 A “rock hound” works on specimens during the 2007 Gem and Mineral Show, transforming their rough, ugly shapes into beautiful pieces for jewelry or decoration. Photo by Mike Gervais By Darcy Ellis
Editor 5-1-2008
Unearthing the Owens Valley’s geologic wonders, literally, is not only the pastime of a select group of local aficionados, but also their passion.
They spend countless hours exploring both the desert and mountain terrain in search of links to our past encased within what most would consider the unlikeliest of sources.
And with each find, they amass a trove of treasures that fascinate both the eye and the mind, telling the story of our environment while speaking to the unabashed beauty of the natural world.
Hundreds of those treasures – countless gems and geodes of all shapes and sizes, fossils from various periods of pre-history, minerals formed over many millennia – will be on healthy display this weekend when the Lone Pine Gem and Mineral Society once again opens its world to outsiders and fellow “rock hounds.”
The Fifth Annual Gem and Mineral Show gets under way tomorrow at 6 p.m. (it closes at 10) in the Douglas Robinson Building at the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop.
The show resumes Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m and Sunday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., and coincides the first two days with the annual Tri-County Fair Home Show.
No admission is charged for the Gem and Mineral Show, being held more as an outreach effort than a commercial endeavor, according to organizers.
“The show is more of an educational event to encourage people to learn what we have in our backyard and what we can do with it,” Lone Pine Gem and Mineral Society member Francee Pedneau said. “The Eastern Sierra is the premier rock-hounding area in the U.S. because of the Inyo Mountains.”
Show attendees will find plenty to not only introduce them to the hobby and art of rock-hounding, but also to spark and sustain their interest in local geology.
According to Pedneau, the three-day event includes hands-on children’s activities, live demonstrations, more than a dozen vendors and display booths, and even two weekend field trips.
The emphasis on children’s activities has been growing in recent years, and one of the offerings the younger set can find this weekend is the popular rock identification table.
Children will be able to compare different minerals to a chart identifying them, and then attach the rocks to a poster board they can take home.
Other attractions for children include a sand box they can dip into for treasures, as well as a wheel they can spin to win prizes.
The live demonstrations, meanwhile, are sure to entertain young and older attendees.
Craftsmen and hobbyists will demonstrate gold panning, flint-knapping, spear-making and some of the lapidary arts, from grinding and polishing rough stones into finished gems to sphere-making, glass bead-making and glass fusion, said Pedneau’s husband, Francis.
But that’s just a fraction of what’s being offered at the show this weekend, where members of the public can find one-of-a-kind works of art for sale or simply stroll through the air-conditioned building admiring the jewelry, fossils, rocks and crystals on display.
Vendors from all over California, Nevada and Arizona will be selling tools, local hand-crafted jewelry, rough rock, spheres, a wide array of beads, mineral specimens and dichroic glass. Several booths will have different gems and minerals on display.
The Lone Pine crew’s booth will feature a massive display of geologic wonders: local specimens, fossils, crystals, gemstone carvings and the truly unique giant fulgarite.
A fulgarite is a mineral formed by a lightning strike. They’re normally about the length of a finger, but rare specimens have been unearthed that prove the exception.
A fulgarite found in Florida is documented at 18 inches long, and one in Pennsylvania is said to weigh 6-8 pounds.
The Owens Valley fulgarite discovered in March of 2002 by members of the Lone Pine Gem and Mineral Society is the granddaddy of them all – weighing in at an astonishing 140 pounds. It’s also about five feet long.
Members of the Lone Pine Gem and Mineral Society will also be showing observers how they transform seemingly ordinary-looking rocks and mineral specimens into polished, colorful works of natural art.
For those inspired by what they see at the show, the Lone Pine Gem and Mineral Society is offering two field trips – including one to the garnet-rich Coyote front range – where members will help even the greenest novice scout out local geologic treasures.
“We will tell you, ‘This is what to look for …’” Pedneau explained.
Sign-ups for the Saturday and Sunday field trips will be taken starting Friday. Those partaking in the rock-hounding adventures should bring sturdy boots, gloves, hats, water and sunscreen.
In addition to the displays, hands-on activities and field trips, the Gem and Mineral Show will feature a variety of door prizes, as well as a raffle for an “amethyst cathedral” geode.
For more information on the field trips, call Ray Ramirez at (760) 872-0624.
For details on the show, call Jeff Lines, at (760) 937-4498. |
