ÿþ<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 97"> <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Mozilla/4.7 [en] (Win98; I) [Netscape]"> <title>THE SPHERICAL WORLD</title> </head> <body text="#FFFF00" link="#000FFF" vlink="#FF0000" background="blckmrbl.jpg" <B> <center><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+4>THE SPHERICAL WORLD</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00">A Publication of ATMOSPHERE</font> <br><font color="#FFFF00">THE SOCIETY FOR THE APPRECIATION OF MINERAL SPHERES</font> <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+3>&nbsp;SPHERES OF AGATE</font></font></center> <ul> <li> <font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Agate is the rainbow in the world of minerals. Its brilliant colors and glassy surface create some of nature's most beautiful spheres.</font></font></li> <br><font size=+1></font>&nbsp; <p>&nbsp;<font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Agate is a form of chalcedony. As hot lava spreads over the earth's surface, it often creates pockets of air or water in the cooling process. As it cools, the water reacts first with the less-dense glass. Various minerals then begin to crystallize from hydrothermal solutions that invade those empty pockets. Agate is usually created in a relatively low pressure area close to the Earth's surface.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Banded agate, often identified with "fortification agate," is perhaps the loveliest manifestation of agate. Famous banded agates include Fairburn (South Dakota) and Lake Superior Agate.However, highly-colored sphered banded agate is rare. Today, we can find Northern Mexican banded spheres in Agua Nueva and Laguna Agate with orange, lavenders and muted colors.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Brazilian banded agate spheres can be stunning in a different way--stark silver, tawny golds, creamy whites and vibrant oranges. Some of the most spectacular of these are agate geodes with pockets of amethyst, crystal quartz, or silver sparkling druzy.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>One of my favorites is condor agate from Argentina. Not only does it fluoresce in beautiful colors, its rich earth-toned browns, golds, oranges with subtle banding is often offset by white druzy crystal pockets or for-mations in condor matrix.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>A very delicate blue agate in cream-colored matrix is the Mt. Aire agate from Nevada. Another unique blue agate from Nevada is the Black Rock Desert Geode Agate in a dark rust red matrix.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Agate can also have an organic origin. Moss agates from throughout the world are glassy reminders of organisms that once lived before us. Montana and Oregon produce some of the most unique American moss agate spheres, but moss agates are found in many other worldwide locales.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Other interesting U.S. agate spheres include Silver Lace (Missouri), Graveyard Plume (Idaho), Thunder Bay and Thunder Egg (Oregon), Dryhead (Montana) and Tube Agate (California).</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>On the international front, Madagascar produces some of the most beautiful carnelian spheres with swirls of fiery orange and white quartz. Namibia and South Africa offer us sky blue lace agate. Madagascar has breciated yellow agate. Mexico mines deep red "crazy lace" agate, some with druzy pockets, as well as "peach lace" agate which is a mostly beige-colored stone with touches of peach. India features spheres of a deep hunter green agate with tiny druzy accents. Those folks down under in Australia have found&nbsp; two gorgeous shades of blue agate with druzy--midnight and light dusk.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>A sphere enthusiast could build an entire collection just around agate!</font></font> <br>&nbsp; <p><i><u><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>SPHERE'S TO YOU HOSTS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE</font></font></u></i><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Alas, to our loyal fans we must report that Sphere's To You has decided to end its participation in mineral shows. After all, have you recently tried to carry four tons of rock to a show? So you can see our dilemma. Our inventory just got too big!</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Instead we invite you to visit us in our showroom. We will hold a pre-holiday open house on Nov. 13-14 in Westlake Village, Ca. Please come and call ahead to set a time (818 991-5143). Bring friends! You'll have a chance to see all of our newest material from Denver and elsewhere. If you miss this one, we'll have another in the spring.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>And then, of course, you can always visit us on our website at&nbsp; www. spherestoyou.com or call for an appointment to come visit our showroom at your convenience.</font></font> <br>&nbsp; <p><i><u><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+2>Smithsonite Debuts</font></font></u></i> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Flowers and colored fog& that's what comes to mind when one has a chance to see the new glassy smithsonite spheres that are just now coming available from a new deposit in Northern Mexico. Colored fog because these very dense spheres provide a uniform grey, beige, cream and sometimes peach-colored opaque smooth surface blending into circles, swirls and caps. But on some specimens, the material has been severed from a matrix which looks like flowers when polished. It's a small deposit, so the material may not be around long& But a smithsonite sphere is a real keeper--if you can lift it!