Treasures of the Earth Gem Show

Today our JET Team member Wanda, of GemstonesOnMyMind reports back on her recent visit to a bead show.

"Who doesn’t love a good bead show? I recently had the opportunity to spend a day at one of our local shows, managed by “Treasures of the Earth”. This was a new venue for them so there was an undercurrent of excitement for both the exhibitors and visitors. Throughout the hall there was a generous mix of gems, minerals, beads, fossils and jewelry, so this was playing out to be a fun day!

I quickly spotted one of my favorite bead vendors and made my way to their booth. The strands were as beautiful as ever, so I took my time carefully choosing a few of my favorites. Next I came across quite a large exhibit of minerals and fossils, with a few local finds here and there. I even found a whale vertebrae fossil that was very similar to one my son had found when he was a young boy. The vendor had it listed as being found in Surry, VA., the very same area where my son found his - Amazing!

I really needed to spend a lot more time at this show than I had actually planned for. Each time I entered a booth, I had to tear myself away from it, so that I would have time to visit them all! There was estate jewelry, both precious and costume, and modern day artisans each with their own unique style. I even spotted a couple of shop owners from Etsy.

As it turned out, in addition to the vendors, The Gem and Mineral Society of the Virginia Peninsula had brought in their members to do demonstrations throughout the day. One of the most interesting demos available was their Geode cutting operations. If you’ve ever cut a geode yourself, you know about the magnificent display of druzy crystals that hide in the inner pockets of these earthy stones. The proceeds from their operations went to charity so I thought I would splurge and buy a large one.

After handling, listening to and smelling a few geodes, I picked out one that for some unknown reason, seemed to be my “lucky rock”. So, with a promise to bring back my treasure for all to view later, I headed across the hall to the huge machinery.

Being a friendly bunch and eager to share their knowledge, the members allowed me to take photos of them at work. Lots of water spray, noise and fumes later, my 2 pound geode was cut to reveal beautiful purply brown hued crystals inside the hollowed area. Isn't it beautiful?!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this small bead show with the variety of vendors and displays. I’m seriously thinking about taking them up on their kind invitation to join their local Gem and Mineral Society. After all, who doesn’t love a good “rock” hunting field trip?!"

Wanda