The Houston Gem & Mineral Society Annual Show
November 11–13, 2011
The Houston Gem and Mineral Society is holding our annual Gem and Mineral Show at the Humble Civic Center at 8233 Will Clayton Parkway in northeast Houston. A general location map of our clubhouse and the Humble Civic Center is shown at the bottom of this page. Parking is free. The show will be open to the public during the following times:
Friday....... November 11..... 9 to 6
Saturday. November
12..... 9 to 6
Sunday.... November
13..... 10 to 5
Tickets for the show are $7 for adults and $6 for students or teachers with an ID, or seniors 65 and older. One ticket is good for all three days of the show. Children 12 and under (accompanied by an adult) are FREE!
This year's SPECIAL EXHIBIT features fossils and models of various geological ages accompanied by a diorama backdrop created by honors art students from Bellaire High School.
More information on our special exhibits to follow.
FREE
IDENTIFICATIONS
GEMSTONES
We will have a
gemologist who will perform gem identification. Gem identification is the
scientific process of verifying, in precise terms, the identity of gem material
through the examination of its physical and chemical properties. Appraising is
the formal process of ascertaining the value of a gem or item of jewelry by
evaluating its quality, rarity, and market value.
At the show anyone who has a fashioned gem, in or out of a mounting, can bring it to our gemologist. He will be happy to examine it and give it his best informed guess as to its identity. He will not appraise at the show, but will explain how and why he has arrived at his identification. He will have reference books and diagnostic equipment.
MINERALS
Bring your
mineral specimens to the HGMS Mineral Section booth for identification by a
professional geologist.
FOSSILS
Bring your
fossil specimens to the HGMS Paleontology Section booth for identification by a
professional paleontologist.
KIDS
ACTIVITIES
Our education
committee has developed a lesson plan for elementary and secondary school kids.
We have officially designated Friday as KID'S DAY so teachers can bring their
classes to the show to participate in this fun learning experience for kids of
all ages. All kids and teachers are FREE. Each class will participate in
age-appropriate Scavenger Hunts that will teach them about earth science. Every
student will leave with a free mineral or fossil specimen. Teachers can request
a SCHOOL MINERAL OR FOSSIL SET. See the links below for more information.
Details
and sign-up sheets
Earth
Science education by grade level
DEMONSTRATIONS
This
area is staffed by the Lapidary and Faceting Sections of the HGMS. They show
continuous demonstrations of faceting, cabbing, silversmithing, and much more.
For instance, here are some of the demos you can see during the show:
Centrifugal casting, stone carving, cabbing using a Genie, fabrication using a
jewelry bench, and repousè and copper bowl raising.
MINERAL
SECTION
See the
famous Fluorescent Mineral display featuring minerals from around the world. It
is housed in a specially constructed black-light room. The Mineral Section
booth also identifies minerals and sells many mineral publications and
periodicals (including Rocks & Minerals Magazine). Find out about
the SCHOOL MINERAL AND FOSSIL SETS sponsored by ConocoPhillips. These sets are
available to teachers who teach rock and mineral identification in earth
science classes.
PALEONTOLOGY
SECTION
On
display will be fossil collections of club members, many of whom are renowned
for their work in advancing paleontology. Several of our members are published
authors and have named new fossil species. Books published by the Section will
be on display and will be available for purchase. There will also be a
"touch fossil" section where kids can feel and hold their own fossil.
Experts will be on hand to IDENTIFY FOSSILS, so bring your fossils to the show.
Section members will also tell you about the classes the Paleo Section teaches,
field trips the Section takes each month, and about the Paleo Library which has
over 1700 titles.
SWAP
AREA
Find
excellent deals on minerals, fossils, lapidary rough, and jewelry at the
officially sanctioned "amateur area." To learn more about the Swap
Area, click here.
CASE
EXHIBITS
We have
over 50 case exhibits featuring every aspect of the hobby. Some are special
exhibits that tour various gem and mineral shows. Others are competitive
exhibits that are judged by a panel of experts. Winners go on to regional and national
shows for further recognition and awards.
Large-scale case exhibits (with multiple cases) are presented by San Jacinto College, the Proctor Museum of Natural Science, and by George Wolf and by Will Heierman. Other important contributors are the University of Houston, Houston Museum of Natural Science, HGMS Lapidary Section, HGMS Faceting Section, and HGMS Youth Section. Many dealers also show their prized specimens in case exhibits as do individual club members. The case exhibits are a show in themselves!!
