Many of us have often wondered if geology careers were possible. Geology is so interesting… but could it be a career? Here are eight geology careers that can provide a good living and fulfilling work.

1. Museums

Museum jobs are increasing by an amazing 12 percent each year as projected over the years 2021-2031 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Most require a master’s degree and the median annual salary for a curator was $50,100 according to May 2021 data. Johns Hopkins University offers degrees in museum studies.

2. Environmental Geology Careers

Environmental geology careers are growing in prevalence in many countries. Have you ever driven past a service station where a tank was being pulled out of the ground and the tank and surrounding soils were being tested and removed/replaced as needed? Did you know a geologist put together the plan for testing the soil and groundwater and determining the best strategies for remediation? The environmental geologist career is high-paying, sometimes six figures per year.

3. Geomorphologist

Geomorphologists are in demand in government and private companies. Their work focuses on understanding how landforms change over time. They perform hydraulic, hydrologic and geomorphic analyses to map resources such as groundwater and petroleum. If you love math and geology, geomorphology could be a perfect match. The career pays well too!

4. Hydrographic Surveyors

Hydrographic surveyors use instrumentation to map out the shape, contours and depth of streams, lakes, inlets and ocean bottoms. They often work for government agencies or private companies doing surveys for the government and nonprofits. For example, ecological restoration of channelized streams requires a hydrographic surveyor to determine the best approach to restoration. The median salary is around $80,000 per year.

5. Gemologist

When we buy a diamond or any precious colored stone from a fine jeweler, a gemologist was responsible for identifying, grading and selecting it. Careers include working as a lapidarist, bench jeweler, consignment director, appraiser, jewelry litigation expert witness, a fine jewelry polisher, and a precious metal tester. A college degree in geology is not necessary to get started gem cutting. There are many gemology schools with programs and diplomas.

6. Mineralogist

Mineralogists collect core logs, conduct geochemical and geophysical surveying, create geological mapping, and examine geochemical samples like petroleum, minerals or rocks using such instruments as gas chromatographs, carbon analyzers, microscopes and spectrometers. They perform original scientific research to determine the ages and other characteristics of specific soils, minerals and rocks. They oversee processes that separate minerals from their ores. The educational requirement for most mineralogist jobs is usually a master’s degree at minimum.

7. Mud Logger

Mud loggers analyze drilling fluids after they have been drilled up. They analyze the fluids in a laboratory. Mud loggers determine the position of hydrocarbons to depth. They also monitor natural gas and identify the physical characteristics of outcrops available in a given area of study.

8. Wellsite Geologist

Wellsite geologists are the next level up from mud loggers and you must be a mud logger first. Both require a bachelor’s degree in geology. Wellsite geologists classify rock cuttings removed from wells. They use rock-cutting data, core samples and specialized tests to advise gas and oil operators on how deep to drill wells. They prepare reports during and after the drilling. This is one of the highest-paying geology jobs with salaries topping six figures per year.

Geology Careers Provide Varied Work

The pay can be good. But geology careers are not just about making money. It’s also the wide variety of work and the demand for it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 4.5 percent job growth in the geosciences, including environmental geoscientists, from 2021 to 2033, a 5 percent job growth in geoscientists, not including hydrologists, overall, and a 5.4 percent job growth increase in geoscience technicians.

Consulting Geology Careers

Dennis Papa, P.E. is a principal at dpSTU-DIO LLC, Environmental Consulting and Design with offices in Richmond, Virginia and Providence, Rhode Island.

“Back in the late 1980s (seems like the Precambrian!) many undergraduate geology programs were focused on petroleum exploration and mineral resources. That is what I was originally interested in, imagining a career looking for oil-bearing formations. When jobs in petroleum and coal exploration started to become scarce, the environmental industry was just ramping up. I was drawn to the idea of a job that offered a mix of both fieldwork (doing well installation, groundwater and soil sampling) as well as office work to write reports, use software, and engage with other experts and clients to study a contamination problem.”

Many wonder if a professional geologist license is needed. “The P.G. is simply a test that each state offers to a geologist who has the requisite degree and minimum years working in the industry. A national exam is now offered to standardize the test. but not all states require it. Many states require a P.G., or working directly under a P.G., to practice geology, but it is not a requirement for all careers in geology and is certainly not required once starting out.”

