Various crystals, rocks and other specimens on display at the Winter Rock & Craft Show. (Photos by Emily Baierl)
From crystals to fossils to rocks from around the world, visitors had plenty to look through Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Lake Elsinore Gem and Mineral Society’s sixth annual Winter Rock & Craft Show.
Rachel Perrault, a member of the Lake Elsinore Gem and Mineral Society and one of the event’s organizers, said the show gives people a chance to see specimens they may not encounter every day.
“It’s just a one-day show to kind of bring awareness to rocks and minerals and gems,” Perrault said. “It gets them to see something out of the ordinary. You see rocks from the Congo, stuff you wouldn’t normally see. And they’re welcome just to come and talk and hang out, and not even that you have to actually buy anything. It’s just the experience and something that might draw them into a new hobby, a new interest.”
Rachel Perrault shows malachite (left) and chrysocolla (right), among the specimens at her vendor booth.
Megalodon tooth on display at Rachel Perrault’s vendor booth.
Some members of the Gem and Mineral Society were vendors at the event, including Diana Peralta, who was participating in her first show.
Peralta was selling crystals, geodes, raw specimens, fluorite and jewelry. She said much of her inventory came from her personal collection.
Her favorite piece was an amethyst heart, which was among the crystals and other specimens displayed at her table.
An amethyst heart and other pieces at Diana Peralta’s vendor booth.
Peralta said she has enjoyed being part of the Gem and Mineral Society because of the people she has met.
“Just the camaraderie,” she said. “Just how open everyone is and how helpful everyone is. Here, I felt like home, like, if they knew me, and I just met them maybe three months ago.”
For longtime member Kevin Clark, the event was another opportunity to share a hobby he has had for most of his life. Clark said he has been a member of the Gem and Mineral Society for at least 10 years and became interested in collecting rocks, gems and crystals after taking a mineralogy class in college.
He brought pieces from his personal collection to sell, including tourmaline in quartz and apophyllite specimens, which he said were his favorites.
Apophyllite (left) and tourmaline in quartz (right) specimens at Kevin Clark’s vendor booth.
Visitors could also ask vendors questions about the rocks, minerals and other items on display at their tables.
“Just people that you run into and the encounter, that’s the most fun,” Clark said when asked what he enjoys most about being a vendor.
Perrault said the Gem and Mineral Society meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month for its rock club meeting, where members share specimens, ask questions and hear from speakers about different topics. A recent program covered meteorites, while other speakers have discussed minerals such as fluorite and jade.
Members can bring in specimens for discussion, and the group takes field trips throughout the year. Some members are also part of the prospectors club, which occasionally joins the group for activities such as gold panning.
For more information about the Lake Elsinore Gem and Mineral Society, visit its social media page.
