This Valentine’s Day is set to sparkle as the North Brisbane Lapidary Club hosts its 2026 Gem Show.
The event returns to Albert Bishop Park in Nundah on Saturday, 14 February.
Field Trip Officer and Chief Faceting Instructor, Garry Gatfield, said it was Queensland’s first gem show of the year.
“First-time visitors will be amazed at the prices compared to the retail jewellery shops, and the extensive range of precious gemstones such as tourmaline, rhodolite garnet, and other rare gems that are not normally available at shops,” Garry said.
“They will be amazed at the wide range of items available – meteorites, petrified wood, thundereggs, coprolite (dinosaur poo), volcanic glass, natural diamonds, as well as mineral specimens for the collector, rare gems for the discerning buyer, jewellery, etc, and the burgers are the best!
“Fossicking for gems on our club stall is always very popular for children as they sieve in the tubs of water, then flip the sieve-load on a wet bag and then pick out their gems with tweezers.”
From Fossicking Dreams to Faceting Skills
Garry said that as a child, he dreamed of finding a diamond after reading about discoveries at Bingara and Copeton near Inverell in the 1870s.
“Since joining the club in 1988, I have found 15,” he said.
He joined as a gold fossicker wanting to learn faceting (gem cutting).
“If you go fossicking for gold, currently over $6000 per oz in Australia, you usually find a few gemstones – that’s why I wanted to learn how to facet,” he said.
He added that Australia was a leading faceting nation due to world-class faceting machines and abundant natural gemstone deposits.
The lapidary club’s annual field trips have also delivered impressive results for members, with Garry finding about 700 carats of sapphire and zircon at Tomahawk Creek near Rubyvale.
“If you are a facetor and you have found some good quality gems, then you can cut them on one of the 5 x VJ machines we have at the club,” Garry said. “After cutting, you weigh the completed gem and work out its value. If you have learnt silver or goldsmithing at the club, you then make a ring to set the gemstone in.
“Or perhaps you will cast a ring in gold that you found fossicking yourself, at a lost wax casting session on a Friday night. Then clean up and polish the cast ring, and then set your cut gem in the finished ring. A proud accomplishment that you have achieved by yourself!”
For more information, visit North Brisbane Lapidary Club Inc on Facebook. Admission to the gem show is $5 for adults, $2 for children. Children under five are free.
North Brisbane Lapidary Club 2026 Gem Show
- Saturday, 14 February, 9am-4pm
- Albert Bishop Park
- 574 Nudgee Road, Nundah
Read more stories from the Chermside Guide’s print magazine here:
- Chermside Connect: Updates from the Community
- What’s Hot Around Town
- Podcast Review: Wanging On Pocast
- Professional Surfing Returns for Biggest Gold Coast Open Yet
- Organic Gardening in February
- Tilapia in South East Queensland – A Great Target for Kids
- Act 1 Theatre Opens New Season with Dark Thriller
- Van Morrison Tribute Returns to Royal Quarters
- The Argos of Chermside: A Family Who Helped Shape a Suburban Community
- The Prince Charles Hospital Foundation Celebrates 40 Years
- Nundah Historic Cemetery Marks 180 Years with Community Storytelling Project
- Aussie Rockers Lead Push for Greener Live Music
- New Taigum Probus Club Welcomes New Members
- Think Pink: Toombul District Cricket Club Celebrates Women Cricketers
- Fifty Years in Bloom at Aspley Orchid Show
- Lemon Honey Chicken
- Legends of Motown Makes Australian Debut
- A Little Bookshop With Big Heart
- Get Set For Work
- Family-Friendly Dining Meets Big-Game Atmosphere
