Gems & Minerals
Ventura County Fair
A Country Fair with Ocean Air

Gems & Minerals

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AGRICULTURE AMATEUR FINE ART UNCLE LEO'S BARNYARD FLORICULTURE GEMS & MINERALS HOBBIES & COLLECTIONS HOME ARTS LIVESTOCK AREA YOUTH EXPO

Updated October 2024
Posted July 2023


Gems & Minerals Entrance
Gems & Minerals Building Entrance
Gems & Minerals Entrance

Oxnard Gem and Mineral Society
Oxnard Gem and Mineral Society
Pebble Pups is a science club that provides educational fun for kids to learn about earth science through engaging activities, projects, field trips and presentations.

Pebble Pups meet monthly, and is open to the children of OGMS members. It is a great way to spend time with your kids while they learn amazing and enriching things about our world.

Gems & Minerals Agate with Plumes
Agate with Plumes
A less frequent occurrence is for plumes to form in the agate. Carnelian agate is an ancient gemstone that was greatly appreciated by ancient peoples. Though Carnelian agate is much less expensive today than it was in ancient times, it is still a stone that is cherished and appreciated.

The carnelian agate before you came from two chunks of rock collected in central Oregon. Obviously it is the plumes that make this carnelian agate exceptional. From plumes that are wispy, delicate and ephemeral to those that are bold and dramatic., it is the plumes that draw us into this stone. These 15 cabochons reveal an uncommon and beautiful aspect to this stone that was greatly prized by the ancients and still attracts and delights us today.

Gems & Minerals Agate with Plumes
Agate with Plumes
Gems & Minerals Agate with Plumes

Gems & Minerals Nipomo Barcasite
Nipomo Barcasite
A True California Gem

One of my favorite California gemstones is Nipomo Marcasite. Nipomo is located on the California coast north of Santa Mario and south of Arroyo Grande. It found on ranch land in the Nipomo area. At one time the owners of the land on which the stone is found gave permission to collectors to come on to the property and dig for the stone. Unfortunately, a few disrespectful collectors abused the privilege by ignoring the owner's wishes by crossing fences, walking through planted fields, closing or not closing gates. One rumor has it that one collector even used dynamite without permission. Whatever the case. the property was close to collecting in the 1960s just before I got interested and involved in collecting and working with gemstones.

Shortly after I joined a gem club in the late 1960s. I had a conversation with a senior member of the club who was somewhat of a mentor to me as someone new to the hobby. In this conversation, I bemoaned the fact that I never got a chance to dig and collect Nipomo Marcasite because it was closed to collecting before I became involved. I remember this elderly gentleman with a slight smile on his face telling me to come by his house the next day because he might have something for me. At his home the next day he gave me a boulder of Nipomo Marcasite weighing over a hundred pounds. His only requirement was that I do something with the rock. Over the years, I have fulfilled his requests. This case of stones is just one example.

Nipamo Marcasite is composed of iron pyrite io an agale matrix. These are Two very different matenals. On the MOH hardness scale, iron pyrite registers a 5, The agate matrix registers a 7 the Mah hardness scale. Because the iron pyrite is considerably softer than the agate, one would expect the iron pyrife to under cut and leave a lumpy surface when polished. The beauty of this gemstone is that it takes a smooth and brilliant polish. There is no unevenness evident at all in the polishing process.

Not only did my friend give me a large quantity of Nipomo Marcasite, but the quality of the stone is also top notch. The balance between agate and iron pyrite is optimum. Some of the agate has crystal cavities while some displays fortification. There is also what I call marcasite flowers, which are round bursts of marcasite surrounded by agate. Several of the cabs brilliantly display the quality. The quality is evident in the 22 cabochons I have chosen to display. One of the drawbacks in working with this stone is that it is extremely dirty. When ground and sanded the iron pyrite turns the water used in the process black which in turm stains one's hands and anything else it gets on to. It is in general a pain, but as you can see definitely worth the effort and inconvenience. Enjoy!

Gems & Minerals Nipomo Barcasite

Gems & Minerals My Stone Faces
My Stone Faces
What do you see?

