Rows of polished and natural rocks lined the tables at the 63rd annual Gem, Mineral, Fossil & Jewelry Show that was held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, Calif. The event ran from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 7 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 8. The free-admission show, organized by the Ventura Gem & Mineral Society (VGMS), featured vendors, exhibits, kids’ activities and a silent auction. Funds were raised by VGMS to help with educational interests — a $1,000 annual Scholarship Award, local visits to schools and youth field trips.
Eight teens founded VGMS in 1944 to foster interests in geology, mineralogy, paleontology and gemology. The society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes education within the community and has 250 club members who typically meet once a month at their clubhouse museum.
“[There is] an outreach program for [VGMS]. We go to schools, we do demonstrations like magnetics [and] we do fossil digging for children,” John Cook, president of VGMS, said.
Not only does VGMS visit various schools to encourage learning in topics of earth science, geology, collecting and lapidary, but they also have a youth program centered on the Badge Program of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). Those aged 5-11 years join the club as a Pebble Pup and can move up to a Junior from ages 12-17.
“Ever since I was little, I would pick things up off the ground. When I moved to Ojai, my mom realized that there was a club that specialized in that. I joined the club and from there my passion for rocks spread … I started doing displays and shows, it’s just a passion of mine that’s grown a lot,” Lucia Hetrick, junior member of VGMS, said.
At the Ventura Gem Show, kids were welcome to participate in various activities, including panning for gold, sifting through sand, going on educational scavenger hunts, as well as “adopting” rocks. Exhibits of minerals and fossil casts were on display for people to study and educate themselves about.
“I’m interested in fossils because I’m sort of a biologist. I am a plant physiologist. Anything living is interesting, or lived at one time … These things don’t exist anymore and yet they did exist at one time,” Dwight Fujii, an attendee of the Ventura Gem Show, said.
As well as a featured silent auction, plant sale and “Country” second-hand rummage, numerous vendors sold rocks, fossils, gems and jewelry.
“I started hunting jade on Jade Cove with my father in 1958. There were four boys in my family and we were all jade hunters … [My dad] influenced the direction that I worked in, as far as lapidary art. I work with a lot of stones, but I always have stayed with jade,” Mike Burkleo, owner of Revelations in Stone, said.
The VGMS’s show benefited youth in the community and anyone interested in learning more about geology, mineralogy, paleontology, as well as lapidary arts. The Ventura Gem Show was not only a place to buy rocks and minerals, but it also aimed to ignite curiosity, which has the ability to turn into long-lived hobbies.
Those who spend time pursuing their special interests in gems and minerals, like Burkleo, have fostered their curiosity and let it grow. These interests were explored by youth at the Ventura Gem Show and by any attendee who found themselves captivated by displays, exhibits or booths. The event not only showcased stones, but it also “set in stone” interests that can last a lifetime if they are allowed.