</font></font> <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br> <br> <center> <p><i><u><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+2>DENVER REPORT</font></font></u></i></center> <font color="#FFFF00">&nbsp;<font size=+1>We've recently returned from the Denver Gem &amp; Mineral Show and the East Coast Gem &amp; Mineral Show in Springfield, MA.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;Here are some of the wonderful new spheres we found.</font></font><font size=+1></font> <p><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;*Chatoyant Spheres Arizona green tiger eye, an incredible ribboned material, has an olive cast.. Brazilian Imperial Cat s Eye Opal, too, has a remarkable ribbon of green, but the color is lighter, more chartreuse. Also amber brown tiger eye from Arizona.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>*Garnerite This partly gemmy Madagascar material is a light green, traversed with dark green and grey veins.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Blue Aragonite The mines of Laurium, Greece, have closed, but they have bequeathed us a very few exquisite blue aragonite spheres. This gemmy, opaque material in robin s egg blue leaves one breathless.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Muskovite You d probably figure this British Columbian import to be pink aventurine. It s a sparkly matrix with a light plum color.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Lavendar Quartz It s very akin to rose quartz, and if you didn t notice it s lavender tinge you wouldn t know the difference.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Psilomolene &amp; Manganese Want something different? Try this dark silver/black metal mineral.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Manganese Plume No longer available, but in private collections, manganese plume is a deep slate blue pattern on white backdrop.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Hexagonite From the Balmont, NY region, comes the sparkly lavender/purple mineral known as hexagonite.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>Sparkling Green Apatite This Canadian entry has a beautiful gemmy green sparkle on the top against a dusky peach-tinted sand colored matrix.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Brazilian Translucent Star Rose Quartz This is very fine, light pale colored translucent rose quartz, with distinctive, but delicate stars under light.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Harquehela Valley Jasper Recently located outside of Quartzsite AZ, this material is a cream colored matrix, accented by ribbons of&nbsp; peach and lime-green.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Sardonyx Looking for something bright? This is it. This material from India features layers of red, black, orange and yellow, with&nbsp; almost geometrical separations.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>* Troncus Geodes They re not exactly round, but these small geodes from Troncus Canyon, Mexico, have some very interesting tiny&nbsp; crystal and/or stalagtitic formations.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>* Cherry Orchard Jasper South Africa produces a sphere with blood red jasper against a steel grey matrix. Very striking.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Canadian Eudialite The Canadian eudialite is a sparkling, almost cherry-colored gem quality stone.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Hubbard Basin Wood This pretty petrified wood is a nice addition to someone s collection.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>* Amethystine--This combination of amethyst and quartz is really spectacular.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* New Mexican Banded Shale Don t laugh! When digging up a highway the state of New Mexico found a deposit of this lovely striated shale material.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;*Chrysoprase--Dark green Australian chrysoprase in brown matrix.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Pyrite &amp; Silver A 7-inch metal monster, this sparkly centerpiece is a real prize.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Bornite Seldom sphered, this golden pyrite-like specimen will become a sparkly iridescent rainbow when either allowed to be exposed to the sun or when acid- washed by a specialist.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;* Inclusions Both chlorite and tangerine quartz included and orange lodolite.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>. *Horn Coral--From Idaho comes an interesting black and white coral.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;*Sycamore Wood--A new patterned wood sphere from the Grand Cyn. State.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;*Lizard Stone--An interesting light green pattered material. From Arizona.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;*Blue Chalcedony--Lovely blue chalcedony from Mexico.</font></font> <br><font color="#FFFF00"><font size=+1>&nbsp;*Mother of Pearl--crafted spheres of various shades of pearl--gold, white, beige, dark brown/black.</font></font> <br><font size=+1></font>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp;</ul> <font color="#FFFF00">.</font> <br>&nbsp; <br>&nbsp; </body> </html>