New Mexico History Museum

7th Annual Palace Gem & Mineral Show

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2012

MEDIA CONTACT


Volcanoes, earthquakes, water, wind, and ice created the raw materials that adorn our favorite pieces of jewelry. See and purchase a worldwide variety of the authentic versions of stones, fossils and gems at the 7th annual Palace Gem & Mineral Show, Sept. 28-30, in the Palace Courtyard.

Enter for free through the Blue Gate on Lincoln Avenue and meet the miners, traders and jewelers whose stories of how the forces of nature formed geodes, fossils, and turquoise will deepen your appreciation for the treasures beneath our feet. The event is open 10 am to 7 pm on Friday, Sept. 28; and 9 am to 4:30 pm on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 29-30.

New this year: Jewelry-making and mineral-painting workshops join the daily al fresco lectures on a variety of topics. These events are free unless otherwise noted. The schedule:

Friday, September 28

5.30 pm: Garrick Beck, “History of Fakery in Gemstones: Questions You Should Ask Before Buying.” The owner of Natural Stones in Santa Fe talks about the history of pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes with stones that have been dyed, synthesized, stabilized and enhanced, and teaches you four things to ask before buying gemstones.

Saturday, September 29

11 am: Vincent Gioielli, lapidary demonstration. Gioielli is a Santa Fe jeweler whose passion in jewelry making is stone inlay. He will demonstrate cutting and polishing a variety of natural stones for channel inlay bracelets.

1-3 pm: Gina Crow, jewelry workshop, “Wire Netted Bezel Pendant.” The owner of Laughing Crow Studio in Santa Fe is also a jewelry designer and instructor specializing in cold connections and wire wrapping techniques. Participants in her hands-on workshop will learn how to set a cabochon stone in a wire bezel pendant. This is designed for novice jewelers, but everyone is welcome. (For reservations, call 505-476-5182; $10 materials fee.)

2 pm: Richard Kocurek, “Fossils as Gemstones.” The owner of Bright Star Gemstones of Crested Butte, Colo., specializes in natural gemstones from Brazil and South America. He works directly with the lapidary artists (lapideros) and in some cases the families that own the mines to find one-of-a-kind, high-quality natural gems.

Sunday September 30

11 am: Jayne Aubele, “The Geological Story of New Mexico’s Minerals and Gems.” A geologist and adult programs educator for the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Aubele focuses on volcanoes and their minerals and resources. She has mapped and researched the geology of New Mexico and the Southwest (in person) and of the Moon, Mars and Venus (remotely). Her talk will explain the natural forces that produced some of our most identifiable jewels.

1 pm: Sandy Craig, opal cutting and polishing demonstration. The owner of Orca Gems & Opals in Littleton, Colo., has been cutting and polishing the gems for over 20 years, along the way developing special methods for getting the most out of a given piece of rough opal. As part of his demonstration, he will offer hands-on lessons. Bring a piece of your rough to work with or use what he has.

2-4 pm: Margot Guerrero, workshop, “Time Travelers Art: Painting with Mineral Pigments on Gem Stones.” The Santa Fe artist, restorer, jeweler, lapidary artist and owner of The Curiosity Cabinet of Margot Guerrero will demonstrate how to create pigment paints from natural gems and minerals and give lessons on painting miniatures on hand-carved gem stones. (For reservations, call 505-476-5182; $10 materials fee.)

Exhibitors at the Palace Gem & Mineral Show must meet standards of high-quality gems and minerals that contain no dyes or enhancers. They must disclose the use of stabilizing agents. Those same standards apply to participants in the museum’s Native American Artisans Program—the artisans who display and sell their work each day beneath the Palace Portal. The Palace Gem & Mineral Show underscores the museum’s goal to support their work and also celebrates the state’s history of mining and collecting natural stones for use in our daily lives.

Exhibitors at this year’s event will include:

Garrick Beck, Natural Stones, Santa Fe

Philip and Eleanor Bové, Roadrunner Mining and Minerals, Santa Fe

Sandy Craig, Orca Gems & Opals, Littleton, Colorado

Margot Guerrero, The Curiosity Cabinet of Margot Guerrero, Santa Fe

Richard Kocurek, Bright Star Gemstones, Crested Butte, Colorado

Anna Mottek Lucas, Blackstar Trading Co., Flagstaff, Arizona

James Pace, JP Designs, Alamogordo

John Scully, Scully’s Minerals, Fairview, New Mexico

Daniel Wade, Indian Jewelry Supply, Albuquerque

Phone number for publication: 505-476-5200

Download a selection of high-resolution images from past years’ events by clicking on "Go to related media" at the top left of this page.


Related Photos

Abalone beads
Turquoise beads
Shopping
Green turquoise
Mexican opals
Agate Geode Slices
Ammonites
Cuprite and Chrysacolla
Geode
Please Touch

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