A gemstone of a hobby

SHARP AS STONE: Silversmith work and jewellery-making are some of the techniques Keith Henderson has picked up.

OH FOR OPALS: The play of colours makes opals a favourite to collect and work with for Riverhead resident Keith Henderson.

ROCKHOUND: Variety is the colourful knowledge available for hobbyist Keith Henderson of Riverhead.

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HE'S always had a passion for precious stones.

Keith Henderson of Riverhead will be in his element at New Zealand's largest Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show.

The event is in Auckland for the first time at West Wave in Henderson from September 3 to 5. It is hosted by the North Shore Rockhounds Club.

Visitors from around the country and overseas can view displays of national and international gems, dinosaur eggs and handcrafted jewellery.

A highlight is a range of enlarged photos of micro-gems and crystals which can only be seen by using microscopic cameras.

There are also daily demonstrations in jewellery making, rock and bone carving, lapidary work and faceting as well as a field trip to search for gemstones.

Keith is a self-employed civil engineer and enjoys his hobby which he's been interested in since he was a child.

The 55-year-old makes free-form cabochons – hemispherical precious stones that have been polished but not cut into facets. He works mainly with opal – his favourite stone because of its vibrant colours.

He also does silversmith work and makes jewellery.

"It can be quite technical if you want it to be or you can just collect stones that are pretty for the garden."

Keith says you need a lot of patience when you are working on a stone. But there is so much to the hobby that you will never learn it all.

Keith says the rockhounds club he belongs to has workshops and club nights with well-travelled guest speakers. There are also field trips to places like Maori Bay in Muriwai and to the Kaipara Harbour.

"The word rockhound is an incomplete description of the variety of what we do."

But Keith's favourite part of his hobby is the people.

"There's genuinely an interest in everybody having success in what they've chosen to do," he says.

"They're all great people, enthusiastic with lots of knowledge and it's a club that caters for everybody's income bracket. Once people get into it and see the variety of stuff it becomes a lifelong interest."

The show runs from 9am to 5pm Friday to Saturday and 9am to 4pm on Sunday.

Visit www.gemshow.info for more information.

- © Fairfax NZ News