The 21st annual Prescott Gem and Mineral Show, sponsored by the Prescott Gem and Mineral Club, is coming to the Findlay Toyota Event Center August 1-3, and this year’s show looks to be bigger and better than ever. Over 75 vendors will be showing and selling an incredible array of gems, minerals, fossils, jewelry, and lapidary treasures. The show has something for anyone looking for a fun and educational experience.
Some of the crowd-favorite attractions are the mesmerizing fluorescent-mineral exhibit, thrilling geode-cutting, exciting gold-panning, live demonstrations, and the ever-popular spinning wheel. Kids and adults alike can enjoy hands-on activities like face-painting, interactive displays and a chance to win amazing raffle prizes.
Many vendors return year after year, and new ones are added annually. Attendance has grown steadily, and the show just gets bigger and better. If you’re into rock-tumbling, you can get raw stones to take and polish yourself. Polished and shaped stones are available in every variety and color. You’ll find ready-made items created by individual artisans, including wire-wrapped works, wands, pendulums, handmade jewelry and other lapidary items.
While many buyers acquire gems for their beauty alone, twice as many are purchasing materials with the intention of making jewelry. It’s interesting to remember that jewelry-making goes back to the Middle Paleolithic period (around 110,000 years ago). The Egyptians were pioneers in the use of gemstone jewelry, adorning themselves with turquoise, lapis lazuli, carnelian, and amethyst, among others. They believed these stones had spiritual significance, using them in elaborate neck pieces, rings, and headdresses, often in combination with gold. Jewelry-making supplies are also available at the show.
Aside from décor, other uses include educational purposes, gem clubs, college lapidary and geology programs as well as gardening and landscaping. Fossils are also available, including stromatolites, with imprints of living organisms within the layers of sedimentary rock. It’s encouraging to learn that gem and mineral collecting and artistry is appealing to young people, especially the Gen Z and Millennial generations. Rockhounding is more than old guys whacking rocks with hammers out in the desert!
Over half of Americans hold some kind of New Age belief, making the Gem and Mineral show a mecca for stones with claimed healing properties, like amethyst for its calming effect, selenite for energy cleansing, and black tourmaline for protection.
There is also the practice of placing gems and crystals in the home. Place tiger’s eye on your desk to help maintain focus, or rose-quartz crystals to help with sleep and promote relaxation, or shungite to help neutralize harmful electronic radiation. Many believe that a powerful gemstone benefits the individual by offering spiritual protection and purification.
Whether you’re looking for the perfect gemstone for your next jewelry project or a fossil without digging in the dirt, the Gem and Mineral Show is the perfect place to find it — and when you get home you can legitimately say, “Hey, look at this cool rock I found!”
The Prescott Gem and Mineral Show will run August 1–3, Friday and Saturday 9-5pm, and Sunday 9-4pm in the Findlay Toyota Event Center, 3201 N. Main St. Prescott Valley. General admission is $5 per person (cash only), $4 for seniors, vets and students, free to children under 12 with paid adult.
