Idaho

Diamonds in the rough: Rockhounds gathering for Idaho Falls Gem and Mineral Society sale next Saturday – East Idaho News

Published

1 year ago

September 28, 2024

Diamonds in the rough: Rockhounds gathering for Idaho Falls Gem and Mineral Society sale next Saturday – East Idaho News

IDAHO FALLS — The annual membership sale for the Idaho Falls Gem and Mineral Society (IFG&MS) will be held next Saturday, October 5, at the Bonneville County Fairgrounds. This will be the third sale held just south of Sandy Downs Racetrack on Woodruff Avenue with the door opening at 9 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m. There will be a $3 admission fee with children 12 and under getting in free.

Members of the IFG&MS have been collecting, cutting, polishing stones, handcrafting items, and finishing jewelry items to sell to the public next Saturday. Idaho is known as the “gem” state and some of the finest gemstones in the world are found in the state. Many of these items come from several claims filed by the IFG&MS and are made from rocks picked up on field trips sponsored by the society.

Agate, opal and jasper are some of the coveted rocks which make some of the most beautiful items. The society has artisans that are talented silversmiths that make their own settings for these beautiful stones. There is also a group of members that knap knives, arrowheads and spear points from obsidian and glass.

Two members of the IFG&MS with two pieces of tube agate found on a field trip this summer. Both will have tables at the 2024 sale. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com

At the sale, rock collections from all over the world will be displayed, as some of the members own or have access to gems from across the planet. Many of the members spend the winters in Utah and Arizona, where they buy or trade for materials from other locals, and will bring some of their collections to the sale.

If you have any interest in rocks of any kind, the sale will be a good place to visit as each rockhound has a specialty. Spencer fire opal is always a popular item for discussion, and there will be several members with their special creations to look at.

Terry Ryan, a member that will be at the sale, with her handmade knapped knives. | Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com

Recent discoveries of seam agate, plume agate and black agate have drawn a lot of attention to Central Idaho. Several members will bring specimens and jewelry made from those collections.
For non-members of the society looking for rough stones or slabs, there will be plenty of those specimens to buy at the sale. If you have an interest in minerals, fossils and odd specimens, or you have a rock that you would like to be identified, there will be plenty of knowledgeable rock enthusiasts to visit with. There will also be a tool company specializing in jewelry manufacturing tools at the sale.

At the Bonneville County Fairgrounds, there will also be a gun show next weekend as well as food available for visitors to enjoy. It may be a great place to start your shopping for that person on your list that is hard to find the perfect gift. Or it may inspire a new hobby for your future.

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Idaho

Looking forward to another year of East Idaho Sports – East Idaho News

Published

2 hours ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Looking forward to another year of East Idaho Sports – East Idaho News

Note: As a bonus to our readers who have followed us into Year 2, the East Idaho Sports staff will post a special story on Sundays – Could be a column, opinion, feature, or just something fun and goofy. Hope you enjoy, and thanks again for coming along on this journey.

EASTERN IDAHO — Dec. 31 marked the end of the first full calendar year of East Idaho Sports. It has been a pleasure to bring our readers coverage of local youth, high school, college and semi-pro sports.

Over the last 12 months, we have covered state champions, national champions, junior hockey league champions, record-breaking performances and so much more. Those of you who have followed along since we launched in August 2024 have seen how we have expanded our coverage to include some interactive features like this Sunday Special series, Game Balls and the Photo of the Week voting.

We look forward to the completion of the winter sports seasons — including some Winter Olympics stories — spring sports, the summer sports schedule and returning next fall to start it all over again.

But we also hope to continue adding to our coverage, and shine spotlights on even more of the great athletes and sports programs in eastern Idaho.

In order to do that, we would like some help.

With just two full-time reporters and one freelance photographer we will regrettably miss things. And while we try to fill those gaps ourselves, we are always open to tips.

If there was a sporting event or sports story that deserved coverage it didn’t receive, please email us at sports@eastidahonews.com. If there is an upcoming event that should be spotlighted, please email us.

Also, our Photo of the Week stories will continue to be posted midday every Monday. If you have photos from a local sporting event that you want to enter in the running, email those to us by Sunday morning. For those who follow the voting — on our public Facebook group East Idaho News – Sports — a reader-contributed photo was recently selected our Photo of the YEAR, and we would love to continue adding those on the weekly ballot.

This photo of West Jefferson’s Justus Burtenshaw during the first round of the state tournament, taken by reader Julie Hall, was selected out East Idaho Sports Photo of the Year.

Finally, we recently added a regular feature we are calling the “Whip-around”: A quick rundown of local high school sports action. In order to expand these stories to include more teams, we would love for coaches, players or parents to send us photos of game scorebooks. If you are linked to a local team and would like your team to be added to these stories, please email us, and we can let you know how to do so.

It has been a pleasure to highlight the many local athletes for their successes and hard work, and we look forward to another year of precisely that.

We will see you at a field, court, course, pool, etc., near you in 2026.