Last weekend, in Riverton the Wyoming State Mineral and Gem Society held the State Rock and Gem show. The event had geologists, crystal enthusiasts, and collectors buying and selling some of Wyoming's most interesting precious stones.
Stan Grove is the president of the local Riverton group and oversaw the event. He said that if you are interested in rocks and gems it would be hard to find a better place than Wyoming.
“We don't have a lot of vegetation to hide things, right? A lot of rock layers are exposed because of our climate, and our thin soils. Plus, we're just situated in a part of North America where there's a lot of interesting geology going on,” Grove said.
He added Riverton has around 200 members and that the event shows how many different ways minerals and rocks can be exciting.
“The variety of things you can do at this show range from the scientific, getting deep into the science of geology, mineralogy, petrology or at the other extreme you are just here to string beads on a string right? Jewelry making and everything in between,” Grove said.
The state rock and gem show is held every year in a different community across the state.
There are around 800 people across the state involved with the gem and mineral society. There are rock clubs in Big Piney, Mills, Cheyenne, Cody, Gillette, Powell and Torrington.
