Past Speakers

Recent Speakers, Interesting Programs

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The Sedona Gem and Mineral Club has a roster of knowledgeable, professional speakers.  Monthly meetings usually include a presentation on an array of subjects including geology, minerals and mineral collecting, and much more.  Another reason to be a member!  

Members and Guests are invited to submit speaker proposals which are compensated.  Speakers are required to use visual aides and PowerPoint is recommended.  Set-up assistance is provided.  Currently presentations are presented in person and via Zoom from our meetings, and we will assist in the broadcast.

Coming and Past Speakers

Helen Serras-Herman, “Gem Sculpture,” April, 2024

Our Speaker this month is Helen Serras-Herman, an award-winning gem and jewelry artist and 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame Inductee. Helen promises a very unique lecture presentation for our April club meeting. She will share her passion for carved gems, the interconnection between fine art and the spell-bounding natural mineral world, and her personal journey from sculpture to gem sculpture. While showing examples of her 41-year artwork, Helen reflects on her sources of inspiration from her world travels to mines and archaeological sites, the ancient Greek mythology, and her southwest environment. She will share her Copper Trails and Arizona Gems Collections that focus on rare and unusual Arizona gemstones.

Helen will bring copies of her recently-published book Carved Gems – Inspiration & Expertise. Reviews of her book state that “readers will be captivated by Helen’s autobiographical story that is so closely intertwined with her art, inspired by her descriptions, educated about her methods, mesmerized by her images, and  compelled to create, embrace, collect, wear, study, and fall in love with gem artwork.” 

Helen Serras-Herman’s award-winning, one-of-a-kind, distinctive gem sculpture and jewelry art has been exhibited world-wide and published in over 300 trade magazines and books. Born in New York City, Helen lived in Athens, Greece and studied sculpture (MFA) in Berlin, Germany. She is also a graduate gemologist (FGA) and apprentice to the last master of the English school of Glyptic Arts. In 2005, after 18 years in Maryland, Helen and her husband moved to Rio Rico.

Helen is a member of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), a Fellow member of the Gemological Association of Great Britain (FGA), and a member and past President of the Gem Artists of North America (GANA). She is also a frequent article contributor to Rock & Gem magazine, EZ-Guides gem show guides published by XpoPress, and other gem trade publications. She is also President of the Rio Rico Historical Society since 2018.

Les Presmyk, ” History of Mining in Arizona,” March, 2024

Our Speaker this month will be Les Presmyk a Mining Engineer who has dealings with coal mines in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. Les will be sharing his history of Mining in Arizona. He and his wife of 38 years, Paula, are Arizona natives and are both graduates of the University of Arizona.  


Les started collecting at the age of 10. Their displays have received AFMS Regional and National Trophies, along with the Prospectors and Pearl Trophies in Denver and the Desautels, Lidstrom and Bideaux Trophies at the Tucson Show.  


He has been President of the Mineralogical Society of Arizona, Board member and Chairman of the Arizona Mineral and Mining Museum Foundation (now the Flagg Mineral Foundation), and a member of the Tucson Show Committee for 29 years.


He has explored and collected in a number of localities in Arizona, Missouri and Mexico and provided engineering expertise at the San Francisco mine in Sonora, Mexico, the Brushy Creek mine in Missouri and the Red Cloud mine in Arizona. Les has written several articles and co-authored the recently published “Collecting Arizona”. He has spoken at the Dallas Symposium and the Northwest Friends of Mineralogy Symposium, along with the Arizona and New Mexico Symposiums, the Tucson, Springfield, and Denver Shows, and numerous mineral clubs throughout the United States.

Pat McMahan & Malida Bowes, “Rockhounding in Australia”, February, 2024

Pat McMahan has been collecting agates since retiring 35 years ago. Today his collection has more than 9,000 polished agate specimens from over 550 locations, most of which he has found himself. He has collected in all 11 Western states in the U.S., Canada and Alaska. His long years of intensive collecting has resulted in what many say is the best and most comprehensive collection of sagenite and plume agate in the world. His rocks have been displayed in shows throughout Europe, Canada and the US. 

