Dendrites can fool you.  They look just like fossilized plant matter.  However, they are mineral formations, not plant fossils — and one of my favorite mineral formations!  The word dendrite comes from the Greek word dendron, meaning tree, and also describes the branched projections of a nerve cell.

A dendrite is a superficial deposit of manganese oxide that has crystallized in a multi-branching tree-like pattern.  This pattern is what fools us into thinking they are plant fossils.  Dendrites form as water rich in manganese and iron flows along tiny cracks between layers of limestone and other rock types.  Dendrites may also consist of iron oxides and other minerals, and can also form in quartz materials like agate and jasper. When it is found in agate and opal, it is called “dendritic agate” and “dendritic opal.”

Metaphysically, stones with dendrites resonate with blood vessels and nerves.  They help heal the nervous system and conditions such as neuralgia. Dendrites can help with skeletal disorders, reverse capillary degeneration and stimulate the circulatory system.  It is the stone of plenitude; it also helps create a peaceful environment and encourage the enjoyment of each moment.  Dendrites deepen your connection to the earth and can bring stability in times of strife or confusion.

We have some beautiful dendrite specimens of dendrites in marl (calcareous mudstone), a sedimentary rock from Solenhofen, Germany that are 160 million years old.  Each piece is different, a mini still life in stone:  framed silhouettes of  trees, ferns, seaweeds, and bushes.  These dendrites are a great gift for anyone with a green thumb or who has a strong connection to nature.

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Happy New Year!  Here we go – the beginning of a new decade. Who knows what tomorrow may bring?  Who knows what kind of new rocks and fossils will be discovered? It’s always so exciting and fascinating to find new material.

We are almost all rested and back to normal after the long holiday season.  It was so wonderful to see all of our devoted fans who return year after year to purchase their holiday gifts.  We’d like to thank each and every one of you.

I’d also like to thank our wonderful staff who helps make this all possible.  We have such great, loyal people working at The Fossil Cartel and Let It Bead, each with their own unique personality and knowledge.  We had a cozy little gathering to celebrate. Here’s a photo of that party.  It represents a portion of our crew. (Comments are only a fraction of all the good things about them.)

photo taken by my lovely daughter Jule, age 7

Top row, left to right :

Sondra – (Let It Bead) Sarah’s mom, sweetheart, and — she met the Beatles!

Lars – (The Fossil Cartel) serious rockhound, website helper, easy on the eyes, plays bass guitar

Ira- (Let It Bead manager) has been with us for over 11 years, makes beautiful jewelry, keeps Let It Bead hopping, plays bass guitar and drums

Jem – (The Fossil Cartel in training) my son who is 9 and loves ringing up sales at the register

Susan -  that’s me! (founder and owner)

Kent – my handsome husband and sounding board, website helper, editor, lighting chief, pack mule

Bottom row:

Andrew – Sarah’s boyfriend and all around nice guy

Sarah (Let It Bead) class instructor/bead party facilitator extraordinaire, jewelry artist — and very funny!

Emily (The Fossil Cartel and Let It Bead!) – makes beautiful jewelry and is very versatile working at both stores

Kelley (The Fossil Cartel assistant manager) rockhounding field trip facilitator, excellent display artist and close to being a GIA graduate

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What is the GIA?  The Gemological Institute of America is a non-profit organization whose mission is to ensure trust in the general public for buying gemstones — by providing the education, laboratory services, research, and instruments needed to accurately and objectively determine gemstone quality.  Established in 1931, the Gemological Institute of America is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls. The GIA upholds the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism through education, research, laboratory services, and instrument development.

The Fossil Cartel’s assistant manager, Kelly Harmon, decided to enroll in GIA courses to further her knowledge of gemstones. Now that she is halfway through, Kelley is our go-to expert for gemstone identification.  I thought I’d interview her about her experience with GIA in case anyone might be interested in pursuing this path.

What was your goal or reason for wanting to get your GIA certificate?

To further my career in gemstones.  I was going to study geology but saw better career opportunities in gemology.  The GIA lists the kind of careers available to graduates from their programs such as: jewelry maker, retail management, appraiser, buyer, etc.  It’s also handy if you want to cut and polish stones yourself.

