APRIL 2026
Famous Mineral Specimen Producing Regions XI: Turkey by Peter Rosewarne; The Olivine Group by Peter Rosewarne; A Book Review.
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NEWSLETTERS
These are original articles that appear in our in-house newsletter the Mineral Chatter. They are usually posted monthly and you are very welcome to download a copy. Choose your newsletter, click on READ and when open, opt for the DOWNLOAD icon displayed to the top right of the open newsletter
MARCH 2026
Here we have a bumper Green and Gold Springbok issue for your enjoyment. Go Rokke! We have Book Reviews; The Greenstone Trilogy by Peter Rosewarne; Forgotten Green Stones; Native Gold: are you concentrating? by Peter Rosewarne; and this month’s Curiosity is in fact a Question.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026
The Early Geological History of the Earth by Peter Rosewarne; Famous Mineral Specimen Producing Regions Number X: Mali by Peter Rosewarne; Can ChatGPT create a usable faceting design? by Duncan Miller; and this month’s Curiosity is Copper Ore from Namibia.
DECEMBER 2025
Mineral Literature Continued by Bruce Cairncross, The Evolution of Mineral Specimen Literature Part 2: Periodicals and other “Soft Cover” Publications 1925–2025 by Peter Rosewarne, The Munich Show 2025: Show Report from a First Time Attendee’s Perspective by Peter Rosewarne, Obituary: James “Jim” Brown, Hummingbird Minerals and this month’s curiosity is Uvarovite Garnet on Chromite.
NOVEMBER 2025
The Evolution of Mineral Specimen Literature: 1960s – 2025. Part 1: Books, and “I’m only Sleeping” by Peter Rosewarne, and this Month’s Curiosity is Unusual Crystal Habits also by Peter Rosewarne.
OCTOBER 2025
Famous Mineral Regions #9 – Brazil by Peter Rosewarne; High End Fakes by Peter Rosewarne; From the Club’s Workshop; Bothersome Bubbles; and this Month’s Curiosity is Red Ember’s Garnets.
SEPTEMBER 2025
A letter re fakes from Robert Lurie; Fake Mineral Specimens: possible, genuine and real by Peter Rosewarne; Pseudomorphs Revisited by Peter Rosewarne; From the Club’s Workshop; Playing with Glass; and this Month’s Curiosity is Puteolanum.
AUGUST 2025
Impressions from the 2025 Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines Mineral Show by Prodromos Nikolaidis; The Perils of Mineral Trading by Peter Rosewarne; Faceting News: Glass – identification clues by Duncan Miller; and this month’s Curiosity is Dravite.
APRIL 2025
Rob Smith: a Life in Minerals, Part 2 – Field Collecting; Famous Mineral Producing Regions Part 6: Madagascar by Peter Rosewarne; A Simple Guide to Quartz – Colours and Habits by Jo Wicht; Time, Time and Again by Duncan Miller; and this month’s Curiosity is Coconut Geodes.
MARCH 2025
In Defence of the Zeolites from the Deccan Traps of India by Jo Wicht, Rob Smith: a Life in Minerals. Part 1 – the Early Days by Peter Rosewarne, Separating the Twins by Lesley Andrews, Famous Mineral Producing Regions Part 5: Sri Lanka, Book Review; Ikons of the Mineral World: Natures Finest Art – PR and This Month’s Increasingly Interesting Curiosity is Fluorapatite.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
An Ode to a Geode by Peter Rosewarne, The Amethyst Geodes of Sarusas by Jo Wicht, Trading in Mineral Specimens – An Update by Peter Rosewarne, and the latest find in the Cabinet of Curiosities
DECEMBER 2024
The Colour Purple by Peter Rosewarne, Mineral Specimen Labels by Peter Rosewarne, and the latest find in the Cabinet of Curiosities.
NOVEMBER 2024
The mim Museum, the Andes on a Plate – literally, by Peter Rosewarne, a Green Streak by Peter Rosewarne, and another Curiosity
OCTOBER 2024
– Jo’s Quartz Specimens with Inclusions, The 5th Mineral Symposium recently held in Johannesburg by Lesley Andrews, a Visit to the WOMAG Factory in Epping, The Vredefort Dome (as you perhaps have never seen it) by Peter Rosewarne, The Blues by Peter Rosewarne, and another colourful Curiosity.
SEPTEMBER 2024
Quartz Inclusions seen down the Microscope by Eugene Oosthuizen, Orange by Peter Rosewarne, The Chapman’s Peak Contact (as you probably haven’t seen it before), some newly faceted gems, and another Curiosity.
AUGUST 2024
In Search of the Green Gold – A Gem Hunting Trip to Tanzania by Mandy Freeman, the Topaz Seller; “If it’s brown”… by Peter Rosewarne; and another curious Curiosity.
APRIL 2024
Blue Lace Agate News, “Back in Black” by Peter Rosewarne, The Sources of Colour in Minerals by Peter Rosewarne, and an Easter Curiosity.