In 2016 Pat completed a book called “Agates, The Pat McMahan Collection”.  Many agate collectors describe this book as the most comprehensive and beautiful agate book ever produced. This 500-page book includes 1,250 color photos of agates from 300 deposits worldwide and relays personal collecting stories, prospecting techniques, and history telling about the early discoveries of well-known deposits. He has also published articles in Rock and Gem Magazine, the German magazine Mineralien Welt, and is the author of a chapter on agates with inclusions in the authoritative book “Agates II”.

Pat has been president of our rock club 5 times and has held virtually all other executive positions in the past. He organized and ran our first rock show in the year 2000 and has been show chairman for over ten years.

Milada Bowes is a retired dentist from Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada. She became interested in rock collecting in 2011 and it quickly became a passion. The challenging cliffs and beaches along the Bay of Fundy became her focus while searching for amethyst, agate and jasper. She has personally collected specimens of many of the most desirable agates in Nova Scotia. Milada has taken multiple silversmithing classes and now makes silver jewelry with her agates.

Milada met Pat McMahan in 2018 while he was visiting Nova Scotia and was the first to guide him up and down the rugged cliffs and beaches of Cape Split, Nova Scotia. Milada and Pat were married in Nova Scotia in September 2023. She has been dividing her time between Nova Scotia and Arizona since 2019 and became a member of the Sedona Gem and Mineral Club that same year.

Dr. Steven Reynolds, “The Geological Evolution of the Grand Canyon and Mogollon Rim”, January 2024

Dr. Stephen J. Reynolds received an undergraduate geology degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, as well as an M.S. and Ph.D. in structure/Tectonics and regional geology from the University of Arizona. He then spent ten years directing the geologic framework and mapping program of the Arizona Geological Survey, where he completed the 1988 “Geologic Map of Arizona.” Dr. Reynolds recently was designated as President’s Professor in the School of Earth and Space, Arizona State University’s highest honor recognizing inspired, innovative teaching and scholarship of learning. He is also currently working with coauthor Julia Johnson on a completely new version of the Roadside Geology of Arizona, which is due out soon.

Evan Jones, “Wulfenite – the Official State Mineral of Arizona”, October 2023

In 2017, SB-2092 was passed by the Arizona State Senate proclaiming the tetragonal wulfenite as the official Arizona State Mineral, joining turquoise as the Official State Gem, copper as the Official State Metal, and petrified wood as the Official State Fossil. In this presentation, he will explore why and how SB-2092 came to be, who was involved and why wulfenite was selected. Arizona boasts the largest number of world class wulfenite specimens producing localities and last count, well over 200 documented occurrences in the state. Evan will delve into what are arguably judged the best wulfenite localities in Arizona punctuated with numerous site photos and specimen photos from top mineral collections.

Evan Jones is longtime mineral collector and dealer, son of well-known author Bob Jones. He started collecting minerals at age 9 and with his father visited museums, attended mineral shows, went on collecting trips and visited mineral dealers from an early age. He is a graduate of the geology program at ASU in Tempe, Arizona, and has been a mineral dealer since 1986. He is is currently co-owner of the fine mineral dealership Unique Minerals, Inc.

His collection of Arizona minerals is considered one of the finest in the world. He has attended every Tucson Gem & Mineral Show since 1981 and has won several awards including Walt Lidstrom, Miguel Romero and Dick Bideaux trophies. Evan helped Organize the TGMS “Arizona Mineral Treasures” Arizona Centennial exhibition at the 2012 Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. He is a prolific writer and on the board of many mineral groups. We are looking forward to his presentation.

Brian Beck, “The Copper Queen, Binghamton Mine”, May 2023

Brian’s presentation was on the Copper Queen- Binghamton Mine in Mayer, Arizona. The presentation covers the re-exploration of historic mines and what mineralization was encountered, illustrated by photographs of the many varied specimens found at the mines.

