The Rock & Gem Show

The first weekend in April, the Rock & Gem Show takes place in Paris, Ontario. I don't go every year, but Michelle and Barry always takes the boys. It's been tradition since they were little. They love going and since Michelle is laid up recovering from her surgery, I told her I would take them.

We entered Paris and the main street was jammed up with traffic, so I made a detour and took a back street along the Grand River. The town has made a place to pull off the road for an overlook and so we decided to stop. The Grand is quite high right now from the recent rains and the rapids were boiling. A nice view of the walk bridge and there is a trail here that I didn't know about. We plan to go back and take a hike.

We arrived at the Rock & Gem show about 12:30 pm and the first thing we saw was the table above. These were all labeled as diamonds. Some of the rocks were for sale and most of them were very pricey.

When we stepped into the main auditorium, this is the first thing we saw. All kinds of jewelry made of amber and the colors varied quite a bit. I prefer the darker colored pieces. We also saw pieces of raw amber. It is rough and very light. Do you know what amber is? Fossilized resin from ancient forests.

The large purple pieces in the background are amethyst, which is Michelle's birthstone. She had asked Jordan to buy her a piece and he found a nice sized one about 2 inches square for $4.99. Brandon gave him $2.50 and they went together to buy it for their mother. What nice boys.
One of the display tables. Jordan loves the colored pieces. He buys one every year. This year he bought a red piece. It cost him $5.00, which isn't bad. He wanted the very large red one, but it was $20 and he knew that if he bought it, he wouldn't get anything else.

On a table were surprise bags. They are filled with sand and rocks. The boys each bought one. Then this nice man helped them put the contents of the bags through a sifter.
Brandon also enjoys doing this. It's fun to see what you get. Both boys got a fossil that is over 300,000 years old. They come from Ontario and another man at the table told the boys where to go to look for them. I think that will be on the agenda for summer holidays. They are both rock hounds.

The above display was very pretty and so unique. I love the large stone on the back right. I also liked the blue one in the center.
A close up of the shimmering stone. Can't think of the technical term for it right at the moment. This rock came from Labrador. I would love to find something like that and so would the boys. It was awesome. The photo doesn't really do it justice.

There was a Native Canadian man there carving stone. I asked him if I could take a photo of his art and he was quite happy to let me do so. We saw him carving a bit and it was very interesting to watch.

Quartz crystals in the foreground and amethyst down the right side of the table.

All kinds of beautiful items from jewelry to animals. There were even wooden stacking dolls.

Lots of beautiful colors on this table and almost any kind of stone you could want. These are already polished and are perfect for making jewelry. You just glue them into the settings. This man also sold jewelry that he has made. Some pieces were quite nice.

As you can see, there are some nice pieces here. And yes, they remind you at every turn that they take Visa.

Brandon and Jordan back at the van. It was a beautiful day and we really didn't need our jackets. Brandon bought a turtle for $1.00 and another piece for $8.00. Both boys enjoy this show a lot and look forward to going every year. I enjoyed seeing all the beautiful stones and minerals that the Earth provides for our pleasure. What awesome things the Earth can turn out.

I hope you enjoyed coming along with the boys and I to the Rock & Gem show. There is another in October in Ancaster, Ontario and if you Goog*le, you will come up with some that are taking place in your area. Have a great week. ~Blessings, Mary~