Was it more difficult than you anticipated and in what way?

It wasn’t difficult because it’s something that I love doing so much.

How much does it cost?

You can take individual classes for abut $200 and up.  There are some easy short ones and then there are more involved ones that require labs and equipment.  You can take as many classes as you want.  The two main programs are Colored Stones which costs about $4,500 and Diamonds which is about $2,600.  With both of these courses you can get a graduate gemologist certificate.

Do you need your own tools and instruments to complete the programs?

Yes, unless you live near one of the GIA’s institutes in New York, Carlsbad, CA. or LA.  They used to have traveling labs but not anymore.  The equipment can run over $4,000 alone and can be purchased at the GIA.

How far have you gotten with the program?

I’m ¾ of the way through doing gem identification.  I have to identify approximately 200 gems and complete the colored stone grading lab.

How much better are you at identifying stones than before you took the classes?

They teach you that you can’t assume what a stone is just by looking at it.  You have to go through the proper steps of gem identification.

Any final words for our readers?

Playing with the equipment is really fun and the rocks do magical things when you put them in a polariscope or microscope.   It’s fun!  I recommend it to anyone who’s into gemstones.

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Thank God for discovery, the beauty and awesomeness of nature.  Pleasant surprises are one of life’s great joys.  They make life a heck of a lot more interesting, as in “CYO” geodes, or “crack your own!” On the outside they just look like any old ordinary rock you would find on the ground.  But inside lurks a beautiful surprise!

A geode is a hollow rock with a cavity containing crystals growing inward, formed around a gas bubble in lava flow. The most common geodes contain white quartz or calcite crystals. Geodes are also sometimes created as rounded cavities in sedimentary formation. Typically, the outside of a geode is limestone. Other colored crystals found in geodes are purple amethyst, blue celestite and pink or brown dolomite.  Sometimes they have agate and jasper layers of banding.

Carneilan Geode Sphere

When a geode is solid all the way through it is called a nodule.  The thunder egg is the Oregon state rock and a good example of a nodule.  We’ve sold many a thunder egg at The Fossil Cartel and have seen so many beauties, each is one of a kind!  The insides of thunder eggs are often filled with blue agate and white common opal.  Many resemble a midnight ocean scene, with blue agate as the ocean and white opal as the moon. A great curiosity to me is how many thunder eggs feature a star-like formation framing the internal agate.

Thunder Eggs

CYO geodes make great holiday gifts, especially for kids.  My own kids and I had a blast cracking ours.  If you’d like to try your hand at it, here are three good ways crack open a geode.

1. Score the geode first: using a flat-head screwdriver (or cold chisel) and a hammer, make a line of marks around the center of the geode by tapping lightly. Place the geode in an old sock and tap lightly with a hammer, increasing the strength of taps until the geode cracks open.
2. Find a “nook” in your geode. Place a flat-head screwdriver or cold chisel into the “nook” and give it a good whack with your hammer. An old sock helps the pieces from flying across the room. This method may take a few tries.
3. Just smash the whole thing with a hammer. It’s probably not going to break into 2 nice halves, but sometimes you just can’t wait to see the beauty inside.

Enjoy the element of surprise and the hidden beauty of nature by cracking your very own geodes!

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Last month at The Fossil Cartel, a woman said to her son, “Sweetie, if you’re going to make a large purchase, you should wait till we go to (the other rock shop in town) to spend the money.  We want to support local businesses, remember?”  Employee Lars spoke up: “Excuse me ma’am, this is a local business.”  The customer responded, “Honey, I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken.  This is a franchise or a chain.  It’s not locally owned.”   Can you believe that?  Don’t you think an employee would know whether the place he worked was locally owned or not?

Ever since I opened The Fossil Cartel twenty years ago, people often think we’re a chain.  I always took it as a compliment.  I figured it must mean that we look professional, that we market and merchandise well.  I never thought it might work against us!  I guess Lars was so flabbergasted he couldn’t continue on with the woman.  It sounded like she was very condescending.  If I were there, of course, I would have set her straightJ.

