Ottawa Valley Mineral Club

OVMC Meeting - Mineral Palette: Decoding the Colours of Minerals
2026-04-09 17:30 - 20:00 (America/Toronto) | Musée canadien de la nature, 240, rue McLeod, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R1, Canada
Meeting Location: Canadian Museum of Nature in the Theatre downstairs

5:30 PM Mineral Identification and Swap Shop

“Rock Doctor” Clinic: Starts at 5:30, ends at 6:30 PM. Members are free to bring in a reasonable number of samples or specimens to be identified by the expert mineralogists in the club. This has been a very popular activity for the membership (at times exceeding our capacity to deal with everyone present!).

“Swap Shop”: Calling all collectors! The OVMC Swap Shop is open for all members (adults and children). Mike and Tara will have several treasures to trade including small crystals, fossils, polished rocks and the occasional plastic dino! Donations towards the Swap collection is appreciated! Local and international samples accepted. No large samples please.

Join us and win door prizes!

6:30 PM Meeting

Speaker: Inna Lykova, PhD, Research Scientist at the Canadian Museum of Nature

Topic: Mineral Palette: Decoding the Colours of Minerals

Colour is often the first thing we notice about a mineral. Striking brilliant colours are what make minerals so captivating and sought after. Yet, sometimes, the colour fades. In this talk we will explore the origins of colours and colour change in minerals. Some examples include why calcite fluoresces in a wide range of colours (but, sometimes, doesn’t fluoresce at all) and why pink kunzite or fluorite can turn into pale grey or colourless.

P.S. Bring a specimen or two from your collection!

EY Centre Gem and Mineral Show
2026-04-16 10:00 - 2026-04-19 20:00 | EY Centre Ottawa
The OVMC will have a booth at the EY Centre Gem and Mineral Show.
Explore an extraordinary collection of crystals, fossils, gemstones, and handcrafted jewelry—each a masterpiece shaped by the forces of nature and time.
Show Hours
Thursday to Saturday | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sunday | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Details
Admission: $3 single | $7 family | Children 5 & under free
Paid parking available on site

OVMC Youth Program
2026-04-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 MacLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R1, Canada
6:00 PM Youth Program Workshops

Location: Canadian Museum of Nature in the large area past the restaurant
Four workshop facilitators will hold two workshops. Much appreciation is extended to Inna Lykova, PhD, Research Scientist at the Canadian Museum of Nature for organizing this Youth Program.
1st Workshop: Symmetry in minerals: unveiling crystal patterns
followed by
2nd Workshop: Starting your own mineral collection: tips, tricks, and a give away
Suggested Age Levels: Grade 4+

Beryl Pit Field Trip
2026-05-09 10:00 - 16:00 | Quadeville – meet at Kauffeldt’s Grocery Store, Quadevilles, Ontario, Canada
The Beryl Pit is an open pit with a large field of mine dump material that has been bulldozed for easier discovery. Originally, beryl was discovered in 1897 then the mine opened in the 1920s.

There are a variety of minerals that can be found here including beryl, pyrite, columbite, euxenite, tourmaline, fluorite, various quartz, aquamarine, mica, feldspar including albite peristerite (moonstone), allanite and many more. Most of these were formed in a granite pegmatite about 1.2 billion years ago up to 20 km deep under the Grenville mountains which have all eroded away.

We will meet at the Quadeville Grocery Store at 10:00 am and then proceed by car to the Beryl Pit parking area. There is a 0.75 km walk to the collecting area which is fairly open. Bring lunch, water and mosquito repellant. There are no washrooms at the Pit but Quadeville does have a public washrooms.

There are two collecting approaches:

Easy: Digging and raking through the mine dumps which are mainly loose soil mixed with minerals.

Challenging: Using a sledge or chisels to break open big rocks to find fresh mineral specimens.

See our Blog Article for tools and what to bring: Gearing Up: Must-Have Tools for the Aspiring Rockhound

The owners of the Beryl Pit charge the following fees which we will collect at the Quadeville store:

Adult – $20.00

Student – $15.00

Children under 6 – Free

OVMC May 2026 Meeting - The Scientific Value of Micromounting and Pinch Award
2026-05-14 17:30 - 20:00 | Canadian Museum of Nature, 240 MacLeod Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R1, Canada
Join us and win door prizes!
5:30 PM Mineral Identification and Swap Shop
“Rock Doctor” Clinic: Starts at 5:30, ends at 6:15 PM. Members are free to bring in a reasonable number of samples or specimens to be identified by the expert mineralogists in the club. This has been a very popular activity for the membership (at times exceeding our capacity to deal with everyone present!).
“Swap Shop”: Calling all collectors! The OVMC Swap Shop is open for all members (adults and children). Mike and Tara will have several treasures to trade including small crystals, fossils, polished rocks and the occasional plastic dino! Donations towards the Swap collection is appreciated! Local and international samples accepted. No large samples please.
6:10 PM Door Prizes
6:20 PM Pinch Award Presentation

In recognition of his many contributions to the science of mineralogy, Quintin Wight has been awarded the Pinch Medal by the Mineralogical Association of Canada (The MAC) and this prestigious award will be presented to Quintin in a brief ceremony at the May meeting of the OVMC. The last winner of this medal was our own Michael Bainbridge so that’s two in a row for members of the OVMC!

6:30 PM Meeting
Speaker: Col (Ret) Quintin Wight, CD, MA and World-Renowned Micromounter
Topic: The Scientific Value of Micromounting

For a long time micromounters have felt rather scorned by the collectors of large, showy pieces who spend thousands of dollars on their collections. Museum curators also tend to dislike micromounts because they are difficult to display. This talk demonstrates that micromounters have every reason to be proud of their accomplishments, and introduces some of the people and institutions that are keeping the science of mineralogy alive and up to date through micromounting. In the last few years, micromounters have discovered more than 270 new mineral species. How many have the cabinet collectors found?
Rhodochrosite from Mt. St. Hilaire

Rhodochrosite 70x Magnification

Our speaker is the illustrious Mr. Quintin Wight, one of the world’s premier experts in the field of micro-minerals, those mineral specimens which are only readily visible under a microscope and are often more spectacular in their form than the minerals large enough to be seen without magnification. Quintin has been a mineral collector, micromounter and photomicrographer for more than 50 years. During that time, he has published more than 200 articles, on mineral subjects. He has also given more than 205 presentations to mineral groups across North America, and in England, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Tanzania, and New Zealand. Inducted to the Micromounters’ Hall of Fame in 1990, he now coordinates that organization on behalf of the Baltimore Mineral Society. His book, The Complete Book of Micromounting, was published in 1993, and the mineral quintinite was named in his honor in 1997.

Yates Mine Field Trip
2026-05-30 10:00 - 16:00 | Otter Lake, Otter Lake, Quebec, Canada
The Yates Mine was originally worked in 1906-07 for mica and fluorite and later in the 40’s and 50’s for fluorite and uranothorite.

Possible minerals to be uncovered are: allanite, apatite, calcite, diopside, fluorite, microcline, molybdenite, phlogopite mica, pyroxene, scapolite thorianite, titanite, tremolite and zircon.

Parking is at the gate to the property. Since the gate will be locked, we must go as a group so please be there at 10:00 am. Direction details will be sent to attendees.

There is a 20-25 minute walk through the woods on an uneven road slightly uphill. A dolly may help lighten the load on the way out.

See our Blog Article for tools and what to bring: Gearing Up: Must-Have Tools for the Aspiring Rockhound.

$10.00 To be paid at the site.
