and several solid gold pieces of Judaica were also found in his collection. I have researched on the Internet; however, it always turns up information on Constantine the Great. Can you tell me anything about Constantine Gems or direct me to a back issue in your magazine? Davida Lawler, via e-mail Licking, MO

A::

Maybe our readers will be able to assist in your quest. Anyone know about Constantine Gems? Let us know. Re: Pickling, November, 2006

T::

I read a recent answer to a question about pickling that I thought needed a bit of clarification. In the answer, it was stated that it is generally considered a good practice to complete all soldering jobs prior to

n the jungles of backyard Salinas, California, my sister and I prowled the terrain, eagle-eyed, hunting for precious stones locked away inside ordinary-looking rocks. We spent hours digging and examining. The layers of sedimentary stones fascinated me; each had a different color, sometimes a different texture, always a different shape and slope than the ones above or below it. I knew that whatever I did when I grew up would be somehow tied to those stones. For years, I hungrily absorbed everything I could about gemstones and the metals shaped around them. I explored how jewelers through the ages have put their pieces together and discovered the difference between artistry and expedience. That discovery fuels my design. I want my designs to be so completely individual that each one projects its own message and purpose. I want it to draw gasps and wide-eyed amazement. To invite thought and ignore any boundary of what wearable art is and—always—to forge new pathways into the future.

Jeffrey Appling

phone 800.545.6566

www.riogrande.com

source code: ADLPJ

JEA Jewelry Palm Springs, California www.jeajewelry.com

jewelry journal

Questions, Answers, & Tips

we encourage you to do so. Besides being a knowledgeable, talented, and generous teacher, John is a delightful individual! In a nutshell, here are John’s reasons why not to pickle until all soldering operations have been completed:

pickling. Now, I’ve been designing and creating jewelry in gold, silver, and platinum for over 30 years and I have never heard of this. The pickling process is a way to ensure the metal is clean after it is soldered by removing oxides from the surface. Anyone who has worked in silver knows that the surface will get discolored with oxides after soldering and simply immersing them in water will not be adequate to ensure the solder flows on the next goaround. I pickle my pieces, both silver and gold, after every solder job and I have never had problems with firescale or my solder not flowing properly. Certainly, it is best to let your pieces cool a bit before dropping them in the pickle, but in my opinion, pickling after every solder job is the only way to go! Gary Youngberg, Ames Silversmithing, via e-mail Ames, IA

A::

Gary, your e-mail gave us cause to reflect. We’ve been following this procedure for years because it works; however, we were unable to locate any reference to explain or support this practice, so we contacted one of our instructors, John Cogswell, for his assistance. John is a studio goldsmith and educator currently teaching at SUNY New Paltz. He previously taught at Parsons School of Design, NYC, is a former Director of the Jewelry and Metalsmithing Department of the 92nd Street Y, NYC, and a frequent instructor at the Florida Society of Goldsmiths workshops. If any of our readers ever have an opportunity to participate in one of John’s workshops, 8 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, March 2007

“(1) Solder is an alloy of brass and silver. The brass, in turn, is an alloy of zinc and copper. When solder melts and flows, the zinc converts from solid to liquid, then to gas (because at the solder melting temperature, the zinc volatilizes). The zinc exits the seam as microscopic bubbles. When the flame is removed, the solder (all metallic elements, including the residual zinc) resolidifies. Any gaseous bubbles that made it all the way out are not a problem. However, partial, emergent bubbles at the surface are spherical pits (we call it porosity) which entrap pickle. All solder seams have porosity! It’s a by-product of the outgassing of the volatilized zinc. That’s why we always fit our seams as carefully as possible, to limit visibility as well as the number of little pickle traps. (Have you ever seen green solder seams on pieces created when humidity reactivates the entrapped pickle?) The pickle in these little reservoirs is virtually impossible to rinse out or neutralize (picture a basketball with one tiny hole, filled to capacity with water. Since this basketball is embedded in solid metal, you can’t squeeze the water out, nor introduce additional liquid to rinse it out.) This entrapped pickle can keep a seam from being reflowed. (2) The non-ferrous metals with which we usually construct our pieces (silver, gold, etc.) are not generally soluble, when clean, in our standard pickle solutions, unless left submerged for excessive lengths of time. However, once subjected to the heat of soldering, the surface layers unite with oxygen, creating metallic oxides which are soluble. When these oxides (copper oxide and zinc oxide in silver and gold solders) are dissolved away,

