TUCSON, Ariz. — A man from the Phoenix area discovered a new gemstone, and is displaying it for the first time at the 22nd Street Gem Show.
John Hornewer has been mining his whole life. One day when he was hiking, he discovered a mine, that turned into his project for the next eight years.
He said when he discovered this gemstone, he was first trying to extract the gold from it, until he realized it's value as a gem.
"This gem stone is unique because it’s one of the rare gem stones that’s opaque gem stone," Hornewer said.
This means you can't see through the stone, like you would a diamond. The gemstone is called Sonoranite.
In the last eight years, him and his family extracted 1,000 pounds of it from the mine.
This is the first year he has been at the 22nd St. Gem Show, but it won't be his last.
"For all these years, we’ve been coming to the gem show looking for insight from people to tell us what this material is and after the GIA everything has turned and now we have people coming to us for insight and knowledge," Hornewer said.
His gems are on display in the showcase room at booth L5.