Geology Tools & More…

As with any job, sometimes the fun is in the tools used. “Tools always offer that tangible connection to your trade. The geologist hammer is indispensable. A hand lens magnifier, soil color chart, and grain size chart used to compare sorting, size, etc. of sediment and rock samples are important tools to help provide useful data in standardized terms. Aerial photographs are used. We also routinely use a water level meter to accurately measure depth to water level.”

Dennis works closely with other specialists. “We rely very heavily on experienced and licensed well drillers, geotechnical engineers, wetland scientists, soil scientists, archeologists and geophysicists.”

In Dennis’ opinion, “I am partial to the environmental consulting field because it has offered me so much. However, I think there are so many geology career paths to choose from, and there have been so many advances in the subspecialties, that it just depends on your particular interests. Some offer more time in the field, others more opportunity to work in an office or laboratory. And if you can’t decide, the beauty is that many geology jobs offer a combination of both.”

Geologist

Claire Starke is a geologist with a large consulting firm with offices around the world.“I knew I wanted to be a geologist at age seven and I chose environmental geology because I felt that it would get me further in the business world and encompass different types of jobs. I graduated in the spring of 2021 so I was going to school through a time when environmental remediation and sustainability was a large chapter covered in all my major classes.”

A typical field day for Claire includes, “I mainly work with environmental sampling in groundwater monitoring wells. I use different types of well pumps to pull the water out of the well at a low flow rate. We work with drilling companies, and they will do the physical placement, but a geologist will tell them where to put the well, how deep to drill, and how deep to place the screen of the well. I have worked with hydrologists and hydrogeologists to figure out groundwater flow. I have worked with chemists to discuss the chemicals found in groundwater samples.”

What geology fields are best? “In my opinion, environmental remediation is the best geology field for the time we are in now. There are always new chemicals being found to be dangerous to human health, someone is needed to address the issue and needed for remediation, so it’s a sustainable career because the job is never done. You get a very nice blend of field and office activities. You also get to make the world cleaner and healthier in small and big ways.”

This story about geology careers appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Deborah Painter.

The post 8 Top Geology Careers first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

The knowledge built from years of research, traveling, writing, and cutting gemstones is shared as we learn the details about how colored gemstones change from mined nodules into classic designs.

A Rich Heritage

Many want to become a lapidarist, however, the craft of gemstone cutting was traditionally taught from generation to generation. The skills of the craft were not public knowledge and were not well documented. How to start gem cutting was information not easily accessed. Access was earned by working from the bottom up, with entry into the gem-cutting guild. This book breaks with that heritage and presents the teachings and insights to learn these secrets in an informative and illustrated manner.

The book starts with an explanation of how a gemstone is classically cut with a series of step-by-step instructions and matching diagrams. This forms the foundation for everything that follows.

A Comprehensive Tutorial

Through a logical progression of chapters, we learn the attributes of a well-cut and polished gemstone. We begin to understand that a beautiful gemstone is the result of a series of complex observations and decisions.

Gemstone qualities are described, such as why minerals have color, clarity, carat weight, light return, scintillation, and luster. We are introduced to crystal systems, refractive indexes, and critical angles and how they work together. A tutorial on performing highlights its outcome on a finished gemstone.

50 Classic Gemstone Designs

The design section of the book is laid out by design type and takes into account the different types of gemstones.

To build an understanding of which design works best with different gemstones, the 50 designs are also presented as a history lesson on the evolution of gemstone patterns and shapes. Instructions and diagrams are provided to cut the classic gemstone designs, along with specific design history, cutting notes, and rendered examples.

Whether you are just starting your gemstone journey or are more experienced, this is a fascinating journey through the lustrous world of gemstone cutting and its secrets. The knowledge in the book is presented with enthusiasm and joy from a person that has been immersed in the world of gemstones and now wants to share his passion for the process.

This story about how to learn gem cutting previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by Mark Oros. 