cleaning the metal, they leave a layer of pure metal (silver or gold) on the surface. This allows us to raise the fine silver or gold on a completed piece, but when additional solderings are required, this layer of pure metal (which melts at a substantially higher temperature than the solder) prevents the solder from reflowing without superheating the piece. (3) When zinc is pickled out of a solder seam, the chemistry is changed (i.e., the melting temperatures are raised). (4) Most people think it is necessary to pickle to remove the flux. Tetra borate-based fluxes (borax, boric acid, etc.) are hydroscopic (absorb moisture). As they do so, they get sticky. However, they are easily removed with plain old hot water. No need to pickle. Simply using only the outer tip of the flame (the reduction zone) + fresh flux + no entrapped pickle permits easy resoldering and reflowing. The reducing atmosphere and flux remove oxides. Multiple soldering operations are possible without intermittent pickling.” Contributing Editors Tom & Kay Benham are active lapidaries, goldsmiths, and members of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths and the Pinellas (FL) Geological Society. They teach intarsia at the William Tom and Kay Benham Holland School of Lapidary Arts (GA) and Wildacres Retreat (NC), and metalsmithing in the Orlando area. Their projects appear regularly in Step by Step.

now

@

lapidaryjournal.com Have questions or tips you’d like to submit to Jewelry Journal? Please send them to Kristen Gibson, Jewelry Journal, c/o Lapidary Journal, 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, or to [email protected], subject line “Jewelry Journal.” If contacting us by e-mail, please be sure to let us know your city and state or country. We’d like to know where our readers are!

Tenth Masters Symposium Mark your calendar for a rare opportunity to learn from master artisans in Plique-áJour Enameling, Filigree Wirework, Japanese Inlay, Textile Techniques in Metal, Argentium®, and Dental Techniques during the Revere Academy’s 2007 Masters Symposium held from April 7 through April 29. Eight master craftspeople from around the world will be teaching two and five-day workshops in their specialized areas, with classes offered for all levels. Instructors include Japanese master metalsmith Naohiro Yamada, teaching traditional Japanese Inlay and Engraving techniques, Arline Fisch, Cynthia Eid, and Harold O’Connor. Each week, a Wednesday evening slide/reception for the visiting masters will be open to the public. For more information, contact the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, 760 Market Street, Suite 900, San Francisco, Ca. 94102. Phone (415) 391-4179, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.revereacademy.com.

11

F A C E T S

Flawless and Innovative The jewelry of Navajo jeweler Yazzie Johnson and Santo Domingo/Laguna jeweler Gail Bird is featured in the exhibition Shared Images: The Jewelry of Yazzie Johnson and Gail Bird, on view through July 9, 2007, at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. For more than 30 years, Johnson and Bird have collaborated to created elegant earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces and their best-known work, thematic belts. Shared Images takes a chronological look at their work and process, including a firsttime collection of 43 belts — some designed and debuted specifically for the annual Santa Fe Indian Market each year since 1979. A catalogue covering the exhibition will be available at the Heard Museum Shops. The Heard Museum is located at 2301 N Central Ave., Phoenix, Az. 85004.

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Facets is compiled and written by Helen I. Driggs, Managing Editor. Submissions may be directed to her, c/o Lapidary Journal, 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, or by e-mail: [email protected].

