East Texas Gem & Mineral Show

Every year the East Texas Gem & Mineral Society hosts their annual Gemstone & Jewelry Show.  Dealers from across Texas and beyond converge on the Tyler Rose Garden Center to sell custom jewelry, unique gem & mineral specimens, rare fossils and other treasures dug from the earth beneath our feet.  We've been to a few of the group's functions and was happy to return for this year's show.  

One of the show's best attractions is the Rock Food Table.  Take a close look at the picture above.  What looks like a delicious spread of fine dining choices are actually all rocks.  Most of the pieces are rocks that just happen to be shaped like certain foods but some of them are polished/finished to complete the illusion.  

The Rock Food Table is currently owned by a member of the ETGMS but originated by a couple in the Gulf Coast region.  A few years back we shot some footage of it for the documentary "RockHounds: The Movie."  Here's a clip:

Just for fun, we got some updated video on this visit for our TikTok.  Here's a quick look at the current Rock Food Table and maybe you can spot some new dishes on display:

@geologyvideo Rocks that look like food #geology #rocks #gemandmineralshow #science #rockfoodtable #earthscience #fyp ♬ Eat It - "Weird Al" Yankovic

Other attractions at the show included a silent auction, a fluorescent mineral display, door prizes, demonstrations and kids games.  We picked up a few new specimens for collection and got a look at some great displays that included petrified wood, lapidary work and other great pieces found by ETGMS club members.

The Geology Department from Stephen F. Austin University was also represented at the show.  Professor Bloxson and one of her grad students were there with information about oil deposits in east Texas and the rocks in the area that contain the oil.  They had great information for young aspiring geologists and anyone else that might have an interest in the subject. 

 

Oklahoma Mineral & Gem Show

We visited the Oklahoma Mineral & Gem Show in Oklahoma City last weekend so here's a look at some video we shot of the great event:

More Rocks in Your Head

Today the Oklahoma Geological Foundation and Oklahoma Mineral and Gem Society hosted another of their "More Rocks in Your Head" workshops for Oklahoma public school teachers with the goal of helping teachers incorporate earth science into their curriculum.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to attend and interact with the teachers.  Devin gave a brief presentation about our new project "Every Day Earth" and we got some great feedback.

The OGF also donated two of their Rock, Mineral and Fossil Kits as prizes for the teachers.  The workshop instructor, Edmond public school teacher Dick Opalka, and Devin pulled out some names for the lucky winners.

Congratulations to the two teachers who won!  Devin also gave a way a few copies of his book, "My Book of Rocks and Minerals."  Hopefully the materials and knowledge passed along will directly benefit the next generation of earth scientists!

Rocks at the Library

We recently helped out with showing off some of the Oklahoma Geological Society's rock kits at the Piedmont Library.  Below are some pictures of Larry Lunardi explaining the origins of many of the impressive rock, mineral and fossil specimens. 

Geo-RoadTrip 2014: Rock Shopping

After a little minor mountaineering we headed back to Lone Pine for the night and had some time to kill before dinner.  Luckily the Lone Pine Rock & Gift store was right in the middle of the town.  It was time to do a little geo-browsing.

They had a pretty good selection of specimens ranging from local rocks to those found far and away.  Here's a sample of some of the things we found:

Next up is our last stop in Lone Pine!

SluiceMobile! - Mobile Gem Mining Sluice

A quick look at the Mobile Gem Mining Sluice from JNE Lapidary:

Arlington Gem & Mineral Show

Here's a quick look at some of the displays, activities and vendors at the Arlington (Texas) Gem & Mineral Show: