Gemkhana 2013

As some of you may be aware, Jaka Gems attended the 2013 Gemkhana Show in Albury of the weekend of March 9th and 10th. Gemkhana is Victoria's state level Gem and Mineral show which was this year presented by the Albury Lapidary and Allied Crafts Club in association with the Victorian Gem Clubs Association

Both organisations did a fantastic job with the running of the show with plenty of people coming through the gates.

  

The Jaka Gems stall was positioned in the outdoor area and the Albury weather certainly putting on a show for all - Temperatures in the high 30's on both days ensured that plenty of water was consumed as well as plenty of sunscreen! Finding shade was probably the most difficult task for the weekend with our small pavilion moved several times chasing that elusive piece of dirt out of the sunshine!

We purchased quite a bit of rough material over the weekend, which I will show you some of in this blog entry. The picture to the right is a slab of Kambaba Jasper. I have been wanting to get some of this material for a while and was really happy to find this very detailed slice. Kambaba Jasper is a material originating from Africa and is basically fossilised algae. I have seen some cabochons of this stuff and it takes a magnificent shine, but I am far more excited about the interesting patterns in it. I had a project in mind for this piece when I bought it, but it has turned out that the slice is just a little bit too small for what I wanted. Despite this, I am still pretty happy with the purchase!

This next slab (to the left) is a piece of Rainbow Obsidian. I was simply unable to walk past it! Obsidian is a pain to cut, but finishes really well and the pattern and colour on this particular piece is amazing! Obsidian is essentially a naturally occurring glass which is created by rapidly cooling lava flows. When the lava cools quickly, it does not create crystal growth and obsidian is the result.

The material to the right is a slice of Rubies in Fuschite. My wife saw a cabochon of this material at another stall and then demanded that I get some to cut her some pieces! The material generally originates from Southern India and contains rubies (which can range in colour from pink to bright red) encased in the bright green Fuschite.

Keep an eye out on our facebook page and store for pieces cut from these materials. I will also be posting more of our buys on this blog over the coming days so definitely keep on checking back in here for more and don't forget to share with your friends! If any of the material here interests you, drop me a line either on facebook, or via email at jakagems@hotmail.com - I am more than happy to discuss customised pieces!

Until next time!