12 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, March 2007

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cool tools By Helen I. Driggs, Managing Editor

Stake a Claim P

icture this: morning sun streaming into the studio across the bench and dancing across a rack, heavily laden with mirrorpolished stakes — lined up like chessmen awaiting their turn to come into play. For most of us, the only time we see this picture is when we first begin to study the art of metalsmithing — in a well-equipped or well-financed university shop, in a master’s studio, or only after a lifetime of careful acquisition — a stake or two a year, saved hard for, carefully chosen and lovingly maintained. Face it: quality tool steel is expensive, and stakes and anvils are the cream of the crop. You can replicate some kinds of stakes with ingenuity or you can adapt your existing setup if inherited or second-hand tools come your way. Here’s what two of our experts had to say.

Jack Berry Delrin™ is a hard plastic that can easily be made into a very effective anticlastic stake. Starting with a Delrin™ rod of a suitable diameter you can remove sections using a spinning rasp bit in a drill press.

This shows how a “stop” fashioned from a carpenter’s square and C-clamps can be used to stabilize the Delrin™ rod on the drill press table. The rod is held against the “stop” on the left side to avoid moving the rod sideways while it is pushed into the spinning rasp bit. The rod is then rotated forward while the bit removes the plastic. This action cuts an anticlastic surface into the rod. One anticlastic axis is determined by the diameter of the rasp which can be varied and the other axis is 14 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, March 2007

determined by the rod rotation which you control and can vary. Here are five different sections with varying axes. The white dot at the left end was used to judge the rotation process while removing the plastic. This rod is 1 1⁄8" in diameter. Larger diameter rods can be used to make larger stakes. If cuts of a larger diameter than the rasp are desired you can move the stop and make another cut overlapping the first cut giving a wider anticlastic surface. This is a close view of another smaller rod of 3⁄4" diameter. This was cut with a 1 ⁄2" diameter rasp and was cut deeply enough so the remaining central area of the 3⁄4" rod is only 0.35" in diameter. This anticlastic surface was used to create the “saddle form” from a 0.8" diameter circle of 26 gauge sterling silver seen below.

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Jack Berry is the author of Repetitive Micro-Fold Forms Using an Industrial Tube Wringer: Small Scale Applications for Jewelry and Sculpture and has demonstrated and taught micro-fold forming around the country. He is also Professor Emeritus at California State University in Long Beach.

Marne Ryan Marne uses a rubber doorstop as a wedge when the stake plate and tang don’t quite fit. I thought this was brilliant, but then she gave me four even better tips worth their weight in gold: •Cut some neoprene (from an old wetsuit or mousepad) into a donut shape with the inner hole the diameter of a ball dap. Stack several for greater thickness. When inserted into the vise, the lower surface of the dap will then be protected from marring by the vise jaws. •Use rubber wall corners from the home store to make custom vise guards. Their 90-degree angle and self-stick tape make the corners easy to fit on any vise. •Plastic or wooden wedges from the hardware store make it easy to fit a square stake tang into a round plate hole (or vise versa). They also prevent wobbling during hammering. •Rubber self-stick tape from the sporting goods store (for golf clubs or tennis racquets) will cushion the grip on hammer handles. Marne Ryan began her career as a repair jeweler. She has developed a distinctive style using fused and textured metals, the rolling mill, hammers, and a wide array of stakes and anvils. She lives in Anaheim, Calif., and her work can be seen at www.marneryan.com.

Next Time: Snips and Handcutters Cool Tools is a regular feature of Lapidary Journal. If you have a tool you would like featured, a useful tool modification, or interesting bench trick to suggest, or, if you’d like to join our studio of experts, contact Helen Driggs, Managing Editor, Lapidary Journal, 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, or [email protected], subject line “Cool Tools.” Please include your complete contact information with all submissions.

