Kitchener-Waterloo Gem and Mineral Club
The Kitchener-Waterloo Gem and Mineral Club was formed in 1965.
For more than forty years, our club has brought together people
who have an interest in the lapidary arts and in collecting
rocks, minerals, and fossils.
Members are residents of Kitchener, Waterloo, Guelph,
and other communities in Waterloo and Wellington Counties, Ontario.
The club meets on a monthly basis at the Waterloo Community Arts Centre in
Waterloo. Meetings include speakers, workshops and the ever-popular monthly
raffle for gems and minerals.
Special events include picnics, pot-luck suppers and field trips.
The club also provides a forum for an exchange of information
and ideas about the hobby. We also promote safe and responsible collecting,
and we work with other federation clubs to secure more collecting areas.
Our club is a member of the Central
Canadian Federation of Mineralogical Societies (CCFMS).
Celestine and Calcite, Dundas Quarry, Dundas, Ontario
Sphalerite, Niagara Canal Dumps,
Montrose Road, Niagara Falls, Ontario
Silver, Nipissing 404 Mine, Cobalt, Ontario
Meetings
Future Meetings
- Friday, February 3 2012: our own Stephanie Martin will speak on "The Wonderful World of Zeolites". Ulymar Rocha will give a mini-talk about his
new salt spa.
- Friday, March 3 2012: our own Aimee Partlow will speak on "Galapagos
- A Gem because of Geology".
- Friday, April 13 2012: the date is changed because April 6 is Good Friday.
Coming later in 2012: Nick Giavanti,
speaking on "Inclusions in Brazilian Gem Stones",
Chris van Donkelaar, and more ...
Past Meetings
- Friday, January 7, 2011: Soapstone carving workshop with Kelly Ganci and
Stan Jones. Mini-talk on soapstone carving by Stan Jones.
- Friday, February 4, 2011: Main talk: "The Francona Quarry" by
Bill Lechner of the Walker Mineralogical Club, Toronto. Mini-talk: "Identifying
gemstones from reclaimed jewellery" with Karen Fox.
- Friday, March 4, 2011: Main talk: "Yukon Gold Mining" by Aimee
Partlow.
- Friday, April 1, 2011: Main talk: "Reconstructing Dinosaurs, Paleontological
Art for the Museum Industry" with speaker Mark Rehkopf. Mini-talk: "Colourful
micro mineral collecting- Smithsonite, Vanadinite, and Wulfenite" with
Peter Russell.
- Friday, May 6 2011: Marja Veldhoen, Gecko Beads, St. Jacobs, ON: "The art
of beading". Mini-talk: "Mineral hunting escapades" by Robert Land.
- Friday, June 3 2011: Club picnic and tour of Cambridge stone, led by
Peter Russell and Stan Jones.
- Friday, September 9 2011: Ken Dardano spoke about "The Joys and
Sorrows of Being a Rock Dealer".
- Friday, October 7 2011: Andres Torres and Yadira Barahona from
London, Ontario, spoke about "Emeralds from Columbia: From the Mine
to the Jeweller". Many examples of emeralds were seen.
Mini-Speaker: Jeff Shallit, "The Ten Most Dangerous Minerals".
- Friday, November 4 2011:
Paula Eagles of "Eagles and Auracles" in Guelph spoke on
"The Magic and Mystery of Minerals". Mini-speaker, Karen Fox,
"Jurassic Fossil Sites at Eichstätt and Solnhofen in Germany".
- Friday, December 2 2011: Our annual club auction, free pizza,
competition for the best self-collected and Silver Pick awards.
- Friday, January 6 2012: Paul Karrow of the University of Waterloo's
Earth Sciences Department spoke about "The Ice Age in the Northeastern
Michigan Basin". Aimee Parlow gave a mini-talk about "Marvelous Machu
Picchu".
For more past meetings, see here.
Kids Club
Our Kids Club is designed for children 5-16 who are interested in
rocks, fossils, and minerals. We try to meet monthly on a Saturday at the
Waterloo Community Arts Centre.
The next meeting is Saturday, February 5 2012 at 2 PM at the Waterloo
Community Arts Centre. The kids will have some fun playing ROCKO and taking home some nice mineral specimens.
Some past meetings:
- January 7 2012: Robert Land spoke about
"Silver and Silver Mines".
- December 17 2011: Jeff Shallit spoke about microscopes, light, and
microminerals. Kids got a chance to see some beautiful minerals under the
microscope, and every kid attending got two free microminerals to take
home.
- November 26 2011: Peter Russell spoke.