Gems & Minerals My Stone Faces

Gems & Minerals Ventura Beach Collection
Ventura Beach Collection
When the pandemic struck and we were all stuck at home, I decided to see hows many lapidary and jewelry projects might be crafted using materials sourced locally from beaches in my own backyard of Ventura County while waiting for the VC Fair to ride again.

During weekly walks with my faithful dog, I found much to work with in conjunction with commercial cab mounts, jump rings, and pinch balls. I hope you enjoy the results! Don't wait for the next pandemic. Explore your backyard today. Who knows what treasures await?

Gems & Minerals Ventura Beach Collection

Gems & Minerals Septarian Concretions
Septarian Concretions
Composed of yellow Calcite and brown Aragonite in a gray calcarcous mudstone. This lapidary material is a favorite of rockhounds as it is easy to cut, carve, and polish into various forms.

Gems & Minerals Septarian Concretions

Gems & Minerals Condoragates of Patagonia
The Colorful Condoragates of Patagonia
30-50 Million Years Old

Named after the majestic Condors that fly over the Andes Mountains

Gems & Minerals Condoragates of Patagonia

Rhodochrosite Carbonates
Rhodochrosite Carbonates

Gems & Minerals Valley of Fire
Valley of Fire, Nevada
Gems & Minerals Valley of Fire

Gems & Minerals Double Sided Cabochons
Double Sided Cabochons

Gems and Minerals Stone Carvings
Stone Carvings

Gems and Minerals Nephrite
Nephrite and Nephrite Jade
San Simeon California

Gems and Minerals Nephrite
Nephrite
Surfers, Surfboards, Waves
San Louis Obispo California

Gems and Minerals Rainbow Obsidian
Rainbow Obsidian
Rough & Polished

Gems and Minerals Rainbow Obsidian

Gems and Minerals Geode Pieces

Gems and Minerals Bears
Bears
Gems and Minerals Bears

Gems and Minerals Scotch Pebbles
Scotch Pebbles
For its size, Scotland boasts a wonderful assortment of agates, or "Scotch pebbles" as they were once called. While quantity is limited and size is often small, the beauty and variety is equal to anywhere in the world. How did such agates come to be? Thanks to plate tectonics and continental drift, Scotland has traversed the globe the past half billion years.

Beginning near the South Pole, it has slid north and has seen oceans open and close and open again as oceanic and continental plates subducted beneath one another, separated, or smashed together. At one time, Scotland was in the middle of a desert covering a huge supercontinent; at another time, it was more North American than European.

Thanks to plates rifting and colliding, Scotland saw outpourings of lava at least four times in the past 500 million years. Two outpourings were responsible for most agates now found there. These agates formed in pockets left by gas bubbles as basaltic or andesitic lavas cooled. The oldest (380 million years) are "the Old Red Sandstone lavas" of the Devonian Period found within the Midland valley and along the North Sea coast, from Montrose in the northeast to Maidens in the southwest. Pockets also are found in the Cheviot Hills on the southeastern border and at Oban in the southwest Highlands. The youngest volcanic rocks (50-65 million years old) are "Tertiary lavas" found along the Atlantic side of Scotland. These make up much of the isles of Skye, Mull, and Rüm.

Scotch Pebble Jewelry
A Once Proud Cottage Industry

The heyday of collecting and working with Scottish agates was the Victorian period of 1837-1901. Agates were referred to as "pebbles" in Scotland, and so-called "Scotch pebble jewellery," crafted from such agates, was popularized by Queen Victoria.

Such jewelry typically consists of brooches with multi-colored agates and jaspers flat-lapped, polished, and set in sterling silver and sometimes embellished with a faceted stone of cairngorm (a brown-orange variety of smoky quartz). In addition to brooches, a lapidarist might also have crafted hat pins, kilt pins, and the like. All "pebbles" used were locally sourced.

Because Scottish agates were never plentiful, this was a small-scale operation with only some 200 "professional lapidarists" at the peak of operations in the late 1800s. Because Scottish agates were typically small, most stones set in jewelry were sliced thin and small.