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ROCKCORNER

Malachite Stalinist fantasy & Venus passing By Claus Hedegaard

M

alachite is an amazing mineral! It is colorful, abundant, a good ore, makes superb cutting rough and it is cheap, too! During the past 15 to 20 years we have been spoiled by an abundance of excellent malachite specimens and a reasonable supply of cutting rough, but that is a fairly recent feature. Let us rewind. As always, we reach back to Pliny for references to minerals in antiquity. He describes the green stone molochitis, named for the herb mallow (used as a cough suppressant and expectorant) which has a saturated, green color. The name molochitis transformed to malachites and wound up as the modern mineral name malachite through the work of the famous mineralogist Werner. However, the names are not congruent: particularly dense, green malachite was often called emerald in antiquity — as were many other green stones — and particularly crusty and bubbly malachite was sometimes called chrysocolla. Solinus, who probably lived around the third century, says in his Collectanea rerum memorabilium (Collection of strange things) that the Arabs valued malachite for its ability to ward off evil spirits. Today, views of that nature would be regarded as absurd. The first gem and craft malachite was produced at a couple of mines at Nizhni Tagil in Ural (Russia). Originally, malachite was quarried as copper ore, but the French astronomer Chappe d’Auteroche described and illustrated the beauty of malachite in the description of his travels through Ural in

1761. The French Académie Royale des Sciences appointed Chappe d’Auteroche to accept an invitation from the Russian Imperial Academy of Science to observe a transit of Venus on June 6, 1761, from Tobolsk, in the Ural Mountains. Chappe d’Auteroche had to travel many months to reach his destination — the short stretch from Paris to Strassbourg took eight days, and all his instruments were ruined upon arrival! His party had to cross the Ural Mountains during winter and that is when he came to Nizhni Tagil. He was a dedicated, almost manic worker — nowadays he would have been diagnosed and given treatment! Describing an unusual ornamental stone in Russia was part of a day’s work for Chappe d’Auteroche, and publishing a travel account was the way to do things in the mid 18th century. Malachite gained immediate popularity as an ornamental stone with the nobility. By far the best known use of Russian malachite is for the malachite room in the Hermitage (a.k.a. the Winter Palace) in St. Petersburg. It was designed and constructed by Alexander Briullov (1830-1840) as an official reception room for Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, wife of Czar Nicholas I. The room is decorated with eight columns and eight pilasters of malachite, plus candelabra, a large bowl, and vases, all made from malachite. More than two tons of malachite were used to decorate the room. European royalty and several churches also acquired important malachite objects during the18th and 19th centuries. I

Top: Globular malachite from Nizhni Tagil (Ural, Russia). Above left: Altar, decorated with malachite and lapis Lazuli, gilt angels, etc., in Basilica San Paolo fuori la Mura in Roma (Lazio, Italy). Above right: A druse of blocky malachite crystals in a piece of massive cuprite from Tsumeb Mine (Tsumeb, Tsumeb District (Oshikoto Region), Namibia). Ex. collection Claus Hedegaard. 16 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, March 2007

An approximately 6 cm box, carved by Nicolai Medvedev from charoite with inlaid malachite and auriferous quartz. Displayed at the Star Pass mineral show in Tucson, 2003.

