LIVERMORE VALLEY LITHOPHILES
Gem and Mineral Society
 
 

Making a Competitive Display

Bill Beiriger
 

No matter what type of display you are making the presentation is very important.

1. Use a neutral fabric that will work with the collection you are displaying.
• A. Black or Very Dark fabric will show dust
• B. White can cause eye strain and will smudge easily

2. Make sure the fabric is clean and does not have wrinkles in it.
• A. Make sure the fabric on the corners are straight and sharp
• B. Make sure the top front edges of risers are sharp and straight

3. Clean the collection that you are putting into the case. Make sure there are no fingerprints or other smudges and there is no dust on the items being displayed.

4. There should not be dings or cracks on the material you are showing. If you are putting in a shell collection and the shells should have a shine on them make sure they do. If you are putting in minerals make sure the minerals are free of major defects and sometimes minor defects.

5. If the display contains artifacts or other antiques the above info (#4) may not apply to that collection. This category also covers old dolls and toys.

6. Make sure all labels and other text are free of spelling errors. Also make sure they are legible and neat.
 

The most important part of your display are the labels.

• A. Use a type size that is easy to read.

• B. Use a type font that can be read from about three feet.

• C. Keep all the same-type of labels the same physical size.

• D. It is not necessary but the labels will look better with a black line border near the outside edge.

• E. Use Coverstock (80-120 Pound) Paper. It is even better to glue your labels to a lightweight card stock.

• F. Use a straight-edge and a knife to cut the labels, DO NOT USE SCISSORS.

• G. Use a Meter or Yard Stick to keep labels in a straight line.

• H. I use Double-Sided Tape to hold my labels in place, which makes set-up much faster and there is less a chance of placeing the wrong label with the wrong item.
 

Making Labels
 

 

Equipment
 

 

Liner Layout Ideas
 

 

 

These are just some ideas and some basic information
on how you can make a display.

Please contact me for help.

If you have not put in a display at LITHORAMA
• • • Please try it and you may like it • • •
 

Livermore Valley Lithophiles
P.O. Box 626
Livermore, CA 94551-0626