Katie Lankers of Aurora admits she’s a fan of jewelry and precious stones and looks forward to coming to a local show where all of that is on display.
“I’ve been coming here the past five years and I have bought some petrified swamp bogwood – it’s a beautiful piece of green and blue rock that’s very swirly,” Lankers said as she stood in line outside a gem show at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles Saturday morning. “Whenever I come here I never go home empty-handed. There’s a bunch of other rock weirdos here like me and it’s fun.”
The Kane County Fairgrounds was aglow with gems, minerals, jewelry and more over the weekend as the Chicagoland Gems and Minerals Association held its 47th annual show Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s show, dubbed “Planet of the Rocks,” was an unintentional nod to the new “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” movie, an organizer said.
“We come up with a new title every year. The fact that the show this year sort of mimics the newly-released movie was just a coincidence,” said show chair and organizer Mark Kuntz, 78, of Elgin.
This year’s show featured 35 retail dealers as well as six wholesalers.
Kuntz emphasized the Gems and Minerals Association doesn’t represent the corporate or high-end business sector.
“We’re a non-profit and a consortium of local clubs that aren’t big enough to host a regional show,” said Kuntz. “I was a geology teacher who is now retired. This is not a flea market. These are bona fide goods and dealers bringing stuff. I get calls all the time including having several the day before the show. People want a table.”
Kuntz explained that many in search of gems “go out to Tucson and load up on stuff or visit miners” out on the plains and that the local show makes acquiring items easier.
He added that the show draws vendors from far and wide.
“I’ve just got a guy a day before the show who flew in from Brazil,” he said. “We have people from Utah, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, as well as outside the country. The show must be successful as people continue to want to come back.”
The two-day event also included demonstrations, a kids’ activities area and a silent auction as well as artisans making custom items with gems right on the premises.
“There’s a lot to do and see,” Kuntz said. “We’ll get about 3,000 people over a weekend. Most buy gems and minerals right here on the spot. They can see what these retailers have, and there are also club members here that do demonstrations and show what they do as a hobby. It’s way cheaper to buy a gemstone and have a local person set it in a ring or brooch – way cheaper, and they do excellent work.”
Jessica Cofer of Plano said she has come to the show the last three years and, “I never go home without buying something.”
“I look for Lake Superior agates and pretty much whatever catches my eye,” Cofer said. “I started coming after I saw people who were actually selling rocks on Facebook and that got me started. I’ve always liked rocks even when I was little.”
Cofer said she and her husband Paul Cofer “also like to go to beaches and hunt for rocks” and that over the years, she has bought over 100 pieces.
Paul Cofer admitted the jewelry bug hasn’t bitten him like it has his wife, but noted there is an advantage to it all for him as well.
“I did buy a piece of amber last year. I think that’s the only rock I’ve ever bought,” he said. “But when an anniversary or a birthday comes up it’s a no-brainer. It makes it easy. I think the agates she wears are nice.”
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.