I also like to think that our excellent customer service has something to do with our seeming like a chain,  (although not all chains are renowned for their customer service).  In fact The Fossil Cartel and I were just featured in a new book, BAM! Bust A Myth!: Delivering customer service in a self-service world, by Barry Moltz.  Needless to say, I’m proud to be in Barry’s book.  Anybody who owns a business should read it!  With the internet and major competition from all different directions, supreme customer service is many times the only leverage that will set your business apart from others, ensure customer retention and create positive word of mouth promotion.

This how-to book features exercises, tools, and work sheets including:

• How to Bust the 20 Myths of Customer Service that Hold Back Your Company.
• A Formula to Value Each of Your Customers and the Economic Value They Contribute to Your Bottom Line.
• A Two-Way Customer Service Manifesto and How to Customize One for Your Company.
• Action Plans for CEOs, Line Managers, and Customer Service Reps to Ensure that Customer Service is in the Company DNA.
• How to Treat Your Best Customers So They Stay.
• How to Fire the Harmful Ones So They Leave.
• A Comprehensive Customer Service Thesaurus.

We hope that you continue to have nothing but positive experiences at both The Fossil Cartel and Let It Bead.  If there is ever anything we can do to make your experience better, please let us know.

Happy shopping!

Susan

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“I really like your shirt.  Will you trade me for it?”  Trade for it?  What?!  In 1984 I had just moved to remote Jerome, Arizona from Long Island,  New York  and had never heard of such a transaction! My friend Dylan had just gone quartz crystal mining and found some beautiful pieces.  She was a beader and was offering to bead a quartz crystal pendant for me in exchange for the shirt. Wow — they didn’t teach this in college!

Shortly after I first started The Fossil Cartel, I learned about a company called Itex, a barter facilitator based here in Portland (the headquarters has since moved to California). I wound up becoming a member a few years later and it has been one of the best business moves I ever made.

Barter companies work sort of like a bank for barter transactions.  You sell your goods or services to collect barter credits. When you purchase something with your barter money, the company deducts that amount from your account.  You can either write checks or process your transactions online.  You can buy something from anyone in the trade organization and don’t have to trade your stuff directly with that business. The barter company makes money by charging a monthly fee and a small percentage of what you buy and sell.

Now of course this only makes sense if you’ve got one of the following:

• extra time to bill (as in a service industry)
• extra merchandise to sell (as in either distressed merchandise or items that have been in your inventory too long that you need to move)
• extra rooms or tables to fill (as in the hospitality industry)

If you do have one of these, barter can bring you more options, more resources and more customers.  There are many things available in barter organizations that you would normally pay cash for, such as printing, advertising, travel expenses, etc.  Not only will barter bring you more business, you will also save cash on many business expenses.

Here are two things to make your bartering successful should you choose to join:

1. Don’t trade more than 5% of your gross income
2. Be proactive about spending your barter credits

Even though it’s barter, you still have to pay taxes on it as if it were real money.  Plus you have to pay cash on the fees and the more you barter, the more the fees add up. This is why you normally wouldn’t want to barter more than 5% of your gross. However, if you use most of it on business expenses, it qualifies as a write-off which will offset the income.

If you’re not proactive about using your barter money, you might become resentful about paying the monthly fee.  Take the time to think about how you might be able to use your barter money.  Do you need your car repaired? Maybe there is an auto-mechanic available.  Do you need business cards printed?  See if there is a printer accepting trade.  Need a hotel room?  Find the broker nearest your destination and ask them what’s available.

If your barter money is used for personal expenses, you have to declare it as personal income.  It’s worth it to me to me to pay a little extra in taxes to indulge in certain luxuries I might not otherwise, for example a weekend at a hot springs resort — with massages — in the mountains of Colorado.  It feels almost like play money.  I get to sell things that for some reason weren’t selling for cash, and turn it into travel, massages, fancy restaurants, Italian designer clothing, etc.

