Searching for that unique gift for someone or looking for the opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping?
If so, the 43rd Annual Kanawha Rock, Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show and Sale might be for you. Sponsored by the Kanawha Rock and Gem Club, Inc. and the South Charleston Lions Club, the show will be held Oct. 15-16 at the South Charleston Community Center at 601 Jefferson Road, South Charleston.
“The 43rd Annual Gem, Mineral, Fossil and Jewelry Show and Sale is a wonderful opportunity for lapidary hobbyists, collectors, teachers, families and everyone young and old to see a truly spectacular display of earth’s finest treasures. The event will feature 15 dealers in gems, minerals, fossils and jewelry offering items from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday,” said KRGC member Bonita Witt-Hird. “Admission to the show is $3.50 per person, but there are discount coupons for $1.50 off show admission attached to ads in many area newspapers and The Charleston Gazette-Mail that can be clipped and presented at the show. There is plenty of free parking at the South Charleston Community Center.”
“Three grand door prizes will be drawn and you do not have to be present to win. First prize is a $500 gift certificate from Broyles Jewelers in Spring Hill; second prize is $150 in “Rock Bucks” for next year’s show; third prize is $75 in “Rock Bucks” for next year’s show,” aWitt-Hird said. “There will also be hourly door prizes available for all attendees provided by the dealers and club members that you must be present to win.”
Just some of the items for sale and on display include: stone carvings, fossils, faceted gemstones, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, rare gemstones, cabochons, wire-wrapping, custom made jewelry items, individual stones, minerals, geodes, fused glass, crystals, and strings of beads for those that like to make their own jewelry.
There will also be exhibits at the show featuring West Virginia state gem stone, minerals and gems of West Virginia, fossilized coral, calcite, fossilized shells, sharks teeth, native copper, iron ore, dolomite, etc. Members of the rock and gem club will be at the show to help people identify minerals, rocks or crystals that they’ve discovered.
Jim Hird, past president, and Susie Lamb, president of the Kanawha Rock and Gem Club, will demonstrate how to make cabochons: a type of gemstone cut that has no facets, but is rounded and polished. Cabochons are usually dome shaped and are either round or oval with a flat polished base.
“Bring the kids. There are free things available for kids to do at the show including memory wire bracelets with beads and spring wire. Also there will be a Scavenger Hunt with prizes and Soapstone Carving. We will also have plenty of items for the kids to touch and feel and look at and identify,” Witt-Hird said. “Another popular part of the show is the ‘sandpit.” The sandpit is fun for all kids from ages. Purchase a bag of sand that contains not only sand but some of earth’s treasures as well. The bags contain such items as sharks teeth, iron pellets, amethyst crystals, hematite stones, fluorite cubes, tiger eye stones; most items are labeled and the Rock and Gem Club members will be on hand to help you identify what you find.”
Members of the Gold Panning Association will give a demonstration and guests can purchase bags of sand to pan for gold.
The Kanawha Rock and Gem Club hold monthly meetings at Rock Lake Presbyterian Church in Spring Hill, take field trips to museums, and go in search of rocks, geodes, gems and fossils. Annual Membership cost for an individual is $12 and only $17 for the entire family. Member’s children (also known as pebble pups) and junior members are always welcome at the meetings and on field trips. Ask a member for more information on the club.