Brian is originally from California where he attended California State College in San Diego and Long Beach. He holds Master Degrees in both Geology and Geophysics. He has worked in both the mining and environmental industries in California, Oregon, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada. Brian has been in Arizona for more than 30 years and an Arizona Registered Geologist since 1987. At the present time he is working on several gold and lithium exploration and mining projects in Arizona.

Stanley Celestian, “Hidden Treasures of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles,” March 2023

Stan hails from Oswego, New York, a small town on Lake Oswego. He speculates that his early interest in geology originated from his throwing stones into the lake, and occasionally looking at the potential missiles before the launch. The diversity of these rocks is a result of glacial erosion in Canada and subsequent deposition the area. Stan later attended the State University of New York at Oswego where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology. From there he went to Northern Arizona University for a Masters in Geology. After graduation Stan taught Geology, Astronomy, and Physics at Glendale Community College. He currently teaches part-time for Arizona State University West. Stan has been a rock hound for over 50 years. Field collecting is something he very much enjoys, along with photography of specimens and, of course, geologic phenomena. He was fortunate to find his rock hounding soulmate Susan at Northern Arizona University. We look forward to his new presentation.

Dr. Stephen Reynolds , “Correlation of the Red Rocks with those of Grand Canyon and the Eastern Mogollon Rim: An Unresolved Dilemma”, November, 2022

For decades, there have been uncertainties about how the red rocks of Sedona correlate to those of Grand Canyon and to similar rocks eastward across the Mogollon Rim. Key geologists expressed hesitancy about how the rocks of Sedona matched those of Grand Canyon, even though they had worked extensively on these rocks in both places. The red rocks of Pennsylvanian and Permian age in Grand Canyon were originally all called Supai Formation, but later the upper part of this sequence was separated out as a separate formation, the Hermit Shale. Learn more about the history, study and controversy the classification of our geology as well as the new evidence on proper classification that has come to light. Dr. Reynolds is currently working with a team of geologists and paleontologists to assess how the red rocks correlate from Sedona eastward along the Mogollon Rim. Our preliminary results agree with other researchers who recommend we use Supai Group for the red rocks of the Sedona cliffs, rather than Hermit and Schnebly Hill formation.

Stephen J. Reynolds received an undergraduate geology degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in structure Tectonics and regional geology from the University of Arizona. He then spent 10 years directing the geologic framework and mapping program of the Arizona Geological Survey, where he completed the 1988 ‘Geologic Map of Arizona’. Steve is a President’s Professor in the School of Earth and Space at Arizona State University. He is currently working, with coauthor Julia Johnson, on a completely new version of the Roadside Geology of Arizona, due out sometime in 2023. At the University of Arizona, he recently was designated as a President’s Professor, ASU’s highest honor recognizing inspired, innovating teaching and scholarship of learning. We are truly looking forward to his presentation.

Kennard Bork, “Co-Evolution of Minerals and Life”, May 2022

This is a discussion featuring Dr. Robert Hazen’s ideas about the linkage of geochemistry and life.  Our planet undergoes incessant, remarkable, and on-going change.  The changes began once our planet had formed.  Rocks and minerals are catalysts for life.  Star explosions sent out streams of elements seeding the planets—then minerals evolved. 

By the time he was in high school, Ken’s interest in science was strong but he also wanted to know more about Earth History.  He followed a career in biology at the suggestion of one of his teachers.  It dawned on him that paleontology incorporated biology and history of the planet in one super-interesting field.  He was a geology major in college and then pursued a Ph.D. in paleontology, with the goal of teaching at the university level.  His research also included the history of geology.

After retiring in 2013 he and his wife (Katherine Camille Odell) moved to Sedona where he continues his passion of geology and paleontology.  Ken was a geology major earning a B.A. degree at DePauw University, Greencastle, Indiana; an M.A. degree in geology/paleontology from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana; and a Ph.D. in geology/paleontology from Indiana University.  His offices and awards and publications are to numerous to list.