Aside from business expenses, here are some of the other personal things I’ve used my barter money for:

• Household services:  carpet cleaning, hardwood floor refinishing, painting,  new storm doors including installation, art work
• Personal care:  massages, facials, haircuts and color
• Gifts: clothing, toys, household decor
• Travel: hotels in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New York; a luxury condominium on the Mediterranean in Spain, a house on the North Shore of Oahu, B&Bs in the Gold Rush country of the Sierra Madres in California.
• Camera equipment
• Automotive:  mechanical repair and auto body repair
• Recreation:  hot air balloon rides, day cruises, whitewater rafting
• Professional services:  attorneys, dentistry

The list goes on and on.  Since I’ve been doing this for about 15 years, I can’t remember everything, but I am constantly amazed at the things I have obtained through barter, the places I’ve gone and the experiences I’ve had that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.

There are many barter companies, but Itex is the biggest, operating throughout the U.S. and in other countries as well.  Their fees are reasonable for the service they provide.  Each member is assigned a broker who can help them buy and sell.  They have a fantastic website that lists other members and items for sale.  There are also broker-managed accounts that aren’t necessarily listed on the website, so it pays to ask your broker or a broker in the city you will be visiting what might be available to fill your needs.

This is an especially good time to look into joining a barter company given the current economic climate.  Many businesses can attract new customers through barter and it does not cost much to join and try it out.  If it doesn’t work for you, it’s easy to opt out.

If you decide to give Itex a try, please let them know that The Fossil Cartel referred you.  I get credit anytime I give a referral! J And if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them anytime.

Happy bartering,

Susan

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“Fossils upend notion of how humans began.”  This was the headline of an article in The Oregonian a couple weeks ago. To me, this is the most fascinating thing about fossils:  they help reveal the story of evolution. Fortunately, it is a wonderful, never-ending tale, for we are constantly evolving to higher levels of consciousness and living longer. The psycho-sociological analyses of where we are and where we’re headed are most intriguing to me. It’s also always amazing how paleontologists are frequently finding new fossils that either augments what we already know or change the record of history completely.  This helps keep life interesting as things aren’t always what they seem.

Fifteen years ago, a treasure trove of fossils dating back 4.4 million years, was found in the Afar Triangle in Ethiopia. After years of working to piece together and study these fossils, a golden nugget has finally just been revealed.  A new piece to the puzzle of evolution has been found. The team was lead by paleoanthropologist, Tim White of the University of California at Berkley.

The most important find of the cache was a skeleton of a human ancestor demonstrating that the earliest people looked nothing like a chimpanzee or other large primates, as is commonly believed. This find far surpasses the importance of Lucy.  Lucy was a 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor of the Australopithecus species, found in the 1970s.  When paleontologists found her, they already knew the major features of this species from other fossils found in the 1940s.  These new fossils are of a completely unknown creature and more primitive than Australopithecus. The female specimen was named “Ardi,” short for the species name Ardipithecus ramidus. The main differences in Ardi is that she walked upright, and had dexterous hands, more maneuverable than a chimp’s, that made her better at catching things on the ground and carrying things while walking on two legs. To read more about Ardi, click here.

If we didn’t come from monkeys, where did we come from?  What are your thoughts?

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Sometimes the people you do business with end up feeling like family.  Such is the case for me with Dr. Jay Zaveri, his wife Sudha and daughter Sonali.  I see them every year at Tucson and Denver, without fail, and have been buying from them for twenty years!  Dr. Jay, his wife and daughter are very warm, sweet people.

Zaveri family at their booth at the Denver 2009 show: Nevin, Sonali, Sudha, and Dr. Jay; Kent

Dr. Jay is based in Mumbai, India and exports a variety of stones and jewelry.  He and his wife travel and sell at shows throughout the U. S.  Many of our chip necklaces come from his company and have been consistent best sellers for us throughout the years.

Dr. Jay started his own stone business in 1977, the 5^th generation of his family to work in this industry.  Back in the 1960s and 70s, Dr. Jay’s father exported more stones out of India than anybody.  Dr. Jay really is a doctor, having studied medicine and started a family practice, but decided the rock business was where he wanted to be.  Now, Dr. Jay’s daughter Sonali carries on the family tradition into the 6^th generation as a jewelry designer and co-owner (with husband Nevin) of Burnie’s Rock Shop in Madison, Wisconsin.