have often admired the malachite altars (yes, plural!) in the Basilica San Paolo (Roma, Italy), which combine malachite, lapis, and gold into opulent demonstrations of wealth in the adoration of God. Alas, today it is over. The Nizhni Tagil deposits are depleted and I have hardly ever seen an unpolished, Russian specimen. As producer of cutting rough, the Nizhni Tagil mines were important, producing up to 80 tons of material at their peak, including the world’s largest piece, weighing 46 tons! However, good material was depleted before 1900, leaving pieces just two to three centimeters thick. Lower grade malachite was — and is — used for green pigment in paint. Most of the cut and cuttable malachite we see today comes from the Southern Congo province Shaba. Small volumes of superb rough have been found in Arizona — inName: Malachite from cluding what must be the Greek malake for the herb most beautiful stalactite mallow — hollyhock, (Malva slabs. silvestris) in reference to the green color. Collectible malachite Formula: Cu2[(OH)2ICO3] tends to be sparse. It ocColor: Saturated green; even curs in practically every very thin needles are copper mine or prospect green, crystals blackish in the world — most of green the green crud on, at, or Luster: Silky to dull near copper mines is Streak color: Green malachite, but evidently, Mohs’ hardness: 4 hardly any of it is worth Specific gravity: 4.0 having except as ore. Fine, Crystal system: Monoclinic acicular needles and tufts Cleavage: (001) Good of needles are abundant in some mines, but choice malachite crystals are not. “Real” malachite crystals — simple, monoclinic, blocky crystals — larger than two to three millimeters are quite unusual. Several mines in Shaba have produced choice specimens during the past 15-20 years. I have a soft spot for the clusters of dark green, lustrous crystals on pale blue chrysocolla from Mashamba West myself, though the malachite stalactites, overgrown by dark, blocky crystals from Kolwezi, are more showy. Most large malachite ‘crystals’ are pseudomorphs after azurite, and superb specimens are known from Tsumeb (Tsumeb District, Oshikoto Region, Namibia), Kerrouchen (near Rabat, Morocco), and particularly the Touissit-Bou Beker area in Northern Morocco. I believe you could form an interesting and highly worthwhile collection of malachite with a bit of diligence, even on modest means. ◆ Claus Hedegaard has a Ph.D. in biology and spends most of his time traveling the world to buy and sell minerals. He has a comprehensive collection of worldwide minerals but believes information is as much part of collecting as are specimens.

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CLOSEOUT

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INDEX TO VOLUME 60 The following section contains two different indexes to Volume 60. One index is organized by author, and lists article title, page number, month, and year under each author’s name. The subject index contains the same information but is arranged by article category. Author Index Barber, Jeff Talisman Bead, 70, 10-06 Beauford, Robert Chain Reaction, 36, 6-06 Benham, Tom and Kay You Mean We Can Only Pick 10?, 42, 7-06 Blair, Thomas Drilling Pearls, 43, 10-06 Bleess, James L. Grape Jelly Crystals, 58, 5-06 Blythe-Hart, Helen Set It and Forget It, 28, 2-06 Silver and Gold Platform Ring, 36, 2-06 Burger, Falk Sunshine Underground, 28, 4-06 Buying Gem Rough, 36, 3-07 Dodson, Martina Glowing Heart Pendant, 42, 2-06 Dosch, Wolfe Fairy Tale Linked Bracelet, 46, 12-06 Driggs, Helen I. Mad About Mesh, 18, 2-06 The Pin Is In, 26, 9-06 Bring on the Beads, 47, 10-06 Hammered Silver Beads, 83, 10-06 Treasure from the Sierra Madre, 29, 11-06 Pixel Perfect, 24, 3-07 Durstling, Hans Mystery of the Small-Town Ruby, 33, 11-06 Fago, Celie Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part I, 74, 5-06 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part II, 46, 6-06 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part III, 61, 7-06 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part IV, 45, 8-06 Fretz, William Hollow Form Bezel Ring, 57, 7-06 Gage, Holly Beauty and the Beastly Smell, 65, 5-06 Geltman, Elizabeth Glass Paper Dolls Cuff Bracelet, 78, 5-06 Gollberg, Joanne Wrap Around, 35, 4-06 Graci, Nina Ordered Elegance, 14, 6-06 Letting in the Light, 26, 8-06 Practicing Perfection, 30, 9-06 Haag, Terri Kings of (non) Bling, 42, 5-06 Rocket Science at the Jeweler’s Bench, 24, 6-06 Fool for Cool Tools, 22, 7-06 Hawes, Ernie Star of the Southwest, 52, 2-06 Hedegaard, Claus Mother of All Pearls, 36, 10-06 Hildebrand, Arlene Wearing It My Way, 81, 5-06 Jacobson, Hadar Textured Woven Earrings, 40, 6-06 Teach Your Old Tools New Tricks, 37, 7-06 Metal Mechanical Parts, 52, 7-06 Paper, Rock, and Thread, 76, 10-06 Domino Earrings, 36, 1-07