The post How to Learn Gem Cutting first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

• Agate Origins and Formations: Natural Treasures Thousands of Years in the Making and Appreciated for as Long. By Bob Jones

• Synthetic Diamonds: Evolution of a Laboratory Produced and Highly Debated Gemstone. By Steve Voynick

• Sneak Peek: Illustrious Opals

• Golden Anniversary Goodness: Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Marks 50 Years. By Helen Serras-Herman

• Pennsylvania’s Pequea Silver Mine: Lancaster County’s Hub of Geological History and Modern Recreation. By Jordan D. Marche II

• The Lyman Museum: Taking in the Splendor and Intriguing History of One of the Top 10 Best Mineral Collections. By Donna Albrect

• Evolution of a Gem Cutting Family: Catching Up With a New Arrival — Cutting Edge Supply. By Antoinette Rahn

• Spinel: A Red Gem With a Fascinating History Well Beyond a Mistaken Identity. By Bob Jones

• Rock Tumblers for Autism: Finding Calm and Community Through Tumbling. By David Leaton

In addition, you’ll find the following regular R&G columns: Bench Tips with Bob Rush, Rock Science with Steve Voynick, What to Cut with Russ Kaniuth, On the Rocks with Bob Jones, Rock & Gem Kids and Earth Science In the News with Jim Brace-Thompson, The Road Report with Helen Serras-Herman, Picks & Pans, Show Dates, and the always popular Parting Shot.

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The post Issue Highlights: September 2020 first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

This ancient proverb may be, in my opinion, one of the most ‘spot-on’ observations in history. It certainly applies to a number of inventions and intentions, including lapidary.

As historical records and archeological discoveries have shown, humans were carving, chiseling, and grinding stones as far back as prehistoric times. Often to create tools and weapons, the earliest acts of a purposeful transformation of stone were likely accomplished as a result of stone breaking or cracking and early humans discovering how harder stones could help shape less hard stones.

Another proverb that could be used to describe early humans’ use of what in essence is lapidary techniques is ‘waste not, want not.’ For even when stones or minerals would crack and break, people would find ways to use the pieces. Fast forwarding to the 13-14th century, reports from this time point to the rise in popularity of the elaborate pigment ultramarine. The blue color presented by ultramarine is distinctive and became a popular choice of artists. Back in the 14th century, artists ground lapis lazuli stone into powder to mix with oils and create the lavish pigment known as ultramarine.

Responding to Demand

As one might expect, with such demand surrounding the relatively limited supply of lapis lazuli stone, there was a rise in the falsification of ultramarine, which was passed off as authentic.

According to an article in the Paris Review, in 1824, there was an effort by the Societé d’Encouragement to prompt the development of a synthetic alternative to ultramarine. A reward of six thousand francs was offered and two men presented their formulas within a few weeks of one another. In the end, the reward was presented to German professor Christian Gmelin. The artificial form of the popular pigment was referred to as ‘french ultramarine.’

There were a number of other popular material choices among early practitioners of what would ultimately be referred to as lapidary. And even though examples from this time are considered primitive in presentation, the processes used to create these early pieces would influence centuries of people working with stone and gems.

Among the materials present in examples of early lapidary work is jade, variations of quartz, amber, turquoise, malachite, sapphire, and obsidian, among others.

As time progressed and people regularly handled and worked with these materials, the uses evolved.

For example, while turquoise found favor with many cultures in Mexico, Tibet, and Egypt, as well as Native Americans for use in making jewelry, it was also ground into a powder to create a form of eye shadow makeup, as reported by Dr. Gerald Wykoff GG CSM, in an article for theInternational Gem Society.

In the same way, sapphire has also captivated people of various cultures. It has appeared on the garments of royalty and clergy for centuries and was seen as a symbol of nobility, truth, and faithfulness, according to an article by the Gemological Institute of America. Taking the belief in sapphire even further, it’s reported that in the Middle Ages, healers and medicine men believed that touching a blue sapphire to the eyes would soothe tired eyes and improve vision.

There’s no question things have changed considerably since prehistoric humans were using stones to cut other stones and discovering how shaping and carving stone could change every-day activities for the better. Yet, the appreciation for the value of lapidary efforts is the focus of timeless attention.

Sources: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2015/06/08/true-blue; https://www.gemsociety.org/article/the-history-of-lapidary/

The post Saturday Fun Facts: Lapidary first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Story and Photos by Jim Brace-Thompson

Riddle me this: When is a rock shop more than a rock shop? Answer: When it is run by two women with true community spirit, a zeal for education, and a taste for fun. Such are Cyndy Mandell and Lois Papner, co-owners of Mining Supplies & Rock Shop in Hesperia, California. In this first of two articles, I’ll provide a history of the shop; next month, I’ll explore its community-oriented educational mission.