I really like their logo, designed by Sonali:

All of our treasures from the Denver show are priced and out in the store.  Come take a look!  Here are just some of the goodies:

1.  Lots and lots of jewelry!  Topaz, peridot, rainbow moonstone, amethyst, garnet, smoky quartz, citrine, prasiolite, malachite, aquamarine, amber, larimar, Super Seven quartz, charoite, jade, etc.

2.  Fossil shark teeth pendants, black ones from Belgium and ivory-colored ones from Chile

3.  Selenite “pillows”

4.  Vesuvianite chip necklaces (from Dr. Jay, of course!)

5.  Medium size fossil shark teeth (more affordable)

6.  Fire agate

7.  New massage wands

8.   Muscovite with quartz

9.   Ruby/kyanite spheres

10.  Small float copper ($4.50 ea.) and all sizes of native copper starting at $3.50

11.  Clear halite from Michigan

12.  Large rough moldavite pieces

13.  Apatite crystals in matrix

Plus much more!

We aspire to be inclusive and connect with all of our customers.  Our goal is that when you visit The Fossil Cartel, you feel the love we work to generate as one big happy, functional family.

In love & light,

Susan

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I love tourmaline. No other mineral consistently gets me more exited. Heck, I’ve even driven all the way from Portland, Oregon to Pala, California to dig for it. Not only is it a thrill to pull a valuable gem from a dirty pile of rocks, tourmaline is a pegmatite mineral and the ground is usually littered with mica. This creates an almost surreal landscape where everything sparkles! Part of the reason I find tourmaline so alluring is the range and variety of colors that can be displayed in a single crystal. This can be seen lengthwise (bi-color, tricolor, or more), or as a cross section (watermelon). More often the crystals are one solid color with yellowish green being the most common next to black.

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It is my favorite time of year again — Autumn – when the air is crisp and cool, and the leaves change bright orange, red and yellow colors.  Speaking of bright orange, that happens to be my favorite color!  My love of all things orange began early in my childhood when I became a University of Texas Longhorn football fan and their colors are, of course, burnt orange and white.

Throughout my life, the color orange came to symbolize more important things (Can anything be more important than University of Texas football?)  I love almost all food that is orange in color:  peaches, apricots, carrots, peppers, pumpkins, cheese, oranges, etc.  A diet of orange foods can be quite healthy.

For the last eleven years, I have studied the healing properties of rocks and how they correlate to the energy centers of the body.  Orange is the color of the sacral/navel chakra #2 and signifies creativity, renewal, reproduction, sexuality and serenity.

Oregon Carnelian

Two of my favorite rocks happen to be orange:  carnelian and tangerine quartz.  Both are members of the quartz family with a hardness of 7 and are colored by iron oxides or hematite.

Carnelian is the orange variety of chalcedony and is often banded.   It is found in Brazil, India, Madagascar and here in Oregon.   Many cultures have used it as a protection stone to repel evil, restore vitality, inspire creativity and enhance sexuality.  Carnelian attracts abundance.   It also reminds us that our spiritual journey requires our physical vitality as a basis.

We have a great variety of carnelian jewelry, tumbled stones, spheres, eggs and a new batch of outrageously gorgeous rough pieces from Oregon.

Tangerine Quartz Cluster from Brazil

Tangerine quartz is silicon dioxide with “inclusions or encrustations of iron within or on the surface of the crystal.”  It is found in Brazil.  It also encourages creativity and stimulates sexuality.  It helps us to find “our passion”  in both our creative self and relationships.

We have beautiful crystals and clusters in a variety of sizes, and prices from $4.00-$75.00.

Whether  you are a fan of the color orange or not, we invite you to visit our shop or website and check out the wonderful world of carnelian and tangerine quartz.

Happy Birthday to all born in October including my coworkers Laurie (Oct. 13) and Emily (Oct. 19)!  Your birthstones are opal and pink tourmaline…all about Love and Light!!

Love and hugs,

Joan

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