Jarvis, Mary Carmen Miranda Bead, 51, 9-06 Jerman-Melka, Julie Pebble Earrings, 46, 11-06 Klein, Glenn Playing the Angles, 32, 2-06 Knight, Inara Shard and Simple, 42, 11-06 Kolodny, Boris Practical Gem Photography, 22, 4-06 Lyon, Linda Oceanic Organic Lampwork Beads, 80, 10-06 Martin, Terry Lee Catch a Falling Star, 48, 3-07 McMahon, Janice Magnetic Attraction, 89, 5-06 Moran, Sarah Velvety Sparkly, 73, 10-06 O’Daugherty, Stone Corundum in Silver, 41, 1-07 Osburn, Annie The Long and Short of It, 24, 2-06 Carved Creations, 14, 4-06 The Sum of Its Parts, 38, 9-06 Magic & Ancient Metals, 20, 12-06 Pascal, John Sliding Pinwheel, 52, 1-07 Patania, Sam Press Formed Brooch, 40, 3-07 Rappa, Gail River Stone Pin with Floating Key, 38, 4-06 Rediske, Arthur C. Ring Within a Ring Earrings, 54, 12-06 Riger, Stephanie Hammered Earrings, 44, 3-07 Saari, Cynthia Getting the Skinny, 40, 8-06 Schneider, Edith Big Lentil, 32, 4-06 Scott, Larry You Don’t Think This Is Art, Do You?, 52, 5-06 Shimazu, Donna E. Powder Separation Moldmaking, Part I, 48, 1-07 Powder Separation Moldmaking, Part II, 48, 2-06 Thiel, Leslie Curved Beads, 58, 12-06 Thompson, Sharon Elaine Fortunate Fiascos, 34, 5-06 Beguiled by Their Beauty, 29, 7-06 What’s A Cushion Cut, Really?, 22, 8-06 Coming Clean, 36, 11-06 Crafts at a Crossroads, 30, 12-06 Better Together, 37, 12-06 When You Want White Metal, 29, 3-07 Turet, Douglas M. The Princess Leila Cut, 43, 4-06 The Emerald Cushion, 85, 5-06 Zip 2B Square, 43, 6-06 Stan’s Sparkler, 67, 7-06 The Turbo-Prep Twelve, 43, 8-06 The Tri-Factor Eight, 54, 9-06 Joy & Celebration, 88, 10-06 The Bender Brilliant, 58, 11-06 The Zircillion 7, 61, 12-06 Wade, Suzanne Catching the Female Eye, 46, 5-06

Lost in (Cyber) Space?, 18, 6-06 The Craft at What Cost?, 30, 8-06 Keeping in the Black with Gold, 18, 1-07 Walsen, Priscilla Quilt Blocks in Stone, 50, 11-06 White, Merle Rocks 24/7, 26, 12-06 Whittington, Jean Spinning Rings, 46, 9-06 Woods, Kate What’s Next for Benitoite, 30, 1-07 Zborower, Joyce Sterling Forged Necklace, 36, 8-06 Zirinsky, Mark You Don’t Have to Buy Them, You Know, 41, 12-06