Sue Celestian, “The Volcanoes of Arizona Part I,” April 2022

Bill’s presentation will be a one-of-a-kind in-person presentation.    Bill will tell the story of several trips to Colorado during the years 1969 to 1982.  Bill and another young rockhound spent several days each trip acclimatizing prior to ascending Mt. Antero in Chaffee County in Colorado.  They collected Aquamarine, Beryl, Quartz, Albite, and other minerals.  The deposits ranged from 11,000 to 14,000 feet.  Mount Antero is the 10th highest peak in Colorado.  He will bring many specimens to pass around for members to examine.

Bill, at age five and six, began collecting “pretty rocks”, and it morphed into a lifetime passion.  As a teenager Bill went on collecting trips to Nebraska, eastern Wyoming, and South Dakota where he collected Tepee Canyon fortification Agate.

In 1973, Bill received his bachelor’s degree in Geology from the University of Nebraska.  He worked as a geologist in the oil and gas industry for 37 years retiring in 2015.  Since that time, he joined both the Sedona Gem and Mineral Club and the Mingus Club in Cottonwood.  He is serving a second one-year term as president of the Mingus Club.

The club meeting will feature member displays, closing with the monthly raffle of great newly acquired rock and mineral specimens.

Bill Hedglin, “The Minerals of Colorado,” March 2022

It is an in- depth look at volcano styles and interesting volcanic/topographic features found around Flagstaff and Sedona. This presentation is part of a PowerPoint that she has been working on for her own pleasure.
 
Celestian grew up in central and southern Indiana. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, and a Master’s Degree in Geology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. Sue taught Physical, Historical and Paleontological geology as well as the Geology of Arizona. Celestian was the Education Curator at Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix from 1995-1997 and was Curator
from 1997-2007. She teaches geology (Physical, Historical, Environmental) online for Rio Salado College since 1997 to present.
 
Celestian’s interests include small-scale mining, mineral and fossil collecting, traveling, jewelry making, drawing, and stained glass, all of which reflect her passion for the study of Earth’s history and earth-shaping processes. 
 

Les Presmyk, “The Silver Queen and Silver King Mines,” February 2022

The discovery of the Silver Queen and Silver King mines began as the military entered this part of Arizona to protect settlers and prospectors. As the Stoneman Grade was being built over the mountains to provide access from the west into the Globe area, one of the soldiers happened upon some strange black and heavy rocks. He showed them to a rancher in Florence without the source. Over the next few years this rancher and several friends made prospecting trips to these mountains, discovering the Silver Queen and then Silver King.

Over the next 20 years both mines were developed with the Silver King becoming a major producer. The Silver Queen ran out of silver ore after a few hundred feet of shaft when the miners encountered high-grade but worthless copper mineralization. The Silver King operated until silver was demonetized in 1893. The Silver Queen lay dormant until 1909 or so when Boyce Thompson became interested in it for its copper potential. The property was renamed the Magma Mine and it became a major copper producer over the next 90 years or so.  While the mine has been closed for over 25 years, the future is bright for the Magma mine. Resolution Copper is currently developing a deep orebody of over one billion tons of copper ore.

Les Presmyk recently retired as Principal Mining Engineer for Salt River Project, Arizona’s second largest electric utility. He and his wife of 45 years, Paula, are Arizona natives and both are graduates of the University of Arizona. Les has been actively involved in his community of Gilbert, Arizona for over 25 years. He is immediate Past president of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society and former President of Mineral Society of Arizona. We are looking forward to his presentation.

