Annual gem show rocks Sisters

Rock hounds and gem hunters united last week for a five-day show featuring rare and unique treasures dug straight from the heart of Mother Earth.

A yearly tradition in Sisters for over 15 years, the Sisters Roundup of Gems rolled into town and set up camp at Sisters Elementary School from July 4-8 with its caravan of nearly two-dozen vendors and dealers.

All weekend long, a scorching sun reflected off tables weighed down with gemstone jewelry, blocks of green jade, hot heaps of polished stones, authentic trilobites, petrified spinosaurus teeth and tons of raw, round geodes. Vendors from all over the western United States come to Sisters as part of an annual summer trek to display, sell, and trade an array of ancient crystals, chipped dinosaur bones and glittering hand-cut jewels.

Rob Leedy of The Rockhounding Fool made the haul over the pass from Salem. He has participated in the show nearly every year since its inception. Below his long row of merchandise tables were plastic milk crates carrying piles of Willamette River agate, golden-brown snail fossils and round, rough-hewn geodes.

"We really enjoy coming here to Sisters each year," he said. "Lots of interesting people, and the scenery is fantastic. This time the weather is spectacular but the last couple years have been pretty cold. Everybody's always looking for something different. We tend to cater to more of the collector crowd and women who like our jewelry and wind chimes."

A display case housing tiny lumps of silver metal featured a crazy collection of miniature meteorites, attracting a small crowd of onlookers.

"Rocks have always intrigued me, even as a kid," said Leedy. "I always tell everybody... every good marriage needs a rock... and we've got plenty of them here to buy. People just love 'prettys.' Call it art by nature."

Offering a small fortune in Oregon Sunstones, master gemologist Rick Taylor, of Corvallis, educated visitors on the rare beauty of the state's official gemstone.

"We just love getting away to Central Oregon, and this makes it our fourth year," he said. "These sunstones are incredibly popular and can be discovered in a wide spectrum of colors, from shades of red, orange and peach to a stunning champagne with a slight yellow tinge. They're a semi-precious gem known commonly as labradorite, from the feldspar family."

Each diamond-like crystal contains minute traces of copper, which give them their incredible coloration. Set in gold rings, silver necklaces and bracelets, their signature brilliance and fire lured many a passing guest.

"They are completely natural and untreated, only found right here in Oregon," he said. "That's what makes them so different. Mined in the Rabbit Hills just west of Hart Mountain in South Central Oregon. It's just a beautiful stone and totally unique to the area. We've had a fantastic week in Sisters and look forward to returning again next year."