Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/11/2022
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Categories No Categories

Speaker:

Francine Payette

Topic/presentation:

New Zealand – The place where greenstone grows – talk by Francine Payette

Date/Time:

Wednesday 9 November 2022, 7.30pm

(venue opens at 6.30 pm for socialising)

Venue:

WA Lapidary and Rock Hunting Club Inc.
31 Gladstone Road, Rivervale

Abstract

New Zealand is a dramatic and unquiet land, with rugged mountains, active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. It is a country with a complex geological history. The talk will cover some aspects of the geology of the country and the setting for the formation and distribution of nephrite jade, and its properties.

Nephrite jade, also known as “greenstone” or “pounamu” in New Zealand, plays an important role in Māori culture. The presentation will cover the significance of “pounamu” to Māori.

A ‘koru’ made from New Zealand’s ‘flower’ variety of nephrite.

About the speaker

Francine holds a BSc and a MSc in geology from the University of Montreal and is a graduate of both the British and Canadian Gemmological Associations. In 2003 she received a Diploma in Diamond Technology from the Gemmological Association of Australia (GAA).

Francine has taught geology and gemmology in Quebec, British Columbia, Madagascar, and Perth. She was the Editor of The Australian Gemmologist for three years (2010-2012) and now is a member of the review board of the journal. She also is an editor of The Australian Journal of Mineralogy (AJM). Francine is the author of numerous articles and has been an invited speaker at many national and international conferences.

Besides her commitments with the GAA WA Division and the AJM, she is currently a dedicated grandmother enjoying quality time with her two grandchildren.