ATMOSPHERE CREATED TO "ROUND"

UP SPHERE ENTHUSIASTS
 
 

You’re either a sphere person or you’re not. There are very few people who are impartial when it comes to those beautiful round globes of perfection, or inclusion. Serious collectors of spheres are seldom collectors of other mineral or lapidary articles in large quantities. But until now there has been no means of communication between sphere enthusiasts. It’s been a lonely habit, finding one or two kindred spirits. But that’s about to change.

 Atmosphere, The Society for the Appreciation of Mineral Spheres, is being formed to provide a forum for exchange of news and views on spheres and sphere collecting, and a sharing of knowledge. The Spherical World, the organization’s newsletter, will encourage communication between members and contributions from its constituency.

 We’ll look at what’s new on the market, exciting new finds, interesting collectors and their collections, information on unique minerals, caring for your collection, special ways to display and light, shows that feature spheres, selecting the best specimens, museum collections and sphere trivia. We’ll run guest columns on sphere-making, but only if one of you submits them!

 So, if you know another sphere enthusiast, tell them about Atmosphere, and have them drop a note c/o Jackie Lapin at Sphere’s To You, PO Box 1270 Agoura Hills, CA 9l376. This year’s dues are free, but depending on how large a group we become there may be a minimal charge for postage and printing in the future.

 Gibeon meteorites need to be oiled occasionally with mineral oil to prevent rusting.
 
 

TUCSON REPORT

 The Tucson Show continues to be a good way to see what the trends are in sphere making and buying around the world. By watching from year to year to see what minerals come and go, one can determine simultaneously what deposits are plentiful and what the collector is purchasing.

Hot this year were meteorite spheres. Last year we found the first two on the Tucson market; this year there were several venders and a lot of excitement about them. The dense Gibeon meteorites have beautiful circular markings on a silver textured facade. Gone completely was any good quality rutilated quartz. It seems that Chinese representatives are going to the mines in Brazil and buying all the material before it can be put on the market.

 Quality sugilite was in short supply; really bright, large tiger eye was abundant. Beside sugilite, another mineral deposit that our vendors tell us is nearly depleted is Louisiana Opal, a sedimentary rock from the riverbeds of the Mississippi with flashes of green and purple. We had been looking for more of it for several years and grabbed the last of it.

 There was lots of good rich colored lapis with little or no white quartz. Rainbow obsidian is everywhere and it seems everyone wants it. Same with King Cobra Jasper. But the mineral that was so hot a couple of years ago, chrysocolla, was nowhere to be found. Seems there is no longer a mass market for it.

 A couple of Russian rocks are becoming more common, eudialite, a wine-hewed, gray tinged mix, and seraphenite, a green stone with interesting optical properties, also known as clinhochlore.One of the personal favorites that we went seeking this year was star garnet—dark burgundy with a rich crystalized face that is best seen under halogen light. There were a few nice pieces, as well as one or two of green garnet.

 All-copper spheres made there first appearance, with a brushed finish. And "spheres" of cubed pyrite were added to the metallic shelf. We really like a black basalt sphere with pyrite ribbons running through it that we found for the second year in a row.

 Two of the more interesting mixes were both from azurite/malachite. One is a pale green with sea blue "lines" running across its surface, described by the dealer as "breciated azurite/malachite" and the other is a grey limestone with ribbons of vivid royal blue/kelly green surrounding its circumference.

The fiery orange Oregon opal in matrix was gone in a day, always a highlight of the show. Seemingly on their way out are the emerald spheres with black tourmaline. There’s an abundant supply, but no one’s buying it. Picasso stone has also become passe, as have sodalite and mahogany obsidian.

There were some lovely large rhodonite, both the light pastel rose and also the rich dark pink with black. Good quality star rose quartz could be found in selected places. And this year the show’s vendors had a variety of interesting colors of quartz—golden, melon, pink, honey.

Last year we bought plenty of mardi gras fluorite (green, purple, green), but this year the amber fluorite caught our eye. The ruby zoisite was not as good as l995—more zoisite than ruby.

We’d sum up this year’s show by saying that relatively good quality spheres were in abundance, but new and unique minerals were hard to find.