Subject Index Artist Profile Carved Creations, 14, 4-06 Magic & Ancient Metals, 20, 12-06 Ordered Elegance, 14, 6-06 Practicing Perfection, 30, 9-06 Sum of Its Parts, The, 38, 9-06 Awards/Competitions 2006 Bead Arts Awards, 52, 10-06 2006 Jewelry Arts Awards, 34, 9-06 2007 Gemmys Awards, 24, 1-07 Bead Pictorial Bring on the Beads, 47, 10-06 Business Beguiled by Their Beauty, 29, 7-06 Keeping in the Black with Gold, 18, 1-07 Lost in (Cyber) Space?, 18, 6-06 Craft Fortunate Fiascos, 34, 5-06 Mad About Mesh, 18, 2-06 Design Kings of (non) Bling, 42, 5-06 Long and Short of It, The, 24, 2-06 Expedition Grape Jelly Crystals, 58, 5-06 Faceting Playing the Angles, 32, 2-06 From the Field Treasure from the Sierra Madre, 29, 11-06 Gems/Minerals What’s Next for Benitoite?, 30, 1-07 Issues and Answers Craft at What Cost, The?, 30, 8-06 Crafts at a Crossroads, 30, 12-06 You Don’t Think This Is Art, Do You?, 52, 5-06 Marketing Catching the Female Eye, 46, 5-06 Materials Mother of All Pearls, 36, 10-06 When You Want White Metal, 29, 3-07 Metalsmithing Set It and Forget It, 28, 2-06 Minerals Sunshine Underground, 28, 4-06 Photography Practical Gem Photography, 22, 4-06 Pictorial Masters of Metal & Stone, 24, 11-06

Continued on page 20 19

MEDIA

Continued from page 19

REVIEWS

The Smale Collection; Beauty in Natural Crystals, by Steve Smale and Jeff Scovil, Lithographie, LLC, 2006. Hardcover, 11.8" x 11.8". 204 pages, $50.00. ISBN 0-9715371-8-6. Reviewed by Mick Cooper. This is a rare book: it’s big, beautiful, well designed, printed in full color throughout to a high standard, with sewn signatures and a hard cover and it’s only $50! If you’re interested in fine minerals, you need read no further — just go out and buy it. Steve Smale is well known in the rarefied world of high mathematics; a man who has garnered plaudits and professorships throughout the world for his work. Since 1969 he and his wife Clara have also been collectors of fine minerals, devoting much energy into amassing one of the finest private collections of minerals in the world today. Their collection contains some 2,000 pieces, of which some 100 are presented here in fine fullpage photographs taken by Steve Smale himself and by Jeff Scovil, arguably the finest exponent of mineral specimen photography in the world today. Jeff’s love of the color and architecture of crystals is as well demonstrated here as is the Smales’ connoisseurship, and it’s good to see his contribution given proper credit. This is not a scientist’s mineralogy. There is little account of the actual occurrence beyond a few references for further reading, no formulae, no crystallography. What we have instead is akin more to a catalogue of works of the sculptor’s art, restricted to the history of the specimen’s acquisition and subsequent movement from collection to collection, along with a list of publications in which it has featured. This is vital information to those, like me, interested in the history of collecting and convinced of the great care that should be taken to record the life of great — and not so great — specimens. Nor are the Smales scientific collectors; their criteria for collecting are simple, as Steve Smale writes in his short in20 LAPIDARY JOURNAL, March 2007

troduction: “beauty . . . is the fundamental quality of a great mineral specimen.” He goes on to give a few details of what is important in a fine piece and to stress the concept of “economy” which, he explains, “demands that every part of a specimen plays a part in its presentation.” To this end some specimens have apparently been expertly trimmed to Steve Smale’s own design, moving them yet closer to the world of sculpture. I have to express one or two disappointments. For example, I would’ve liked to have been told a bit more about the status of a specimen compared to its peers. I find Smale’s argument for ignoring species names or eschewing specimen descriptions unconvincing; and one or two pieces are let down by the photographs — for example, the incredible Sweet Home mine rhodochrosite which looks very dull here, yet in real life must be astonishing. But these are small complaints. On most of the occasions that I take this book from the shelf — or lift it from the coffee table if I ever get one — it will be to remind me of a specimen’s appearance or to enjoy a good image one more time. For me then, this is a fine book, and a worthy addition to the library of anyone interested in fine minerals and fine specimen photography. I will close with a quote from leading British mineral dealer John Mawe (1766-1829), who wrote in 1816: “Can any mind be so vacant or insensible, as not to notice the correct forms which minerals present? They are the geometry of nature clothed in mathematical exactitude.” I am sure Steve Smale would agree. Mick Cooper

Mick Cooper has been Registrar of Nottingham City Museums and Galleries for the last 14 years, where he is able to exercise his multiple interests in science, history, and art.