I had known Cyndy and Lois tangentially for many years via activities within the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies. They once participated in a field trip I led into the Mojave Desert for chalcedony and colorfully banded travertine onyx. And we would see one another occasionally at shows sponsored by local rock clubs where Cyndy and Lois had a booth. Then a couple years ago, I heard they took their hobby passion to a new level. They had made the leap to establish a rock shop. I finally truly got to know them when meeting briefly at the big shows in Quartzsite, Arizona, in January 2018 and, at their kind invitation, via an in-depth interview at their shop a couple of months later.

“Mom-and-pop” rock shops are something of an endangered species. While many cities and quaint tourist towns may host a store on Main Street selling healing stones alongside jewelry and varied knickknacks, such stores are more in the vein of a gift shop. With identical merchandise apparently purchased from the same wholesalers in Tucson, they all tend to look alike. A true rock shop offering mineral and fossil specimens, rocks found locally, gear for field collecting, and rough rock, slabs and tools for lapidary work is hard to find.

Celebrating and Visiting Rock Shops

My wife has a family home in Maine, and most years we find ourselves flying across country from California, renting a car in Boston or Bangor, and trekking along the East Coast to the Bar Harbor region. In days of old, we would pass at least a half-dozen small roadside rock shops, many catering to the tourist market in the short summer months with Maine tourmaline and associated minerals including specimens collected by the proprietors themselves. Stories of their adventures were provided free with each purchase! But the last time we made the trip, we passed just two shops. We heard one couple had passed away. Another had called it a day and retired to North Carolina. And so it goes. With each passing year, it seems harder and harder to find a good old-fashioned rock shop of distinction.

Bucking this trend, the California desert town of Hesperia north of the Los Angeles megalopolis has boasted just such a shop that has operated more-or-less continuously for three decades. Even while changing hands seven times and changing locations four times, it persisted under the name of Mining Supplies & Treasures. Cyndy Mandell attributes such longevity to a couple of factors. First, Hesperia sits in a spot that might be described as a gateway from Los Angeles to a multitude of classic collecting localities in the Mojave Desert.

Second, the store has always had a strong anchor via a focus as a one-stop shop for all things gold-related. Throughout history, gold prospectors have been nothing if not fanatical about their pursuit, and folks were willing to seek out a shop providing all the necessary equipment for prospecting even when the shop was located off the beaten path, as this one sometimes was. For instance, until recently, it was in an industrial zone with little visibility and zero casual foot traffic. Business relied on a long reputation, return customers and gold prospectors with sufficient interest and spunk to track them down.

A Transfer of Ownership

Cyndy was one of those return customers and wanted to sell a used gold dry washer on consignment, so she took it to Mining Supplies & Treasures. It sold. When she went to get the money, owners Mitch and Deborah Whaley held back on handing over the cash. Looking her in the eye, Mitch asked, “Do you want to buy the store with this?” She laughed and uttered a slightly stronger version of “Heck, no!” She was retired and had no intention of re-entering the rat race of the workaday world. But Mitch kept asking whenever he saw her or Lois, and they began thinking, “We have 11 trailer loads of rocks in the back yard. Maybe we can get rid of some of this stuff without travelling around the show circuit.”

Fellow Victor Valley Gem & Mineral Club members Carole Michael and Nancy Flanders got wind of their discussions. They added their encouragement and offered expertise with the book work involved in running a business and said they could assist in identifying their thousands of rocks. The shop would only be open, what, maybe six hours a day, four days a week? Cyndy and Lois were nothing if not fully dedicated rockhounds. Lois has been collecting her whole life and inherited her dad’s collection and joined a rock club some 25 years ago. Cyndy came into the hobby a bit later in life. She joined a club to learn silver work, got hooked, and took every course she could. Finally, Cyndy and Lois looked at one another and uttered those famous last words, “Who knows? It could be fun!”

When they took the leap, Mitch and Deborah assisted during the transition before handing over the keys, and Cyndy and Lois became the most recent proprietors, effective New Year’s Day 2016. Within a month, they held their grand opening. Less than two short years later, the fun faded considerably as they faced an unexpected and immediate 78% spike in rent, forcing them to change location. This proved both a bane and a blessing.

