Posted 11:00 pm Sunday, January 22, 2012
East Texas Gem And Mineral Society Members Enjoy Improving Lapidary Skills
By COSHANDRA DILLARD
Staff Writer
The reasons for joining the East Texas Gem and Mineral Society are as varied as the gems and minerals the members find. And lapidary — the art of cutting and engraving precious stones into pieces of jewelry or aesthetic displays — is a favorite pastime for many of them.
Some are drawn to the calming effects of seeking and smoothing out a mixture of colored stones while others enjoy the continued education they receive from scouring the Earth for fossils and minerals.
Donald Campbell, who has been with the group for about 16 years, was drawn to the organization mainly because of the exploratory field trips it hosted. Campbell is a geologist by trade, working in the ground water industry.
Staff Writer
The reasons for joining the East Texas Gem and Mineral Society are as varied as the gems and minerals the members find. And lapidary — the art of cutting and engraving precious stones into pieces of jewelry or aesthetic displays — is a favorite pastime for many of them.
Some are drawn to the calming effects of seeking and smoothing out a mixture of colored stones while others enjoy the continued education they receive from scouring the Earth for fossils and minerals.
Donald Campbell, who has been with the group for about 16 years, was drawn to the organization mainly because of the exploratory field trips it hosted. Campbell is a geologist by trade, working in the ground water industry.
From fossil finds in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, he’s racked up an extensive collection of trilobites — invertebrate animals that are extinct and lived on the ocean floor — and mineral specimens. He once found human bones dating back for the 1800s in a Dallas-are abandoned gravel pit that had been washed out.
“It’s getting to know some other folks who have similar interest; it’s given me the opportunity to participate in other aspects of a hobby I wouldn't have if I was just on my own," he said of the hobby.
Founded in 1957, the nonprofit organization has been going strong ever since. Its 80 members enjoy the camaraderie and improving lapidary skills. Keith Harmon, member of the East Texas Gem and Mineral Society and chairman for its annual show, said their activities are about having “an appreciation of all things that concern nature and science.” He said the general public is welcomed to join.
“It’s getting to know some other folks who have similar interest; it’s given me the opportunity to participate in other aspects of a hobby I wouldn't have if I was just on my own," he said of the hobby.
Founded in 1957, the nonprofit organization has been going strong ever since. Its 80 members enjoy the camaraderie and improving lapidary skills. Keith Harmon, member of the East Texas Gem and Mineral Society and chairman for its annual show, said their activities are about having “an appreciation of all things that concern nature and science.” He said the general public is welcomed to join.
Each year, the society’s members share their love for the hobby during a three-day showcase. At least 2,200 people are attracted to the show annually, which includes exhibits, demonstrations, jewelry cleaning and repair, educational displays and a silent auction.
There, lapidary enthusiasts from across Texas and Louisiana venture to Tyler to show off their best chiseled works, supplies, tools and skills.
“We have everything from rough rocks to finished jewelry,” Harmon said. “All of this is made through the bounty of Earth.”
The show features 11 vendors who will be on hand selling cut and uncut precious gemstones, and finished and unfinished fossils.
Visitors to the show are also attracted to the organization’s shows for various reasons. They are there for the collections of rocks, silversmithing and jewelry design and construction.
“It’s a learning experience but it’s also something that people go to because they like to buy things to take home, decorating items,” Harmon said.
Harmon has been a member since 1993, when his son shared that he wanted to become a geologist. To offer encouragement, Harmon joined him in his interest of exploring mineral specimens.
“I started collecting and it ballooned from there,” he said. Today, his son is a geologist working in Tyler.
ETGMS members have reserved the Friday of the event as a day for schools. About 600 fifth-grade students will converge at Tyler Rose Garden Center between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“We’re doing it to give them a good hands-on realistic introduction to the earth sciences,” Campbell said. “In the schools, they spend a limited amount of time introducing kids to earth science, so we’re doing this to kind of expand that opportunity for them.”
Harmon added, “They can actually see the things that they’re talking about in their books that they’d never get to see unless they get to come to something like this. That’s what we’ve been real proud of the most.”
To add to the experience, children have the chance to win furry rock creatures via a “Wheel of Fortune” game.
“It’s a fun thing for the entire family,” Harmon said.
The Gemstone & Jewelry Showcase will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Rose Garden Center, 420 Rose Park Drive.
Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for students. Proceeds from the show benefit the East Texas Gem and Mineral Society Clubhouse Fund.
There, lapidary enthusiasts from across Texas and Louisiana venture to Tyler to show off their best chiseled works, supplies, tools and skills.
“We have everything from rough rocks to finished jewelry,” Harmon said. “All of this is made through the bounty of Earth.”
The show features 11 vendors who will be on hand selling cut and uncut precious gemstones, and finished and unfinished fossils.
Visitors to the show are also attracted to the organization’s shows for various reasons. They are there for the collections of rocks, silversmithing and jewelry design and construction.
“It’s a learning experience but it’s also something that people go to because they like to buy things to take home, decorating items,” Harmon said.
Harmon has been a member since 1993, when his son shared that he wanted to become a geologist. To offer encouragement, Harmon joined him in his interest of exploring mineral specimens.
“I started collecting and it ballooned from there,” he said. Today, his son is a geologist working in Tyler.
ETGMS members have reserved the Friday of the event as a day for schools. About 600 fifth-grade students will converge at Tyler Rose Garden Center between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
“We’re doing it to give them a good hands-on realistic introduction to the earth sciences,” Campbell said. “In the schools, they spend a limited amount of time introducing kids to earth science, so we’re doing this to kind of expand that opportunity for them.”
Harmon added, “They can actually see the things that they’re talking about in their books that they’d never get to see unless they get to come to something like this. That’s what we’ve been real proud of the most.”
To add to the experience, children have the chance to win furry rock creatures via a “Wheel of Fortune” game.
“It’s a fun thing for the entire family,” Harmon said.
The Gemstone & Jewelry Showcase will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in the Rose Garden Center, 420 Rose Park Drive.
Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for students. Proceeds from the show benefit the East Texas Gem and Mineral Society Clubhouse Fund.
