News from the PME
Special Events
Mineral Mayhem
Sales, Talks, and Tours
Saturday & Sunday, October 25th & 26th
For more
information and directions to
the museum,go to the Mineral
Mayhem Page.
Identifying Gemstones: Are They Real?
Tuesday, November 4th
Refreshments @ 6:30pm
Talk @ 7:00pm
A wide variety of natural, synthetic, treated, and imitation gem materials are available in today's jewelry marketplace. Maintaining consumer confidence in gemstone purchases requires correct gem identification, proper information disclosure, and appropriate gemstone pricing by jewelers. GIA is a non-profit educational institute that serves the international jewelry industry with correct information on gem materials. A major goal of our ongoing research program is to develop practical means of gem identification which we can teach to jewelers and use in our gem-testing laboratory. While many gem materials can be recognized by a trained gemologist, others present difficulties for identification, especially when the synthesis or treatment processes used simulate conditions that natural gemstones could be exposed to in the earth. This presentation will focus on how gemological researchers use a variety of non-destructive analytical techniques to study diamonds and other gemstones.
Dr. James Shigley is a distinguished research fellow at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California. Prior to joining GIA in 1982, Dr. Shigley studied geology as an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, and later received his doctorate in geology from Stanford University. He is the author of articles on diamonds and other gemstones, and is a well-known speaker on gemological topics to both professional and general audiences. Dr. Shigley helps direct GIA’s research activities on the identification of natural, synthetic, and treated diamonds, colored stones and other pearls.
For directions to the museum, go to the Directions Page .
Ongoing Programs
A variety of free guided tours of the PME and hands-on activities (e.g., rock and mineral identification workshops) facilitated by museum docents are available for schools and other groups. For more information, investigate the Public Programming link.
Classroom VisitsIt may be possible to have an EOS researchers come and talk with your class. To learn more about this, contact us. We also suggest the ScienceWorld Scientists and Innovators in the Schools program. They connect scientists (including a number from the EOS department) with teachers looking for a researcher with a specific specialty to come and talk with their students.
Resources for K-12 TeachersThe Museum is developing a wide range of free Earth Science teaching materials for K-12 teachers. You can find out more through the Resources for Teachers link.
Earth Science Teacher Workshops (K-12)The last 2-day Earth Science Teacher Workshop was run in fall 2007. A date will be announced shortly for the next workshop. If you are interested in participating or in finding out more information, please contact us.
Recent Events
Explore Your Planet
EOS/PME Open House
Saturday, October 18th 10-5pm
On Saturday, October 18th the UBC Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences and the Pacific Museum of the Earth held the second annual Explore Your Planet Openhouse. Over 200 people attended, participating in hands-on demonstrations, attending talks and exploring the museum exhibits. Thank you to all the volunteers and thank you to all of you who attended! See you next year!
|