Gem Sifting

At Lapidary classes this week, Boy was asked to assist with some Gem Club Open Day tasks. Not keen because it sounded like work, Boy was delighted to be given the task of "gem sifting" assistant.

In a full sandbox, large buttons are raked through: deep and hidden symbols of treasure. Children purchase a shovel full of sand and sift their sand back into the sandpit. Any buttons caught in the sifting process are exchanged for real, polished gem stones. If the lucky sifter has netted 10 buttons, they are exchanged for a cut gem; 20 buttons, a piece of gem stone jewellery.

Boy's eyes lit up like sparkling blue sapphires.

"Yes. I will do that," he responded in his unanimated aspergic way. I was the only one present who recognised his excitement at turning up a gem of a job. The others appeared to think they had provided him a wrong job: a lump of coal. They fussed as they tried to find a replacement task for him.

An elderly lady cuddled a jar full of surplus polished gem stones. They looked like huge MandM's.

"What should I do with this?" she quavered to Boy.

Immediately he answered, "Guess how many gems are in the jar."

"I have no idea. I haven't counted them," she pondered while scratching an age spot on the side of her bronzed wrinkly face.

"No. Have a competition of guessing how many gems are in there. Sell the tickets for 50 cents each guess and the winner can get a precious present."

How those oldies loved my gem of a Boy. He offered to count the gem stones in the jar and to organise the competition. He sat for an hour, counting, sorting and identifying gems before he moved onto picking gem treasures that he thought kids would like as their prizes.

Math eat your heart out. We've had a gem of a home school day.



For those in Cairns, The Cairns Gem Club is holding their Open Day at 85 Greenslopes Street on Sunday April 22nd from 9AM to 4PM: Displays, gem sifting, competitions, lucky dip, food, drink and demonstrations.

Photo courtesey of selicula at stock.xchng.