Mineral Symposium at Tellus Science Museum
You probably haven’t been to a mineral symposium in so long you don’t even remember how much fun you had. Have I got good news for you!
Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville has a mineral symposium scheduled for Saturday, August 16th that’s even better than all the others you’ve seen — combined!
10 AM Mineral History of Graves Mountain,
Jose Santamaria
Graves Mountain is Georgia’s most famous and significant mineral locality. Continuously collected for more than 150 years, the site has produced world class specimens of rutile, lazulite, and iridescent hematite coating large quartz crystals, in addition to more than thirty other minerals. This talk will cover the mineralogy and geology of the site, as well as the personalities and incidents involved in its mineral history.
11 AM Beryl, Robert J. Lauf (lecture and book signing)
Beryl in its many color varieties is a favorite of both mineral collectors and gemologists. Superb examples are found at many locales worldwide, mainly in pegmatites and schists. Other members of the group are prized by species collectors and micromount enthusiasts. This talk explains how beryl is formed and the unique conditions that create fine aquamarines and emeralds.
For those interested, Bob Lauf will have his mineral books available for purchase and signing after the talk. This will include his book on Beryls.
*** 12:30 – 2 PM Break ***
2 PM The Colors of Natural Garnets – Every Color Now Available?, Dion Stewart
Garnet has nearly a dozen different individual species, each with a distinctive color and/or chemical composition. The names of any one species may vary depending upon whether one accepts to follow the color-first criteria of the jewelry trade or the composition criteria of the mineralogical profession. The talk will illustrate these sometimes conflicting approaches with views of many fabulous specimens from museums, private collections, and a variety of web-based images.