Gem Faire

Gem Faire is a lot of fun!  It's a trade show primarily for beads, but there are treasures to be found by discerning rockhounds and fossil collectors.  After going to one of these, we've received a free admission pass in the mail every time they come to town.  They'll be in the area again at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland in July.  This time, Jasper was thrilled to discover ammonite fossils made into beads.  Ammonites were cephalopods (related to the octopus and squid) that became extinct with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.  And I was thrilled to discover that the prices as marked aren't always firm!