Ken Zoll, “Star Wounds: Meteorites from Ancient Native American Sites”, January 2022

The occurrence of meteorites on archaeology sites in North America has been known since the early 19th century. From the Hopewell culture in the eastern United States to the Indians in the American Southwest and northern Mexico, meteorites have been found on these ancient sites. Much like meteorite hunters of today, ancient Native American cultures actively engaged in meteorite collecting. Several meteorite fragments from Meteor Crater near Flagstaff have been discovered at ancient dwellings in Central Arizona. This talk will describe these meteorite locations, how they were associated with Meteor Crater and how one of the meteorites, using radiocarbon dating, established its location within a ruin and confirmed the date of the ruin’s destruction.

Ken Zoll is the Executive Director of the Verde Valley Archaeology Center in Camp Verde and the Regional Coordinator of the site steward program of Arizona State Parks and Trails, charged with the monitoring of several prehistoric sites in the Verde Valley. His archaeology specialty is ancient astronomy practices. He has conducted many studies within the Coconino National Forest and for the City of Springerville, Arizona and is the author of several books and articles on his discoveries. He is a certified instructor in ancient astronomical practices with the Arizona Archaeological Society. Ken, and his wife Nancy have lived in the Village of Oak Creek since retiring from Chicago in 2004.

Les Presmyk, “Arizona:  150 Years of Mining, 130 Years of Collecting, 110 Years of Statehood,” October, 2021 –

Arizona began to interest prospectors and miners following the 1849 Gold Rush. Until the start of the Civil War, these efforts were concentrated south of the Gila River and closer to newly established border with Mexico. Following the Civil War, it took until the mid-1870s for the various Apache tribes to be subdued, and the central and eastern portions of the Arizona territory to be made safe for prospecting and ranching.
 
Gold and silver were what brought explorers to the territory. The Prescott and the Silver King to Globe areas attracted early attention, usually following reports from various Army discoveries. As the silver and gold mines brought interested and willing investors here, the copper deposits of Ajo, Jerome, Bisbee and Morenci were discovered. By the mid-1880s work was proceeding in all of these districts. Once the railroads arrived to these areas, most by the early 1890s, copper was working to be the king of mining in Arizona.
 
Coming into the 20th century, other smaller deposits were worked for lead and zinc and even molybdenum, and these deposits began to produce a different group of minerals like cerussite, smithsonite, wulfenite and vanadinite. These are all species that have added to Arizona’s notoriety as a world famous mineral province.
 
Over 960 mineral species, or about 20% of all mineral species, are known from Arizona of which more than 60 were found here for the first time. A bit of Arizona’s rich legacy of mining and minerals will be presented.
 
Les Presmyk recently retired as the Principal Mining Engineer for Salt River Project, Arizona’s second largest electric utility. He and his wife of 45 years, Paula, are Arizona natives and are both graduates of the University of Arizona. Les has been actively involved in his community of Gilbert, Arizona for over 25 years, serving as the H.O.A. president, Planning Commissioner, and Town Councilmember for 12 years and additional roles since 2011. He is immediate Past president of the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society and former President of Mineral Society of Arizona. We are looking forward to his presentation.

George & Sharon Lane, “Spider Web Stromatolites,” October, 2021 –

Stromatolites are responsible for the oxygen we breathe and the iron we mine. The presentation will include talking about the age of the fossil stromatolites, types, locations, and how to look for them. Also how they created the oxygen and the iron deposits and mainly telling of their unique find in Arizona.
 
Both Sharon and George are disabled, and they do their rock hounding in an open-sided vehicle. They were outdoor explorers in the early 70’s. They have been rockhounds for six years. They are many year residents of Prescott – George was born there. George studied Structured Guidance at University of Arizona but didn’t utilize it until after his retirement.
 
On one of their excursions in 2018, they spotted a huge boulder that was polished by creek water. The boulder contained Spider Web Stromatolite. This mine is one of the greatest discoveries in the rock world. 
 