Lessons in Business

On the negative side of the ledger, after just two years in the business with big initial investments and income still quite tight, they faced a whole new set of investments in moving expenses and all that came with it: transporting supplies and heavy inventory (rocks ain’t light!), obtaining new shelving and display units, paying to change all the locks, installing a security system and cameras, rewiring for electrical drops, and encountering some unpleasant surprises. For instance, the new location is in a fairly active shopping center that mandates a big, lighted storefront sign, which itself cost more than $5,000. All this before even a penny of income had been realized from the move!

As Cyndy notes, to date it’s been more a labor of love than a profit-making venture. But, on the positive side of the ledger, love flowed in abundance as friends and family pitched in. Carole and Nancy continued to help. Lois’ sister Carole Papner helped for hours moving rocks and setting up shelving. Friends Kat Adriano and James Bradshaw did much physical work, including painting, stripping the floor, fixing equipment, and more. Marina Shoupe helped organize the store and gave tips on merchandizing. Ana Esquivel and Barb Schultheis organized thousands of rocks for eBay sales, and Justin and Brandy Zzyzx lent a hand in nearly every aspect of the business. Justin and Brandy had run a natural science themed art gallery in Los Angeles and Justin had apprenticed under the legendary Rock Currier at Jewel Tunnel Imports, so he proved invaluable on how to evaluate, price, run, and showcase rocks and minerals.

Brandy also created an excellent website for the store that allows for online shopping and sales.

New Locale, New Opportunities

The new location offered immediate benefits. Their floor space is now twice as large, providing more options and flexibility in what they can offer and in more effectively displaying it. And display it well they have! The shop is beautifully organized and meticulously neat and tidy with good signage. More importantly, they are now part of a commercially zoned shopping center, where they already are enjoying much more visibility and increased casual foot traffic. I visited on a Monday, when their shop is closed, and even then about a half-dozen customers slipped in whenever the door was left ajar and several lookie-loos tried the door when it was locked.

In line with enhancing visibility, the Hesperia Chamber of Commerce, of which Cyndy and Lois are members, assisted in holding a grand re-opening on Feb. 16, 2018. Cyndy and Lois are lifetime members of the Victor Valley Gem & Mineral Club. They served on the board for many years in many positions; in fact, Cyndy was president for two years. In short, from countless interactions they really know rockhounds! Gem and mineral clubs are composed of folks with varied interests, from those who simply like to collect to those who like to do things with rocks in a lapidary or jewelry workshop. Cyndy and Lois wanted to cater to that full spectrum. To reflect an expanded focus while retaining the established emphasis on gear for gold prospecting, they had changed the name of the shop slightly from Mining Supplies & Treasures to Mining Supplies & Rock Shop.

Eyeing Greater Inventory

With dramatically enlarged floor space, Cyndy and Lois saw immediate potential to add greatly to the inventory—and to begin tackling that big rock pile in their backyard! Having taken numerous field trips over the years and having purchased truckloads of rough rocks from estate sales, they had amassed a huge and varied pile. They cleared out four estates in their first year and obtained four trailer loads from a classic rock shop that stood on historic Route 66 near the Bagdad Café and closed in 1975. Entering it was like entering a time capsule!

They continue adding to their inventory via estate sales and trips to such venues as the Quartzsite and Tucson shows for specialty items. Every year at Tucson, there seems to be a “featured” rock that wholesalers bring in vast quantity and that you can obtain for pennies on the dollar. This year, it was prehnite, which they brought back by the flat. They also attend the shows to fulfill special requests—as for an individual who wanted a flat of Himalaya salt rocks or the customer hankering for a big crystal ball. Now striving to be a full-service rock shop, Cyndy and Lois offer something for every rockhound, new and old. As I perused their shelves, I spotted bins of tumble-polished stones neatly sorted by color and type as well as mineral, crystal, and fossil specimens from around the world. In this age when the cost to enter the collecting arena veers on the astronomical, I greatly appreciated a readily apparent emphasis on affordability.

