Adventurer Opens Gem Museum/Store in Hawaii to House over 60,000 Gems

HONOLULU, HAWAII – A highly unique Gem Museum/Store, housing one of the world’s largest collections of gems, mineral specimens and lapis lazuli products, is now open to the public in Honolulu, Hawaii. ( www.TheGemHunters.com )

The Gem Museum/Store is the dream fulfilled of Gary Bowersox, gem hunter and adventurer and author of Gem Hunter, True Adventures of an American in Afghanistan (ISBN 0-9747323-1-1 $29.95, 505 pages).

Bowersox has spent 34 years in Afghanistan discovering precious gems and leading an exciting life. The result is a rare collection of 60,000 gems valued from $2 to $100,000 which will go on display September 5th in the Gem Museum/Store which is located in Suite 1414 of the Waikiki Galleria Office Towers at 2222 Kalakaua, Honolulu. The museum is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

“Within the next few months construction will be completed on the store which will be a very popular destination for visitors. Once completed visitors will come into a bullet-proof entranceway and enter a theater where different gem hunters from various countries will give lectures and talks on their experiences, knowledge and adventures,” explains Bowersox. “After the lecture, visitors will then walk into a large 19 foot x 18 foot bank vault lined with cherry wood showcases containing more than 60,000 gems and minerals, lapis desktops, carvings and finished jewelry and necklaces shipped in from around the world.

Future lecturer programs, in addition to Bowersox, will include Karla Brom Proud of Oregon, Guy Clutterback of Zambia, Sabir Rasool of Pakistan, Ilhom Narzier of Tajikistan and Ron Ringsrud of Columbia.

Bowersox just returned from spending three weeks traveling in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan to complete final arrangements for September 5 and other events. Bowersox was described as a "modern day Indiana Jones" by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, "Except Indiana Jones never had live rounds fired over his head," Bowersox quickly adds.

Bowersox, who once stood next to Osama Bin Laden, knows more than anyone else about the sites where the World's Most Wanted may be hiding. One of the few Americans who knows Afghanistan like the back of his hand, Bowersox also knows who is protecting Bin Laden and why, and why Bin Laden could not have remained "hidden" this long without major support from "friends."

Bowersox was personal friends with the late Ahmed Shah Massoud, the Northern Alliance leader Bin Laden had assassinated a few days before the events of September 11, 2001.

A world renowned gem hunter, explorer and author, Bowersox served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense shortly after September 11th. "The Department of Defense wanted to know about Afghanistan — where the landmines were, the tunnels, where the troops were, and who's who in the Northern Alliance and where their loyalties lay," explains Bowersox

Bowersox has traveled to more than 80 countries and worked with gem miners in Afghanistan, Brazil, Burma, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. He has chaired eight symposiums from 1982 to 2001 on gems and minerals of Afghanistan, and was presenter/consultant on "The Gem Hunter in Afghanistan 2001", a 50-minute television documentary. For more information call: 808-792-3332 or 808-277-2543.

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Media Note:
To arrange an interview with Gary Bowersox, contact Scott Lorenz of the public relations firm Westwind Communications at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at: 734-667-2090 or cell: 248-705-2214.