Wonderful presentation complete with samples.
Bulgarian Rock Collecting

Pat Tucci and Zelda Baley, “Rockhounding in Bulgaria,” May, 2021 –

In 2016, Zelda and Pat travelled to Bulgaria in Eastern Europe. Bulgaria is a Balkan nation with diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline and a mountainous interior. Bulgaria holds a leading position in European mining, ranking third in copper, fourth in gold, fifth in lignite mining. The main raw materials produced in Bulgaria are lignite, lead-zinc, copper and polymetallic ores, gypsum, limestone, bentonite, kaolin, quartz sands, refractory clays, marble.  Bulgarian mines also produce a variety of collectable mineral specimens.  Typical minerals include sphalerite, galena, quartz, and calcite. Other rarer specimens include Orpheus agate, non-precious opal and petrified wood.  Zelda Bailey and Pat Tucci are both retired geologists and long-time mineral and fossil collectors. They started their mineral business, GEOdyssey LLC, in 1996 in the Denver, Colorado area where they lived prior to moving to Sedona in 2017.  They have travelled extensively collecting and buying minerals and fossils, including international trips to Namibia, Morocco, and Bulgaria.

Bulgarian Rock Collecting

Mark Moorehead, “Fabulous Fakes, Enhanced Rock Specimens & How to Detect Them” April 2021 –

Don’t get ripped off!  This presentation provided an overview of some Common Rock Show, Etsy and Ebay specimens that are not what they claim or appear to be.  Specimens include fossils, Opals, Turquoise jewelry, Citrine, Tourmaline, Malachite and Meteorites.  Mark also shared simple tools for detection and some reliable website sources for more information on specimens that are total hoaxes, mechanically altered, irradiated, heated, dyed, coated, fused with vaporized elements or just simply plastic.  Join us in April.

Carrie Cannon, “For the Love of Turquoise” March 2021 –

Turquoise has a long-standing tradition amongst Native cultures of the Southwest, holding special significance and profound meanings to specific individual tribes. Found on six continents across the world, turquoise forms in arid regions through the process of water seeping through rock and interacting with copper, aluminum and iron deposits. This talk explores a long tradition of distinctive cultural styles, history and transition of this wonderous stone.  Carrie Calisay Cannon is a member of the Kowa Tribe of Oklahoma and is also of Oglala Sioux and German ancestry.  She has a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and an M.S. in Resource Management.  She has been living and working on the Hualapai Indian Reservation for the last 15 years where she is employed as an Ethnobotanist at the Cultural Centers.  By weekend she is a lapidary and silversmith artist who enjoys chasing the beauty as she creates jewelry.

Stanley Celestian, M.S., “Rock Candy”, February 16, 2021

Stanley Celestian gave an amazing presentation complete with jaw dropping photos of specimens representing the various types of rocks, many found in Arizona.  One of the club’s favorite repeat speakers, Stan has been teaching geology courses at ASU since 2005, including physical geography and natural disasters. He has also taught geology, physical science, and astronomy at Glendale Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Wayland Baptist University. Stan conducted workshops in Rocks and Minerals for the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources, and was the NASA Ambassador to Jupiter and the Solar System for Arizona. He received a Master of Science in Geology (Paleontology) from Northern Arizona University

Elley Ringo, “Why Arizona Geology Feeds our Fascination for Minerals, January 18, 2021 –

Elley has a degree in Economic Geology from the University of Nevada, Reno. She has eight years mining geology experience in Arizona. Elley has been an avid rockhound since she was a young girl. She has traveled all over the United States to collecting rocks and minerals and exploring abandoned mines. Elley is an expert in the field of mineral identification, and has a huge passion for it. She is one of the most enthusiastic geologist in her field. She loves teaching her fellow rockhounds everything she can about the geologic world around them. She maintains a website called ‘ElleyKnowsRocks.com’ and promotes rockhounding through Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.   

