MOUNT CLEMENS — “Colorful Calcites” is the theme of the 65th annual Greater Detroit Gem, Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Show slated for Oct. 9, 10 and 11 at the Gibraltar Trade Center North, 237 N. River Road.
The show is presented by the Michigan Mineralogical Society, a nonprofit educational organization affiliated with Cranbrook Institute of Science. Cranbrook and Lost & Found Vintage of Royal Oak are sponsoring the show this year.
Everyone buying a ticket for the show will receive a free ticket for the science institute.
Top show highlights, presenters say, are the Museum and University exhibits, which include an exhibit from the Smithsonian Institutions. Exhibiting for the first time at the show is the Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum of Cartersville, Ga. Wayne State University will show a rare mineral collection that was owned by Thomas Alva Edison.
An old collection acquired from the Philadelphia Museum of Natural History will feature minerals from noted collectors from 1850 to early 1900s. Presenters say it will be interesting for show patrons to compare what was collected then to collections of the present.
Another show highlight is the 50 top dealers of minerals, gems, jewelry, carvings and fossils, along with lapidary supplies and beads.
Fans of dinosaurs and fossils may be drawn to this year’s giant skeleton of a stegodon so large that it can be seen from anywhere in the room. The stegodon, a giant of the late Miocene Era in Asia, was the largest of the extinct elephant species, measuring up to 13 feet tall at the shoulder and about 26 feet long, not including 10-foot tusks.
“Paleo” Joe will be back to entertain; presenters say his books, knowledge and enthusiasm about his subject make him one of the show’s most popular lecturers for all ages.
The popular tyrannosaurus rex skull and megalodon jaws again will be available for those who want to have their picture taken in a dinosaur’s mouth.
New this year is a fossil dig, featuring bones donated by Michael and Barbara Sincak of “Treasures of the Earth.”Proceeds will go to the Mount Clemens Care House for abused children.
The Mount Clemens Club will offer demonstrations on how to cut cabs and facet gems and how to use beads in making necklaces. Other activities include lectures by museum staff and other experts; panning for gold; exposing a fish fossil; bidding at Carnegie’s silent auction; getting a free identification of one’s own mineral, rock or gem; and perusing minerals and gems from all over the world to find a “must-have“ treasure to take home.
The Gibraltar Trade Center North is accessible via exit 237 off I-94. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission costs $7 for adults; $4 for seniors age 62 and older; $3 for children ages 5 to 17; and $2 for Scouts in uniform. Three-day passes are $10.
For more information call (248) 887-3906, go to www.michmin.org or e-mail [email protected]