For more information about the kids' club, contact
Robert Maric.
News and Future Events
last updated December 26 2011
Provided as a public service. Details not guaranteed.
Always check with show venue before heading
out on a long car trip.
- March 3 - 4 2012: 19th Annual Peterborough Gem, Mineral, and
Fossil Show, Sat 10 AM - 5 PM; Sun 10AM - 5 PM. Evinrude Centre,
911 Monagahan Road, Peterborough. Admission $3 adults; children 12 and
under free. For more information: www.rockandfossil.com.
-
March 31 - April 1 2012: The 40th Annual Paris Gem & Mineral Show, presented by the Brantford Lapidary & Mineral
Society, Paris Fairgrounds, 139 Silver Street, Paris, Ontario.
Saturday & Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission:
adults $5, kids 12 and under free. Featuring gem, mineral, fossil, and stone dealers; lapidary equipment; supplies;
jewellery; demonstrations; exhibits; silent auction. Free parking. Wheelchair accessible. For more information,
contact John Moons 519 752-9756 or Bob Parry at
robert@roberthalloriginals.com .
- April 19-22 2012, 39th Rochester Mineralogical Symposium.
- April 27-29 2012, 21st Toronto Gem and Mineral Show and Sale,
Friday 4 PM - 9 PM; Saturday 10 AM - 7 PM; Sunday 10 AM - 5 PM.
Don Mills Civitan Arena, 1030 Don Mills Road, North York, Ontario.
Adults $7, under 16 free.
- May 4 - 6 2012, 49th Canadian Micro Mineral Association Annual
Symposium, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario.
For more info, visit www.canadianmicrominerals.ca
- Saturday May 5 2012:
Our club hosts the Kitchener-Waterloo Gem and
Mineral Show at the Waterloo Community Arts Centre (aka the "button factory"),
25 Regina St. S., Waterloo, 10 AM - 4 PM. Rocks, minerals, gemstones,
jewelry, fossils, meteorites. Free admission. Free rocks for kids.
How to Contact Us
Mailing Address:
Kitchener-Waterloo Gem and Mineral Club
c/o Stephanie Martin
Waterloo Community Arts Centre
25 Regina St. S.,
Waterloo, ON N2J 1R8 Canada
Contacts
- Gary Winkler, Co-President
Tel: (519) 803-4343
Send E-mail
- Jeffrey Shallit, Rockblast Editor
Tel: (519) 743-8754
- Stephanie Martin, treasurer
Annual Show and Sale
Each year our club organizes an annual show, which is open to the public.
Our show provides an opportunities for people to buy, sell and exchange rocks,
minerals, fossils, gemstones, lapidary material and equipment.
The show is held on the first Saturday in May from 10 AM to 4 PM
at the Waterloo Community Arts Centre, 25 Regina St. S., in Waterloo, Ontario.
Admission is free.
Anyone (including dealers, swappers, clubs, and artists) may participate in
the show. Dealers are not permitted to advertise their business.
The cost for a 6-foot table is $20.
To reserve space or to obtain more information, please contact
Gary Winkler.
Field Trips
Field trips are arranged about twice a year.
Past trips have included
- Bancroft for apatite, biotite, and titanite;
- Cobalt for silver and cobalt arsenides;
- Arkona for fossil corals and brachiopods;
- Herkimer, New York, for quartz crystals;
- the Guelph Quarry for sphalerite; and
- the Dundas Quarry for sphalerite, calcite, fluorite, galena, and celestine.
Field trips are organized by
Katherine La Hay and Faye Meadows, (519) 725-4678, and are sometimes
held together with the CCMFS.
Yearly Live Auction
Each year in December our club holds a live auction for gems, minerals, fossils,
meteorites, and lapidary items. The public is invited.
Trophies
Each year in December our club has a competition for the best self-collected
specimen and the best specimen acquired elsewhere (the "Silver Pick" award).
Winners are voted on by members and the winner gets a trophy.
Membership
Our annual membership fees are $20
for a family or individual. New members are welcome any time.
Newsletter
The Rockblast is published monthly and is currently edited by
Jeffrey Shallit. Members receive the newsletter electronically or
by Canada Post. Our newsletter outlines activities
and includes interesting articles related to lapidary and the rock and
mineral collecting hobby.
We currently exchange newsletters with other clubs.
For some past issues,
see the Rockblast archive.
Resources
Our club is sponsored by GemSelect,
a German-Thai company specializing in gemstones in Chanthaburi, Thailand.
Thanks to GemSelect for their support!