Gem Exhibit to Feature Giant Quartz Crystal

Interested in seeing a 106-pound rock?

George and Marian Kurash, a rock collecting duo from Thousand Oaks, admit the invitation may sound as boring as watching cement harden.

But they are counting on the enormous quartz crystal--more than a foot in diameter--to lure budding rock enthusiasts from throughout Southern California to the Conejo Gem & Mineral Club’s 22nd annual show Saturday and Sunday.

“I’m excited to see it,” said Marian Kurash. “The fact that it is so large and historic in nature because it is over 100 years old--it is really very rare.”

Officers of the club, the Kurashs are among 125 rock hounds countywide whose pulse races at the thought of finding a fine fossil specimen or a rare mineral flake.

Each month, the group, whose members range in age from 5 to 80, scour caves, lakes and deserts known for their deposits of coveted rock specimens.

It sounds boring until you try it, Marian Kurash said. “It’s amazing,” she said. “You take someone out on a field trip and after that they are hooked. Your first fossil find or good mineral specimen is really exciting.”

More than 2,000 rock hounds are expected at the show, which will feature about 70 exhibits ranging from fine gem jewelry to fossils. Other activities include rock grab bags and a silent auction of geodes, agates, slabs and other rocks and minerals.

But the highlight by far will be the giant quartz crystal, Marian Kurash said. Those unimpressed with its size should try touching it, she said.

“You can feel the crystal’s development,” she said. “And it will probably be very cold even if it’s a hot day.”

The rare rock, on loan from the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa, will be one of several included in a “You Can Touch” exhibit. But don’t ask the Kurashs about the stone’s healing powers.

Rock hounds they are. But they are not ones to speculate on the supernatural powers of a mineral. “We try to stay out of that aspect of it,” she said. “We are more into appreciating it as something that comes from old mother earth.”

The show will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at the Borchard Park Community Center in Newbury Park. Admission and parking are free.