November 6, 2010 Meeting

What could be more fun than a plate full of wet dirt and rocks?

Dipping cheesecloth full of dirt into buckets of water?

How about taking bags of dirt and rock home with you?

Well, you would want to, too, if you just knew what was in there!


For the November meeting's program, our hostess Jennifer took us on a gem hunt!
After a brief (*ahem*) meeting we chowed down on two varieties of cupcakes while Jennifer told us a little about each of the gems we would be searching for, as well as associated meaning and a few Greek myths about the stones themselves.

The stones we were looking for are pictured below, garnet, emerald, amethyst and sapphires.

We headed out into the search area where each of the gem gravels were put out for us with all the needed supplies. After a short how-to, the ladies rolled up their sleeves and got grubby!

Many beauties were found by our beauties, large hunks of emerald and also plenty of amethyst like these!

The sapphires were a bit more elusive due to their smaller size and clear coloring, but a few joined the party as well.  *Did you know that most sapphires are almost clear when mined? They have to be heat treated to bring out the true blue tones!


Who knew digging in a bunch of dirt and rock could be so much fun? We did!

The clear plates allowed the light to shine up through the stones, like these gorgeous garnets, making them easier to find once the silt was all rinsed away.

We all had a great time looking for gems, and everyone went home with a smile and at least a few carats of gemstones!

For anyone that wants to do this activity in their own program, you will need cheesecloth squares, buckets of water, clear plates, skewers for poking around the rocks, a brightly lit area, a bucket for all the "searched" gravel.
And of course you need the gem gravel!
The Sapphire, garnet and amethyst gravel all came from Gem Mountain in Philipsburg, MT. Not too far away from Missoula (Go Griz!) http://www.gemmountainmt.com
The emerald gravel came from Gold 'n' Gem Grubbin' in Georgia. They also have mixed gem gravel and gold, as well... http://www.goldngem.com

The myths about the gems garnet and amethyst came from this website.
For those of you who don't want to go link-chasing, here are the myths, as well.

What's in a Name? Amethysts and the God of Wine
Amethyst comes from the Greek word "amethystos" meaning "not drunken." It comes from the Greek legend of Dionysius, who was the god of wine. Some mortal had angered him so much that Dionysius decided he would punish whoever next crossed his path. He selected a few tigers and hid them on the path, ready to attack the next unsuspecting mortal.
Who should come up the road next but Amethyst. She was on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Diana. As the tigers raced to attack, Diana rescued Amethyst by turning her into a beautiful clear, crystalline statue. Dionysius came around the corner to survey the wreckage from his tigers only to discover Amethyst. He was so overcome by the beauty of her statue that he began to cry. His wine-colored tears fell on Amethyst's statue, staining it purple.

What's in a Name? :: Garnets, Pomegranates, and the Myth of Persephone
Garnet comes from the word "granatum" for pomegranate since the gems are similar in shape to pomegranate seeds. But there's more to the story than that. These January birthstones are closely linked to the story of Hades and Persephone.
For those of you who don't know the myth, Persephone was abducted by Hades and became his unwilling bride in the underworld. Her mother, Demeter, cried and cried for her return, but to no avail.
Demeter, the goddess of grain, was so filled with mourning that she refused to let anything grow until Persphone's return. She created winter on earth for the first time.
Zeus became so exasperated with the situation that he begged Hades to let Persephone go. However, when she first arrived in the underworld, Persephone had been warned never to eat the fruit there or she would not be able to return to Earth. In her haste to leave, Hades gave her a pomegranate, which she took a bite out of.
For that one taste of pomegranate fruit, Persephone was destined to return to the underworld for three months every year. During those months, Demeter mourns, and winter comes to the earth.
This myth helped give prominence to garnets as the stones for loved ones and also to heal broken friendship bonds.

We all are looking forward to our next opportunity to get together for more life learning and friendship!

Aloha Sisters! Until next time!