Affordable and Available Slabs and Stones

While there were some pieces at premium prices, many were in the range of $1 to $60. They have treasures from around the world and some mined locally by Cyndy and Lois themselves from two decades of rambling the Mojave. When I go to a rock show, I gravitate toward those dealers who, themselves, are collectors and diggers because of their intimate knowledge of their materials and stories they can share. They also offer crafted stones, such as carvings, crystal spheres and malachite polished to a high finish. In addition to expensive amethyst vugs from Brazil, they have geodes priced as low as $5 along with both a saw and a cracker (a modified tire jack) to allow folks to pick out a geode and have it sliced or cracked on the spot. Although not devotees of the metaphysical, they acknowledge the appeal and demand for healing stone and have shelves filled with stones of varied sorts along with tags offering metaphysical descriptions. One thing they do not carry are dyed stones like the bright purple, blue, green, or red Brazilian agate slabs that seem to permeate the market.

Lapidary artists can find a huge assortment of rough lapidary rocks and slabs. Some are neatly arranged in boxes on shelves with meticulous notes on where each came from—or you can paw through a tabletop bin filled to overflowing with miscellaneous slabs, unidentified but pretty. Those favoring a faceting machine over a Genie will find raw gemstones. Those who prefer to buy finished stones for hand-crafted or premade settings will find jewelry-making supplies and findings, as well as silver wire and sheet for doing your own silver work and an abundance of basic materials for beading, along with cut and polished cabochons and other prepared stones ready to set or to wire-wrap.

Locally Crafted Jewelry

I was really impressed by the jewelry they offered for sale and was even more impressed when I learned that much of it was crafted locally, including by Cyndy and Lois themselves and by their associates Ana Esquivel and Barb Schultheis. One entire glass display cabinet held quality pieces crafted by local artists, professional and amateur, that they sell on consignment at a 30% commission. Whether you are just starting out in lapidary arts or have been at it a good long while, you can always use tips and advice, so Cyndy and Lois stock a range of how-to books. They also include a supply of videos, and while visiting them, I had the pleasure to meet and chat with the producer of the MarZee Tutorials series, Marina Shoupe. Marina records seasoned “old-timer” lapidary artists to preserve and pass along their knowledge and skill sets, and she has joined in to help Cyndy and Lois make a go of their shop. In addition to the video series, she has given them help putting their store in order, provided valued advice on merchandizing, and offers classes on jade carving. Her MarZee tutorials cover cabbing, flat lapping, faceting, lapidary drilling, and jade carving.

One exception to their inventory and plans seems to be basic lapidary equipment. They do stock a few new and used machines including flat laps and tumblers, but that is clearly not an emphasis for them. Besides, it would likely be pointless to even try competing in this arena what with the headquarters and showroom of Diamond Pacific more or less “up the street” in nearby Barstow.

Primer Panning and Prospecting

While expanding their focus, gold panning and prospecting remains their core business. It was what had built the reputation of the store and had sustained it as a going concern over 30 years, so it still takes up a sizeable footprint within the shop and provides them “rent money”. Their website advertises “durable mining tools that won’t break your back at prices that won’t break your budget”. These include both new tools fresh in the packaging and used sluice boxes that have already mined a fair share of color. This clearly remains a one-stop shop for all things prospecting related: basic pans and trowels, rock picks, metal detectors, dry washers, sluice boxes, hand suction snipers, and more. They maintain active affiliations with three local prospecting clubs: the Au Mojave Prospectors, High Desert Gold Diggers, and Valley Prospectors. Outside of the northern California gold country, it can be difficult to find one spot with all the equipment you could want for gold panning and prospecting—but in southern California, this is the spot! Cyndy notes how prospectors are a social group: “A single sale can trigger a fascinating two-hour chat with a customer sharing his or her experiences and telling you about Grandpa’s Mojave prospecting adventures during the Great Depression.”

It was while examining their case of locally crafted jewelry and listening to the pride and admiration Lois and Cyndy voiced for the artists that I fully appreciated a distinct aspect of their shop and their mission, namely, supporting their local community. I’ve already noted the community of friends who have gathered to support the endeavor. Many of them—Ana, Barb, Justin, Carole, and Marina—were in the shop helping on the day of my visit and exuding a warm community spirit. This close-knit team is reaching out to make the shop more than a shop. There is a clear, shared vision of making Mining Supplies & Rock Shop a center for the local rockhounding community. One example is a tailgate they started their first year in business.

Shifting Perspective

With all the time they must devote to the shop, including Saturday business hours, they have been forced almost entirely to cut out having a booth at local shows, although they still hit the show circuit on occasion to enhance their visibility. Then an idea struck them: why not host a show of their own? Their original location in an industrial zone sported a large parking lot that was often unpopulated. There, they hosted two tailgates right in front of the store.

