Forged in the furnace of our planet, eons-old rocks and minerals are pushed through the Earth’s crust and moved to the surface, becoming exposed to erosion, gravity, and the elements, where they may yet again morph and combine to create crystalline deposits, sedimentary sheets, and colorfully veined slabs. These gems, minerals, and fossilized life forms are scooped up by members of a constantly curious species of bipedal hominid, who crack, shape, and buff the stones to reveal their shimmering innards.
For the Orcutt Mineral Society’s publicity chair and past president Wayne Mills, his lifelong fascination with geology and paleontology began as a child, when his uncle gifted him with gems and fossils from across the globe.
“To me, especially with fossils, when you know that these creatures lived up to a billion and a half years ago—I have some algae fossils that are about that old—like astronomy, it kind of puts my life in perspective,” Mills said. “I’m here to enjoy what is on the Earth for as long as I can, and at the same time, help everyone else enjoy it as well.”
Mills isn’t the only rock hound who wants to share his fascination with others. The rest of the Orcutt Mineral Society Inc. and geo enthusiasts from across the state will be at the society’s annual Gem Show happening Aug. 7 through 9 at Nipomo High School with displays, demonstrations, activities, and pieces for sale.
The show is well respected among rock hounds statewide, Mills said, and attracts members of other mineral societies to either show, sell, or just view and buy at the event, which will feature more than 60 vendors and exhibitors. Attendees can find just about anything rock, mineral, or fossil related, he explained, whether they want to expand a fossil collection or acquire some stones for jewelry making.
“It’s the biggest show in the area with a lot to choose from,” he said. “We have people who come that are very talented artists, and they show their work off in the display cases, and the high school is probably the best venue we’ve ever had.”
The weekend-long event includes live demonstrations of lapidary arts, Mill said, such as wire wrapping, beading, silver chain making, sphere making, and more. There are also activities for kids that include prizes and keepsakes.
Many collections of fossils, gems, and minerals will be showcased in display cases but not sold. These include varied collections of fossilized plants and animals as well as especially show-worthy stones like fluorescent rocks, which glow under certain kinds of light or darkness, Mills said.
Mills will bring his collection of picture stones, which are cut and polished minerals that seem to convey a natural scene in their random morphology. Whether landscapes, animals, or other natural forms, these pieces include suggestive titles that help the viewer see the scene.
“It’s nature imitating nature,” he said. “Why it happens, I don’t know, it’s just kind of a miracle. A lot of these rocks are sedimentary, meaning they are laid down in layers, so they are formed from sediments, and sometimes they are folded, faulted, broken, or intruded by other materials.”
His initial fascination with the constitution of the varied gems and minerals led Mills to become versed in chemistry and physics at a young age, which later led to a professional career as a paleontologist. Information that Mills quantified for the Sun, like the seven basic systems of crystallization, is the same that he shares with visitors young and old at the annual Gem Show. The event’s always well attended by families, he said, where youngsters stoke the fires of curiosity in their own minds when learning about the aged materials.
“You go places and you see pretty rocks and you want to know what they are,” he said. “You go to gem shows and you start learning what they are and how the same mineral can come from several different countries and take slightly different forms from each country.
“Part of it is just the beauty of them,” he added. “It’s amazing what nature can create.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne is proud of his meager fossil collection. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 6-13, 2015.