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lapidaryjournal.com For previously published Media Reviews, visit us online at www.lapidaryjournal.com/books/. Lapidary Journal welcomes books, videos, CDs, and other media products for review. Send review copies to: Lapidary Journal Media Reviews, 300 Chesterfield Parkway, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, attn: Kristen Gibson.

Show Preview Rocks 24/7, 26, 12-06 Step by Step Projects Bender Brilliant, The, 58, 11-06 Big Lentil, 32, 4-06 Carmen Miranda Bead, 51, 9-06 Catch a Falling Star, 48, 3-07 Chain Reaction, 36, 6-06 Corundum in Silver, 41, 1-07 Curved Beads, 58, 12-06 Domino Earrings, 36, 1-07 Emerald Cushion, The, 85, 5-06 Fairy Tale Linked Bracelet, 46, 12-06 Getting the Skinny, 40, 8-06 Glowing Heart Pendant, 42, 2-06 Hammered Earrings, 44, 3-07 Hammered Silver Beads, 83, 10-06 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part I, 74, 506 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part II, 46, 606 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part III, 61, 7-06 Hinged Metal Clay Box Pendant Part IV, 45, 8-06 Hollow Form Bezel Ring, 57, 7-06 Joy & Celebration, 88, 10-06 Magnetic Attraction, 89, 5-06 Metal Mechanical Parts, 52, 7-06 Paper Dolls Cuff Bracelet, 78, 5-06 Paper, Rock, and Thread, 76, 10-06 Pebble Earrings, 46, 11-06 Powder Separation Moldmaking, Part I, 48, 107 Powder Separation Moldmaking, Part II, 48, 2-06 Press Formed Brooch, 40, 3-07 Princess Leila Cut, The 43, 4-06 Quilt Blocks in Stone, 50, 11-06 Ring Within a Ring Earrings, 54, 12-06 River Stone Pin with Floating Key, 38, 4-06 Shard and Simple, 42, 11-06 Silver and Gold Platform Ring, 36, 2-06 Sliding Pinwheel, 52, 1-07 Spinning Rings, 46, 9-06 Stan’s Sparkler, 67, 7-06 Star of the Southwest, 52, 2-06 Sterling Forged Necklace, 36, 8-06 Talisman Bead, 70, 10-06 Textured Woven Earrings, 40, 6-06 Tri-Factor Eight, The, 54, 9-06 Turbo-Prep Twelve, The, 43, 8-06 Velvety Sparkly, 73, 10-06 Wearing It My Way, 81, 5-06 Wrap Around, 35, 4-06 Zip 2B Square, 43, 6-06 Zircillion 7, The, 61, 12-06 Technique Letting in the Light, 26, 8-06 Trendspotting The Pin Is In, 26, 9-06 Workshop Beauty and the Beastly Smell, 65, 5-06 Better Together, 37, 12-06 Buying Gem Rough, 36, 3-07 Coming Clean, 36, 11-06 Drilling Pearls, 43, 10-06 Fool for Cool Tools, 22, 7-06 Mystery of the Small-Town Ruby, 33, 11-06 Pixel Perfect, 24, 3-07 Rocket Science at the Jeweler’s Bench, 24, 6-06 Teach Your Old Tools New Tricks, 37, 7-06 What’s A Cushion Cut, Really?, 22, 8-06 You Don’t Have to Buy Them, You Know, 41, 12-06 You Mean We Can Only Pick 10?, 42, 7-06 Also available online are indexes 47-59, beginning in April 1993. Visit www.lapidary journal.com/archive/toc_home.com.

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