MARCH 2024
Igneous Activity, Mineral Deposits and Groundwater: Is There a Connection? by Peter Rosewarne, In the Pink by Peter Rosewarne, and Curious Opal Pineapples.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
– The club’s field trip to the Hout Bay manganese mines by Prodromos Nikolaidis; Peter Rosewarne asks the question “Why?”, Faceting a large Spodumene by Duncan Miller, and another interesting Curiosity.
DECEMBER 2023
Famous Mineral Specimen Producing Regions of the World, Part 4, Morocco by Peter Rosewarne, and another Curiosity – Meteorites.
NOVEMBER 2023
Famous Mineral-Specimen Producing Regions of the World, Part 3, Pakistan, by Peter Rosewarne and a Curiosity in need of identification
SEPTEMBER 2023
Famous Mineral-Specimen Producing Regions of the World, Part 1: Afghanistan by Peter Rosewarne, and a yummy Curiosity.
AUGUST 2023
Desert Roses from Port Nolloth, Northern Cape, South Africa by Gisela Hinder; Rutile: a mineral of many habits by Peter Rosewarne, and another Curiosity.
APRIL 2023
“Minerals of War” by Peter Rosewarne, another Curiosity, and in the Lapidary section some inspired tigers-eye.
MARCH 2023
Time is an Abyss by Duncan Miller, The Feldspathoids by Peter Rosewarne, as well as a rather different Curiosity
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023
NEW: “FACETIPS – A Gem Cutter’s Notebook” by Duncan Miller, the Club’s 60th Anniversary, What’s in a Name? Celebrity and Other Mineral Specimen Names by Peter Rosewarne, Bumble Bee Stone from West Java, Indonesia by Malcolm Jackson, and another Curiosity
DECEMBER 2022
Cape Town Gem & Mineral Club’s 60th Anniversary and other Interesting Numbers by Peter Rosewarne, a couple of Curiosities, and Investigating Moldavite by Duncan Miller.
NOVEMBER 2022
Beryl: A Gem of a Colourful Mineral by Peter Rosewarne, Curious Smithsonite by Peter Rosewarne, Open Day Agate find, and the Mechanism of Diamond Grinding by Duncan Miller.
OCTOBER 2022
OCTOBER 2022 – Beryl: A Gem of a Colourful Mineral by Peter Rosewarne, Curious Smithsonite by Peter Rosewarne, Open Day Agate find, and the Mechanism of Diamond Grinding by Duncan Miller.
SEPTEMBER 2022
– Great Balls of Fire – fluorescent spheres! by Peter Rosewarne, Lithium – just how ‘green’ is it? by Peter Rosewarne, and a sandy Curiosity
AUGUST 2022
An Alluvial Diamond Mine on the Orange River by Peter Rosewarne; Minerals in Art II by Peter Rosewarne; The Afghan Girl by Jo Wicht; and Nambulite in the Cabinet of Curiosities.
APRIL 2022
Uranium: From Colourful Secondary Minerals to Yellow Cake and from Reactors to Weapons by Peter Rosewarne, LEGO and Minerals by Bruce Cairncross, Unseen blobs by PR, another Curiosity, Faceted Barite, and Facet Cutting Laps, both by Duncan Miller.
MARCH 2022
Are there any other Blue Agate Deposits in Southern Namibia? by Jo Wicht, Annette Taylor’s Treasures from the 2021 FOSAGAMS Tour, Faceting in the 21st Century – an equipment guide for beginners by Duncan Miller, and another Curiosity.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
From 0 to 5 762 and Counting: where did all these minerals come from? by Peter Rosewarne, Bitten by the Gem Cutting Bug? Need help? by Duncan Miller.
DECEMBER 2021
Season’s Greetings with a mineralogical theme by Peter Rosewarne, and The Cabinet of Curiosities features hackmanite.
NOVEMBER 2021
– Rockhounding the Trethewey way in North West Canada by Bruce Trethewey, “It’s a Kind of Magic”: from drab hand specimen to a rainbow thin section by Peter Rosewarne; Curious Geological Cakes from the Past, and Tracy the Intrepid Tripper by Tracy Hannath.
SEPTEMBER 2021
The re-emergence of some Jan Coetzees by Jo Wicht, Riemvasmaak – resurrected from ashes by Duncan Miller, Off the Beaten Track: South African national monuments with a geological theme by Peter Rosewarne.
AUGUST 2021
Journeys in Pegmatite Paradise by Duncan Miller, Photographing Minerals in Stereo by Duncan Miller.
SEPTEMBER 2020
A Short Geological History of the Southwestern Cape by Duncan Miller; Stories behind some recently acquired ‘exotic’ rocks and polished spheres by Peter Rosewarne; Playing with quartz spheres in polarised light by Duncan Miller; Photographs of spheres sent in by members; and Who was Father Tony Garman?
JULY/AUGUST 2018
Aquifers, Groundwater and Abstraction Methods: The status quo and beyond, in the greater Cape Town area. Parts 1 & 2 by Peter Rosewarne.
OCTOBER 2020
Lapis Lazuli: East vs West by Peter Rosewarne; Lazurite – a Tucson Story by Duncan Miller; Digging out Dumortierite by Jo Wicht; More photographs of “True Blue” minerals sent in by our members.