Pat Tucci and Zelda Bailey (members), “Namibian Mineral Safaris,”October 2020 –

Ms. Bailey and Mr. Tucci – Pat and Zelda to our members – traveled to Namibia in southwest Africa to obtain minerals and to experience the scenery, wildlife and culture of the country.  Highlights included the world-famous Tsumeb mines; the Brandberg, Gobos and Erongo Mountains; Swakopmund and the Skeleton Coast; Etosha National Park; the Hoba and Gibeon metorites; the capital city of Windhoek and the fabulous local cuisine.  Slides were shared on fantastic wildlife and on specimen acquisition.  Typical minerals included aquamarine, amethyst, topaz, tourmaline, smlky quartz, flourite and garnet. Pat and Zelda are geologists, mineral collectors, and owners of GEOdyssey, LLC. They sold minerals and fossils at Denver area shows for 20 years. In late 2017, they moved to Sedona and now participate in local Arizona shows.

Ted Grussing, “Opals,” March 2020 –

 Mr. Grussing discussed the cutting of a large gem opal and other opal related features. Opals are found in Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Arizona and Nevada. Nevada is famous for its colorful black opal. The state contains some very rich precious opal beds and has produced some spectacular and extremely valuable specimens. The Virgin Valley in Humboldt County is the most famous gemstone locality in Nevada. Ted has many and varied interests in diverse fields. He became a professional photographer at age 14, he has been a professional gem cutter, jewelry designer for 41 years, a professional glider and motor glider pilot for 23 years. He is a lawyer, published author, public speaker, mentor and teacher. He had two articles on cutting and carving opals in Gems and Gemology and numerous articles in Gemological Institute of America.

Peter J. Pilles, Jr., “The Earth: Minerals and Pigments from Elden Pueblo and Honanki,” February 2020 –

During the 12th – 13th centuries, the Sinagua pueblos of Eldon Pueblo and Honanki were two of the most important regional centers for the Flagstaff and Upper Verde Valley areas. As such, they served as middle men for the movement of trade goods between the Pueblo and Hohokam cultures to the north and south of them.  Mr. Pilles’ talk highlighted the variety of jewelry, textiles, tool stones, and other exotic items found at these sites, their source areas, and the many ways the Sinagua used minerals and pigments they obtained “From the Earth.” He received his BA degree from Arizona State University in 1967 and worked at Pueblo Grande Museum from 1965-1967, and the Museum of Northern Arizona from 1967 until 1975, when he became the Forest Archaeologist for the Coconino National Forest, his present position. He has presented over 60 papers and authored 50 publications which reflect his specialty areas of central and northern Arizona prehistory, rock art, ceramics, cultural resource management, and public archaeology. Peter has been involved with various site development and interpretive plans and has been an advisor to the National Park Service, the State of Arizona, the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the Brazilian Institute for Cultural Heritage.

Drake Meinke, “Copper and Clarkdale…and What Happened to it All,” January 2020 

Mr. Meinke tells the amazing story of starting a collection that turned into a museum!  Since inception, approximately 5000 artifacts made of copper have been acquired by the museum and are on display daily to the public. The museum has become a wonderful addition to the Copper State’s iconic destinations and ranks #10 of over 5000 tourist attractions in Arizona listed on the world’s largest travel assistance site.

Dr. Larry Jensen, “The Origins of and the Identification of Jaspers,” November 2019 –

Dr. Jensen presented on the varieties of jasper. This gemstone is one of the many types of quartz. It is an opaque and impure variety of silicon dioxide (SiO2). The name “jasper” is derived from the Greek word for ‘spotted stone,’ referring to its typical multicolored striped spotted or flamed appearance. Jasper can form in virtually any color. It is usually considered a chalcedony but some scientists classify jasper as a separate type because of its distinctive grainy structure. Dr. Jensen earned a Bachelor and Master of Science from Brigham Young University in Parasitology (the study of parasites) and a doctorate in Microbiology from the University of Northern Colorado. He has more than 40 years of teaching experience in the biological sciences, specializing mainly in topical of medical and veterinary diseases. Aside from his vocational pursuits, he has a passion for rocks and minerals, the history of mines, and the lapidary arts. Currently he has published in Rock and Gem Magazine, the latest article dealing in the mercury-bearing companion of silicates of Sycamore Creek. He has also co-authored a picture atlas with Hans Gamma on the Owyhees Picture Jaspers.  He is currently spending most of his spare time writing a book on the rocks and minerals of Arizona, mostly from the perspective of rock hounding and the lapidary arts with 100 color photographs. He has also recently submitted an article on banded iron formations of Southern Arizona to Rock and Gem Magazine.

