Gem Show offers treasures to Sisters

"The fools. They could have had jade."

An old folk tale claims that Montezuma said that referring to the Spanish invaders of Aztec Mexico in the 1500s.

Supposedly, the Spanish held Aztec leader Montezuma captive and demanded piles of gold as high as his armpit in ransom.

It's a great story and one that illustrates the value placed on jade in the Aztec culture, according to Mike Burkleo, one of 35 presenters at the 12th "Sisters Roundup of Gems" last weekend at Sisters Elementary School.

Burkleo said the beautiful green stone has been revered in China for 9,000 years.

Jade is known as the stone of virtue because it shows all its flaws and beauty at the same time, Burkleo noted.

Jade has been important as a trading commodity and even as a currency to European cultures and others. It was used to make tools in many areas including the Aleutian Islands, in Alaska.

Jade's importance continues to the 21st Century. Burkleo has a jade knife he sells for $400.

"It's a work of art," he said. "It would look great on a mantle."

A carved bear sells for $350 and a Bi-Disk has a $1,150 price tag.

Burkleo and his wife, Joan, do 16 to 20 gem shows a year, all over the West.

He started in the gem business at the age of five helping his father. He has been working full time since retiring from the California Youth Authority.

He says they may not attend as many shows this year because of rising fuel costs. It cost him $700 to get to Sisters from his studio in the Bay Area.

For more information his Web site is http://www.revelationsinstone.com.

A second presenter specializes in Oregon sunstones. The unique gem is found only in Oregon, Dick Bower said, owner of Sunstones & Such, from Caldwell, Idaho.

He said the Oregon sunstone will be the featured stone at the Olympics in Beijing, China this year. The sunstone was named Oregon state gemstone in 1987.

Bower mines the sunstone on 17 mining claims he owns near Hart Mountain in Southeastern Oregon. He said there is a set-aside on BLM on one square mile of land near his claims where anyone can mine for the sunstone, although few actually do.

He sells the sunstone in "rough" form to buyers from China. He then sells products in the U.S. that are finished in China.

Bower said the sunstone is unique because each stone is different in color and difficult to match for jewelry pieces. His Web site is http://www.SunstoneOR.com.

Buzz and Connie Williams own Exquisite Gems & Jewelry and have been presenting at shows full-time for three years.

The business was previously operated by Connie's father, Duffy White, for over 20 years, operating out of Rathdrum, Idaho.

They offer a variety of gem products for sale, but specialize in pieces made from Ammolite Naturals.

Ammolite comes from prehistoric fossilized ammonite seashells, formed about 65 million years ago.

Buzz processes the ammonites into rare cabochons (polished and shaped, as opposed to facets) and caps it with fused quartz for durability.

Ammonites were squid-like creatures. The empty shell of an ammonite was filled with sediment that enhanced the shell's colors into iridescent greens, reds, yellows, rare blues and violets.

Connie retired from the Rathrdrum Police Department. She enjoys producing one-of-a-kind wire-wrapped jewelry for ammolite stones, or stones of a client's choice.

For more information, visit http://www.exquisitegemsjewelry.com.