Rock and gem enthusiasts are descending West Edmonton Mall this weekend. The Ice Palace has been converted into a tradeshow floor for the annual Edmonton Rock N’ Gem Show, consisting of more than 250 sellers of crystals, minerals, gems and more, as well as jewelry, decor and other products. Ten-year-old collector Sawyer Dubois travelled with her family from Red Deer on Thursday to attend the opening day of the four-day event. “I really like amethysts,” she told CTV News Edmonton. “I just like purple.” Gem and mineral company Silver Cove puts on the show in 48 cities across the country in a year. “It’s been amazing to connect with others in different communities,” said Chanelle Chalazan, a 16-year-old jewelry designer from Saskatchewan whose goal is to make jewelry cheaper and more accessible to her peers. Before Edmonton, she travelled with the show to Kelowna, Victoria and Calgary. “It’s going to be really hard to start a business, or even anything you do in your life. But if you have a goal … keep going,” Chalazan shared to other hopeful entrepreneurs. Minerals in the show come from all over the world, from Indonesia and Brazil to Madagascar – even Canada. “Here in Canada, we’re very proud of our Canadian minerals,” Silver Cove spokesperson Dylan Beaver said of the sapphires that the company mines in B.C. and which make up about a quarter of its offerings. “We always have interest for our Canadian sapphires, but lately, since Taylor Swift’s new album, opalite has been a really big stone,” he added, referencing the song of the same name by the singer-songwriter. Admission is free, although the show collects donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Evan Klippenstein
