Founded in 1964, the Denver Gem and Mineral Guild is an award-winning non-profit organization that pursues exploration, experimentation, and education in the Earth Sciences; the discovery, development, and preservation of minerals and mineral deposits; and the advancement, encouragement, and utilization of the principles of art and craftsmanship, as applied to gems and minerals. We are a diverse group of women, men, and children who love ROCKS. We love to dig them, cut them for jewelry, and collect them. Our members love to share our passion for rocks and minerals. We have professional geologists, teachers, lapidary artists, and people who just love rocks.
We meet the 2nd Friday of the month – September through May at the Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church, 7530 W. 38th Ave, Wheat Ridge CO at 7pm – VISITORS WELCOME! – CLICK HERE for details.
NOTE: Due to Covid, snow, etc. some meetings may be held via Zoom instead of at the Church – always check below for the latest schedule details!
April 2023 Events Held
April, DGMG Monthly Meeting –
Dennis Gertenbach – Lithium: Where does it
come from?
Dennis discussed where Lithium comes from, how it is processed, and how lithium batteries work. Watching the replay video can give you the background you need on the current state of the lithium industry, which will allow you to better understand and appreciate related articles that you read in the news, like this one and this one. His presentation also included a recorded demonstration of what happens when you drop the contents of a lithium battery into water – KIDS DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!
Spontaneous Field Trips
In addition to our regularly scheduled field trips, members often get together on their own to dig. Here is a picture from an April 30th trip some members took to Otero to dig for calcite. (Get to know your fellow Guild members!)
2023 calendars are available, less than 10 left! $10 for the beautiful production by club members! Proceeds go to the scholarship fund. (Members- it’s time to submit your photos for next year’s calendar – see the April Tips & Chips for details!)
The Southern Colorado Rock and Mineral Show
Several DGMG members attended the Southern Colorado Rock & Mineral Show, which featured some interesting talks. One of those talks was The Mount Antero mineral locality, Chaffee County Colorado: Minerals, History, and Geology – by Mark Ivan Jacobson. Mark is the author of Antero Aquamarines: Minerals from the Mount Antero – White Mountain Region, Chaffee County, Colorado, 1993 (out of print, but available from the DGMG Library). Here is the recording of that presentation.
May 2023 Events Scheduled
Friday, May 12th, DGMG Monthly Meeting
Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church, 38th & Vance
6:00 pm – Board Meeting
7:00 pm – General Meeting
~ 7:30 – Speaker:
Gary Curtis – Colorado Meteorites!
It seems everyone has questions about meteorites from identifying them to their origin and composition. Sherlock-like researchers have sleuthed the answers to these questions through meteorite research. We’ll investigate through the lens of Colorado meteorites what we know and pass around several different samples to ponder.
Bring your meteorite suspects for identification or an already convicted meteorite from your collection. And, let’s answer your questions about meteorites. Topics might include: meteorite parent bodies and ages, formation of the solar system, impact craters, tektites, Lunar and Martian meteorites, meteorite jewelry, micrometeorites, how to find them, trends in meteorite value, meteorite hammers (that have hit people or structures), and evidence of extraterrestrial life. Other questions are welcome and also your own meteorite stories.
If you are unable to join us live at our meeting place, then you are invited to join us online via zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82200241477?pwd=MHdwMFpISDR2akpxNVNvYlpEL05vQT09
(maybe it will actually work this time)
Gary Curtis discusses Colorado Meteorites at the September Show.
Note: Our May meeting will be our last monthly meeting until September. But we will be busy this summer with our annual picnic and several field trips.
Meteorites in the News:
Dec. 11, 2019 – The Meteorite Collection of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Mar. 9, 2022 – Tale of the Bear Creek Meteorite, Jefferson County, Colorado
Nov. 5, 2022 – Nevada County Man Wonders if Meteorite Destroyed His House
April 14, 2023 – A Fireball Landed in the US Last Week, and Now There’s a $25,000 Reward to Find it
May 7, 2023 – Scientists Ask Meteorite Hunters to Stop Using Magnets to Test Finds
May 9, 2023 – Possible Meteorite Strikes New Jersey Home
More Upcoming Events:
Saturday, May 20: Fieldtrip: Phoenix Gold Mine – underground tour and gold panning! (The owner of this mine is a DGMG member.) This tour is normally $25 but will be free for DGMG members on this special event!
June 24: Harris Park (private claim) with Lake George GMC
June 30: Topaz Mountain Gem Mine (private claim)
July 1: Smoky Hawk (private claim)
July 2: Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument and Fossil Quarry (fee site)
July 22: Hartsel – blue Barite (fee site)
September 16: The Official Collect Rocks Day!
September 15-18: The Original Denver Gem & Mineral Show. This year’s theme “Gem Minerals – Natures Bling” It’s time now to submit your entry forms to display at the show. Download these documents: Show Theme Details, Information for Non-competitive Exhibits, Competition Entry Form.
September 23: Wigwam Creek (DGMG private claim) with Lake George GMC!
The Denver Gem & Mineral Guild is a member of:
The Greater Denver Area Gem and Mineral Council, Inc., host of the Denver Gem & Mineral Show™, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes. Trustees from each of our six member clubs sit on the Council Board. The Council oversees the annual show, and twice each year, the Council distributes proceeds from the show in the form of grants to not-for-profit organizations, particularly those based in Colorado, to promote activities that educate the public in the earth sciences.
Annual giving ranges from $20,000 to $30,000. Funds are directed toward site and specimen preservation and display efforts, as well as to assist institutions in purchasing equipment, tools, and supplies. Recent grant recipients have included the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, Dinosaur Ridge, Morrison Natural History Museum Foundation, Hinsdale County Historical Society, Canyon City Geology Club, Big Horn Basin Foundation, and the Junior Museum of Pennsylvania.
The Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies has a close association with all the clubs in the Society to promote the study of earth sciences, including the lapidary arts, the study of fossils and paleontology, and related crafts.
The RMFMS was organized in 1941, and held its first annual convention at the Argonaut Hotel in Denver, Colorado. There were 16 organizations in attendance. The RMFMS became one of the original four founders of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies when it was organized in 1947.
The Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies covers local clubs in the following states:
Arizona (17), Arkansas (1), Colorado (20), Kansas (5), Nebraska (western portion of state) (1), New Mexico (7), Nevada (1), North Dakota (western portion of state)(1), Oklahoma (9), South Dakota (western portion of state) (1), Texas (1), Utah (7) and Wyoming (7).
The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies promotes popular interest and education in the various Earth Sciences, and in particular the subjects of Geology, Mineralogy, Paleontology, Lapidary and other related subjects and sponsors and provides means of coordinating the work and efforts of all persons and groups interested therein. It sponsors and encourages the formation and international development of Societies and Regional Federations and by and through such means to strive toward greater international good will and fellowship.
The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies is composed of the following seven similar regional organizations of gem, mineral, and lapidary societies. CFMS – California Federation of Mineralogical Societies | EFMLS – Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies | MWF – Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies | NFMS – Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies | RMFMS – Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies | SCFMS – South Central Federation of Mineral Societies
| SFMS – Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies
This page last updated on 5/16/2023