Helen Serras-Herman, “Passion for Opals,” October 2019 –

Ms. Serras-Herman is a graduate gemologist (FGA), and apprenticed to the last master of the English School Glyptic Arts. She was inducted into the National Lapidary Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005 Helen and her husband moved to Rio Rico in Southern Arizona.  Serras-Herman is an acclaimed gem artist with over 36 years of experience in unique gem sculpture and jewelry art. Her award-winning, one-of-a-kind, distinctive artwork has been exhibited world-wide and published in over 200 trade magazines and books. Her sculptural artwork and artistic jewelry always “tell a story” inspired by her world travels to mines and ancient archaeological sites and are influenced by her southwest environment and ancient Greek mythology. Her presentation took us on a photographic journey through the many beautiful opal varieties that come from all over the world. She gave us a rich visual story for why opals are such a beloved gem for lapidaries, jewelry artists, and collectors, and dispelled the myths about opals.

Sue Celestian, “Geology of Western Australia,” May 2019 – 

Ms. Celestian’s second lecture for the club included information about collecting of dravite, mica, magnetite, and garnets as well as flora and fauna of Western Australia.  Sue has a Bachelor’s Degree in Geology from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio and a Master’s Degree in Geology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Celestial taught Physical, Historical and Paleontological geology as well as the Geology of Arizona. Celestian was the Education Curator at Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix from 1995-1997.   Here interests include small-scale mining, mineral and fossil collecting, traveling, jewelry making, drawing, and stained glass: all of which reflect her passion for the study of Earth’s history and earth-shaping processes.

Pat McMahan (member), “Agates of Arizona,” April 2019 – 

Mr. McMahan has been collecting agates for 32 years amassing more than 8,000 polished agate specimens from over 550 locations. He has collected in 11 Western states in the United States, Canada and Alaska. His digs included Laguna and Coyamito Ranches in Chihuahua, Mexico and “Condor Agate” at over a dozen localities in Argentina. His most recent agate collection was from Nova Scotia Province, Canada. He has the most comprehensive collection of sagenite and plume agate in the world.  Pat’s book “Agates, The Pat McMahan Collection” is considered to be the most comprehensive and beautiful agate book ever produced.

Wayne Ranney, “Amazing Antarctica and its Geologic Relation to Arizona,” February 2019 – 

Mr. Ranney is a veteran of polar travel having visited Antarctica 29 times.  Antarctica is Earth’s fifth largest continent and is the same size as the United States and Mexico combined. Although 98% of the continent is ice-covered, outcrops of rocks reveal a fascinating history.  Antarctica and Arizona were once attached to each other and their break-up some 600 million years ago gave birth to the modern Pacific Ocean. The ice history of the continent is no less interesting and glacial conditions have persisted on the White Continent for about 34 million years.  . Ranney is a world renowned speaker. He is a geologist, trail guide, writer, author, professor, and a mining engineer. His book Sedona Through Time was awarded the “Best Science Book in Arizona for 2011”. His books “Carving Grand Canyon” and Ancient Landscapes” also won special awards.

Dr. Kennard Bork, “Noteworthy Geosites of Northern Arizona”, January 2019 – 

Dr. Bork’s presentation was a beautiful commentary on places in Northern Arizona that will have significant geologic interest to our club members. A geology major in college and then pursued a Ph.D. in paleontology, working at the university level with awards too numerous to list.   His research also included the history of geology.   After retiring in 2013 he and his wife (Katherine Camille Odell) moved to Sedona where he continues his passion of geology and paleontology.

Les Presmyk, “The Silver Queen and Silver King Mines,” February, 2022