The most recent, billed as the “Rock, Gem, Gold, and Jade Show”, took place in November 2017, with 21 vendors participating as volunteers waved signs on street corners to bring in traffic. With their new location in a busy shopping center, it remains to be seen if they can continue this as an annual tradition, but Lois spoke of a former K-Mart at the edge of the center that sits vacant, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. “Who knows?” she seemed to be thinking. “It could be fun!”

Mining Supplies & Rock Shop is located in the Orchard Shopping Center, 16808 Main Street, Hesperia, California. Hours of operation are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For contact information and more about this rock shop of distinction, go to www.miningsuppliesandrockshop.com. While it has proven a tough haul attempting to take flight these first two years of operation, they show the passion to make a go of it. There’s a real community spirit about the place, exuding from all who were helping in the store the day I visited, to their support for local artists and hosting a local tailgate. This community spirit, along with a focus on education, is what really separates Mining Supplies & Rock Shop from the run-of-the-mill store and is what I’ll explore in a follow-on article.

The post Rock Shops of Distinction: Mining Supplies & Rock Shop first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Mr. Chan will be the inaugural speaker at the two-day Conference, which gathers the world’s leading gemologists, mining specialists, geologists, jewelry collectors, gemstone cutters and jewelry historians to London for a range of insightful talks and workshops.

Innovative Gemstone Carving

For 45-years, Wallace Chan has been a leader in innovative gemstone carving and jewelry making techniques. His talents have led to the creation of numerous innovations, which have thus far included: the mastery of titanium in jewelry making, the Wallace Cut (an illusionary three-dimensional carving technique), a patented jadeite luminosity-enhancing technology, and the invention of elaborate gemstone settings without metal claws. Each creation is an embodiment of poetic aesthetics and a philosophical exploration of the universe, narrating stories of the past and present, and visions for the future.

Mr. Chan gained worldwide recognition by becoming the first Chinese jewellery artist to exhibit at prestigious art fairs like The European Fine Art Fair (Maastricht 2016-2018, New York 2016- 2017) and Biennale des Antiquaires (Paris, 2012 and 2014). His creations have also been featured in solo exhibitions at the Gemological Institute of America Museum (California, 2011); the Capital Museum (Beijing, 2010); Kaohsiung Museum of History (Taiwan, 1999), and Deutsches Edelsteinmuseum (Germany, 1992). To date, his speaking credits include Sciences Po (Paris, 2018); Harvard University (Cambridge, 2017); Central Saint Martins (London, 2017); the V&A Museum (London, 2016), and Christie’s (Paris, 2014). In 2016, he celebrated the release of his first illustrated monograph, Dream Light Water, with a presentation at the Cooper Hewitt Museum (New York).

Inspiring Insight

Gem-A Marketing and Events Manager, Elaine Ruddie FGA DGA, says: “We are delighted to welcome Wallace Chan to London. The Gem-A Conference is a destination for qualified gemologists and gemstone enthusiasts alike, and I know that Mr. Chan’s 45-year career will offer the ideal dose of inspiration to open our first day.”

In addition to Mr. Chan, speakers at the Gem-A Conference 2018 will include Fijian cultured pearl specialist and founder of J.Hunter Pearls, Justin Hunter; specialist in Afghani and Pakistani gem deposits, Peter Lyckberg; gem-cutter, Victor Tuzlukov; curator-in-charge of the Smithsonian’s mineral collection, Dr. Jeffrey Post; mining insider and social influencer, Monica Stephenson; vice-president of the Coral Commission in CIBJO, Rui Galopim de Carvalho FGA DGA; gem-mineral collector and dealer, Federico Barlocher; and curator at the Mineralogy Museum of, l’École des Mines de Paris, now known as MINES ParisTech, Dr. Eloïse Gaillou.

Along with world-class talks, the Gem-A Conference also serves as a forum for delegates, allowing them to network with their industry colleagues and peers in a friendly and relaxed environment. This year, the opening night of the Conference will welcome guests aboard the Elizabethan – a replica 1890s paddle steamer – for an evening of dining and entertainment along the River Thames.

For more information, visit www.gem-a.com.

The post Wallace Chan to Headline Gem-A Conference first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.