Lake Havasu
Gem & Mineral Society Show
November 11
and 12, 2023
By Helen
Serras-Herman
The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral
Society (LHGMS) show is held this year on November
11 and 12, 2023, indoors at the Aquatic Center in Lake Havasu City, in
northwestern Arizona. The show is open Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00pm and Sunday
9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
The Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral
Society (LHGMS) is a non-profit organization, dedicated to educating their
members and the community about gems, minerals and fossils. It is part of the
Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS), and the American
Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). The group provides a variety of
educational and recreational activities to its members. Fieldtrips are a
favorite activity that many club members enjoy. The LHGMS is one of those
fortunate clubs across the country that in 2019 passed the 50-year threshold in
Lake Havasu City. It takes a lot of dedication and commitment on behalf of a
lot of members to ensure its continuing success.
The
Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society Show is held this November 11 and 12,
2023
Exhibit
cases feature collections from LHGMS members.
At their annual show, approximately
30 vendors participate; we have participated since 2008. Exhibit cases feature
collections from LHGMS members, and a voting competition for “Most Favorite
Display Case” takes place. The club runs a raffle with beautiful baskets put
together by volunteers, who group together donated items by local shops and show
dealers.
The LHGMS invests a lot of energy
in creating special activities for children. The Kid’s Cave is an entire room devoted to exploring rocks, minerals
and fossils. Another unique activity for the young visitors is the Scavenger Hunt with items hidden in
plain sight at various vendors’ booths.
The
Kid’s Cave is an entire room devoted to exploring rocks, minerals, and fossils
for the young visitors.
The Lake
Havasu Bridge and granite
The
London bridge in Lake Havasu City
Lake Havasu is a large reservoir
formed on the Colorado River with the Parker Dam to the south. The city was
established in 1963, after the Missouri-native businessman Robert P. McCulloch
(1911-1977) acquired 13,000 acres of federal land. The most famous attraction
in Lake Havasu City is the stone-arched London Bridge, which crosses a
human-made narrow channel at Lake Havasu. McCulloch bought the bridge for about
US $2.5 million from the City of London in 1968. The bridge was disassembled,
shipped to California via the Panama Canal, truck-carried to Lake Havasu City
and reassembled, a construction process that took three years to complete.
The bridge, which is considered the
second-largest tourist attraction in Arizona after the Grand Canyon, is built
with a hollow core of steel-reinforced concrete, and covered by 10,000 tons of
the original 19th century granite blocks.
The
coarse-grained London Bridge granite contains creamy-colored feldspar crystals,
grey quartz, and the dark mineral biotite.
The coarse-grained London Bridge
contains creamy-colored feldspar crystals, grey quartz, and the dark mineral
biotite. This granite came from Haytor Quarry in England, located at Dartmoor,
in the English county of Devon. Haytor Quarry was in operation between 1820 and
1850. Today, the Haytor Rocks granite outcrop is part of the Dartmoor National
Park Authority, in England.
The
Visitor Information Center is located in the English Village near the London
Bridge.
The Visitor Information Center is
in the English Village near the London Bridge. It offers information about the
area’s attractions, events and recreation, with an attractive and educational
local minerals display.
Photo descriptions – All photos © Helen Serras-Herman
Helen
Serras-Herman, a 2003 National Lapidary Hall of
Fame inductee, is an acclaimed gem sculptor and FGA graduate gemologist with over 40 years of
experience in unique gem sculpture and jewelry art. See her work at www.gemartcenter.com and her business Facebook page at Gem Art Center/Helen
Serras-Herman