The prospects for l997 may be influenced by rumors that the shows are all juggling dates, and may end up stretching everything out to three weeks!
 
 
 
 

Taking a Stand

Have you seen the small brass cat and rabbit stands? They are about an inch high and great for a youngster’s starter sphere collection.

A new triangular lucite stand with three pegs has come on the market which will hold a three to four inch sphere.If you’re looking for something that will display a sphere above other items, consider a candlestick. Brass and crystal candlesticks make great sphere holders.

o o oo o oo o oo o oo o

 WANT TO ADVERTISE?

Sphere’s To You will begin taking advertisements in the next issue at a rate of $50/column inch. Please send camera ready art or copy and check.
 
 

These unique specimens largely found in Oregon were thought by the Native Americans to be the weapons of the Gods, thrown at each other during a thunderstorm. These Gods were believed to have lived on Mount Jefferson and Mount Hood and when they got angry would toss the agate-filled stones at each other, dotting the entire region of central Oregon with the refuse.

Thundereggs generally are two- to three- inch round stones that were formed in the rhyolite lava flows of the Eocene Age. They feature vivid agate centers that resulted from gas cavities which filled with water bearing silica. Colors vary depending on what minerals were leached from the surrounding rock. Thundereggs are now the official state rock of Oregon and can still be found in the state’s mid region.

PrOfile

Jackie Lapin

 Each issue we’ll try to profile someone in this column. It seemed logical that the first person would be me, Jackie Lapin, your editor and Atmosphere organizer, since I’m sure many of you are wondering how this all came about.

 I started out just like you--completely innocent…a virgin if you will. A lover of things colorful, including flowers, color photography and jewelry, I ventured forth to a couple of "gem and mineral" shows in Southern California about five years ago. While browsing the booths, a lovely two-inch snowflake obsidian caught my eye. I just had to have it. It was so perfect, symmetrical and special. A few tables later I spied a one-inch Pampas onyx in green and gold. One was an impulse, two was a collection. Three hundred spheres later I’m still collecting. However, my preferences have become more unique, always looking for the best quality and most unusual for my personal collection.

While I can’t say that spheres have completely taken over my life, they have had a profound effect on it. I am so moved by the beauty of these rocks, that it became natural I would want to share my excitement with others. So I decided to channel my missionary zeal by starting Sphere’s To You, a company dedicated to finding the best sphere specimens in the world and offering customers and fellow sphere enthusiasts the widest variety and the highest quality. There is nothing like the joy of seeing someone so completely caught up in the beauty of their new sphere. As far as I have been able to discern, Sphere’s To You is the only company headquartered in the U.S. solely dedicated to finding and selling spheres of such variety.

But I’ve always had a yearning to find out who else out there loves these lovely globes, and to get in touch with other crazy people like me. Voila! You have Atmosphere and The Spherical World.

Lest you think this is all I do with my time, I have to confess--I have a "real" job, too. I am a public relations executive, owning and managing a firm that specializes in sports, entertainment and consumer marketing. I tell you this to apologize in advance, because The Spherical World may not always be issued in the most timely manner. Its publication date may be dictated by whatever else is on my plate at that time. But never fear, you’ll get at least two and preferably four issues a year.

And if you’re going to be in the neighborhood of Southern California, please do give me a call at (8l8) 991-5143. If I don’t call you back right away, wait a few days. I may be tied up on other business, but I’ll call as soon as I can.

o o oo o oo o oo o oo o oo o o

SUBMISSIONS ARE WELCOME! Letters, columns, instructional stories, information on new and unique spheres, etc. The editor reserves the right to edit any material for publication.
 
 

Match the rock to one of its predominant places of origin:

 
1. King cobra jasper              A. San Diego CA.
2. 2. Malachite                         B. India
3. 3.Ulexite                             D. Central, California
4. 4. Charoite                            E. Utah
6. 5. Lepidolite w/tourmaline     F. Zaire
7. 6 .Mariposite                        G. Argentina
8. 7. Pampas onyx                    H. Brazil
9. 8. Brown sandstone              I. Siberia, Russia
10. 9. Ametrine                          J. Death Valley, CA

Editor: Jackie Lapin

Published By: