Rose quartz, raw minerals and amethyst geodes, oh my! What’s new at Sacramento Gem Faire
By Bailey Stover
The Gem Faire returned to the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday for its 35th year, bringing more than 75 of the country’s foremost jewelers, crystal dealers and beaders according to the fair’s manager Allen Van Volkinburgh.
Van Volkinburgh said the show began in 1989 and now comes to Sacramento in May, August and October. Its exhibitors sell loose beads, finished beads and gems for jewelry, and there is even a jewelry repair booth on site.
“It is amazing what you can see from the inventory and the items that come from around the world,” Van Volkinburgh said. “It kind of transports you to different places whether it be Nepal, whether it be China, whether it be India.”
Kristen Blakemore, whose family moved to Sacramento the same year the Gem Faire began, has been coming to shows since 1991. Blakemore said she first discovered her interest in semiprecious stones and minerals as a child playing with a rock tumbler. Even though she doesn’t collect as much as she used to, Blakemore said she still enjoys adding new finds here and there.
“I actually purchased a piece of celestite when I was in there because it promotes peace, and it promotes calm and so forth along those lines, so when I go home I’m going to purify it and put it by my bed just to kind of get the energies going,” said Blakemore about the blue-colored mineral composed of strontium sulfate. “They’re pretty and I like the way they look.”
For Emaisha Waiters, who runs the small business Bohemian Stones, coming to the show serves as a networking opportunity and a way to increase her jewelry-making inventory. Waiters said coming to the event makes her feel like a kid in a candy shop.
“I love this fair so much,” Waiters said. “There’s actually a point in time where I would come at the very start of the event, like for wholesale buyers and everything, at 10 a.m. and not leave till the moment they closed.”
The Gem Faire will continue Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Visitors peruse booths during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. “It is amazing what you can see from the inventory and the items that come from around the world,” said Gem Faire manager Allen Van Volkinburgh. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Carol Webster looks through strings of beads during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Webster said she is looking for a shade of green that matches brat summer. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Roshan Thapaliya, left, explains how song bowls’ pitches work to Connor Young, 12, center, and Sandy Patitucci, right, at Navadurga Handicrafts’s booth during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. “This was the deepest beginner one,” Young said of the song bowl his grandmother, Patitucci, bought him. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Odette Kaufman, left, speaks with Gil Durano at the Shell La Vie booth during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Kaufman, who will celebrate her 85th birthday tomorrow, said there is not enough beauty around and that she would buy all of the pieces at the booth if she could. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
A customer feels a string of beads during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Visitors could explore the Gem Faire’s myriad booths of crystals, gemstone artwork and jewelry. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Bunn Lorn with Bunn & Son Jewelers repairs a ring during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Lorn polished and set stones into rings throughout the day. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Naz Doost, co-owner of Zaza Gems, sorts beads during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Doost said her favorite part of her job is explaining different gemstones to customers. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Bunn Lorn with Bunn & Son Jewelers polishes a ring during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. Lorn said he is a third generation jeweler, and he started learning the craft when he was a little kid. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Danielle Williams holds up a string of rough beads during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. “When you come here and you touch the beads and you actually see them, the design comes in and the creativity comes in,” Williams said. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
Lori Sparks, left, holds a string of beads while talking with her “beading goddaughter” Danielle Williams during the Gem Faire at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Sacramento on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. “She does the more rugged stuff, and I do the more bling bling, shiny shiny stuff,” Sparks said. Bailey Stover bstover@sacbee.com
This story was originally published August 3, 2024 at 12:00 AM.
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