Volcanoes and Emeralds
I’ve had the privilege to give lectures worldwide at shows, club meetings and retreats. I’ve also done videos and DVDs including Russian Gem Treasures, shot in Russia and another associated with the Smithsonian about American gem mines. My last lecturing activity was with Bluecap Productions as cohost at the annual shows in Tucson and Munich, Germany. While doing all this I’ve come across all sorts of funny, scary and strange events which I’d like to share which you.
COLLECTING STIBNITE IN MEXICO
Bill Panczner and I used to spend days and weeks in Mexico collecting. On one monthlong trip accompanied by Bill’s son Chris and my son Evan, we went to the silver mine at Fresnillo where we knew stibnite had been found. We hoped to collect specimens of it for the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. e mine superintendent guided us underground to the working face. As we walked along a tunnel with walls of solid sulde minerals, we saw some small scraps of stibnite crystals on the oor. ey had come from an open pocket about 20 feet up the wall. Without a ladder, we were out of luck until the superintendent le us and brought back a front-loader bulldozer. e driver dropped the bucket and Chris and Evan climbed in and were lied to the crystal pocket so they could collect specimens. Aer a bit, I insisted they come down so Bill and I could have a turn at the stibnite. We collected a modest number of specimens for the museum. But we had a problem. We had not planned on collecting on the initial walk. Luckily, there were some empty explosives cartons and sheets of packing paper le from earlier mining activities. We now faced a long uphill hike to leave the mine. As we started, there was a shi change and the o-shi miners came by riding a tram to the surface. When we climbed
on, the miners jumped o and started walking out of the mine. I was bewildered until one of them pointed at our boxes marked “explosives.” We had to open the boxes so they could see the specimens. Smiling, they hopped back on and we all rode the surface safely.
EXPLOSIVE LUNCHES
In Arizona, we oen dug wulfenite at the Rowley mine west of Phoenix. It was tough digging but we were doing well on one day. At lunchtime, we quit digging and sat around to eat. I chose a big at rock and started eating. A fellow across from me stood and started to walk down the tunnel pointing at my rock and saying in a serious voice “Bob, I would not sit there if I were you!” I checked under my rock and discovered an oily-looking stick of dynamite. It looked oily because old dynamite sticks “’bleed” nitro. We all decided to dig elsewhere that day!
HAWAIIAN REVENGE
e Hawaiian legend of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes, says she guards against anyone who despoils her creations and exacts revenge on anyone who takes her lava rocks or commits a violation of her precious lava. I got to know Pele on one trip to Hawaii when I rented a helicopter so Carol and I could see the hot lava ows and take magazine pictures. We had a great ight and I got some good photos of red-hot molten rock. When we landed, we chose to have dinner
When we climbed on, the miners jumped o and started walking out of the mine. I was bewildered until one of them pointed at
our boxes marked “explosives.” We had to open the boxes so they could see the specimens. Smiling, they hopped back on and we all rode the surface safely.”
ocean side for our last evening there. Aer I paid, I went to put my wallet back in my pocket and Pele got her revenge. I dropped my wallet and it bounced right through the railing and into the ocean and began oating away! You can see my predicament. All my money, credit cards and IDs were oating away. I had to do something so I went into the kitchen and out the back door of the restaurant and jumped in the ocean. I headed toward my wallet. It was already a distance away so Carol stood at the rail yelling directions to me. is got everyone to the rail including those in the bar next door. Aer some minutes, I got my wallet and held it up. Immediately, cheers rose from the onlookers. It was hilarious. e
The emerald mine owners do not pay the miners digging the emerald veins. When they get close to the crystals the miners stop and move away. Someone chosen by the owner moves in and removes the green crystals. The smaller crystals are left in the pocket for the miners to dig as their pay.”
bar next door had stairs down to the water so I used them to walk through the bar dripping wet to get back to the restaurant. e manager was upset and signed his card and gave it to me saying it was for a free meal for two. We had eaten, so I gave the card to a handsome young couple sitting in the bar.
DIGGING EMERALDS
Visiting the emerald mines in Colombia had its moments. e emerald mine owners do not pay the miners digging the emerald veins. When they get close to the crystals the miners stop and move away. Someone chosen by the owner moves in and removes the green crystals. e smaller crystals are le in the pocket for the miners to dig as their pay. e miners used to have to risk the trip to Bogota to sell their crystals and take the chance of being robbed. Now once a month, buyers from Bogota are brought to the mines and everyone assembles on the football (soccer) eld to bargain and buy. I was lucky to be there for that event. I had my red camera bag with photo equipment and walked through the crowd taking shots where I could. I always had a guard with me and during the selling event he came to me and said in a very stern voice, “Get in the truck!” is was not a request but an order. He said it again and I hustled with him to the vehicle with my red camera bag. I piled in and o we went out the gate. As we exited the eld, we heard someone sitting by the gate yell in Spanish, “Take care of your rich gringo with the red bag!” My guard told me he had picked up a rumor I had a bag full of money to buy emeralds. We did not stop until we were at the hotel. From then on when we went to the mines I did not take my red camera bag!
Bob Jones holds the Carnegie Mineralogical Award, is a member of the Rockhound Hall of Fame and has been writing for Rock & Gem since its inception.