One of the last professional lapidarists, Alexander Begbie, died March 7, 1958. He had attracted a devoted group of 30 followers in the city of Edinburgh led by Ron Bennet to whom he left his skills and knowledge of the craft and his equipment. Thus began the Scottish Mineral & Lapidary Club, the oldest continuously operating amateur gem and mineral society in all of the United Kingdom devoted to the lapidary arts. Its members still are devoted to continuing a once proud cottage industry!

Gems and Minerals Scotch Pebbles

Gems and Minerals Blue Chalcedony
Blue Chalcedony
Panamint Valley California

Microcrystalline quartz in the variety of Blue Chalcedony is found in the Argus Range of Panamint Valley. The shades of Blue Chalcedony range from dark bluish green to pale bluish gray. The rock surrounding the Blue Chalcedony is tan to brown Jasper. Specimens in thls exhibit shows how the Blue Chalcedony was injected and forced into the rock, thus ripping it apart and filling in the fractures.

During the Injection process the hot, molten quartz-rich fluids formed into banded layers and settled in beautiful swirling patterns that are seen in the polished slabs and cabochons. The original parent rock was metamorphosed into Jasper when the hot, quartz-rich fluids were injected.

My exhibit shows the various forms of Blue Chalcedony from finely polished slabs, cabochons, polished stones and native specimens.

Gems and Minerals Blue Chalcedony

Gems and Minerals Mixed Cabachons
Mixed Cabachons

Gems and Minerals Fair Theme
Fair Theme

Gems and Minerals Dugway Geodes
Dugway Geodes
Juab County Utah

Gems and Minerals Dugway Geodes

Gems and Minerals Amethyst
Amethyst
Gems and Minerals Amethyst

Gems and Minerals Pebble Pups
Pebble Pups & Junior Rockhounds
Ventura Gem & Mineral Society

PeridotEllie L., Pebble Pup
Peridot is a green gemstone, otherwise known as the gem of spring' even though it's a summer birthstone, the birthstone of August. It can be found around the world and is a very popular gem. It only comes in an olive green color. Peridot was found on the comet called Temple 1. I love Peridot because I love the color green.

Gems and Minerals Pebble Pups

Collection Pebble Pups
Pebble Pups

Gems and Minerals A Rainbow of Rocks
A Rainbow of Rocks

Gems and Minerals Stone Bowls
Stone Bowls

Conejo Gem and Mineral Club
Conejo Gem and Mineral Club

Gems and Minerals Wonderful World of Minerals
The Wonderful World of Minerals

Gems and Minerals Flourescence in Minerals
Flourescence in Minerals Fluorescence in minerals is a spontaneous emission of light when subjected to ultraviolet radiation. The glowing ceases almost at once when the radiation is moved or turned off. The reaction is caused by activators and coactivators and lessened, or blocked, by squelchers. Some examples of activators: Flourite, Calcite & Willemite, Flourite, Opal var. Hyalite

Gems and Minerals Flourescence in Minerals

Gems and Minerals Many Facets of Rockhounding
The Many Facets of Rockhounding Fun

Gems and Minerals Quartz

Gems and Minerals Amethyst Flower

Gems and Minerals Amethyst Geode

Gems and Minerals 31st District

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Iron Meteorite
Iron Meteorite
Gems and Minerals Iron Meteorite

Gems and Minerals Plume Agate
Plume Agate
Gems and Minerals Plume Agate

Fossils Whale Bone

Gems and Minerals Chapenite

Gems and Minerals Beach Opal

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Coyamito Agate Nodules
Coyamito Agate Nodules
Gems and Minerals Coyamito Agate Nodules

Gems and Minerals Knife
Knife
  • Obsidian Blade
  • Antler Handle
  • Cap Plume Agate
  • Stand Silver Lace Onyx

Gems and Minerals Letter Holder
Letter Holder
Silver Lake Onyx

Gems and Minerals Arrowheads
Black Obsidian Spearheads

Knapped Eagles and Bears

Gems and Minerals Knapped Fetishes

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Awards

Gems and Minerals Jewelry

Gems and Minerals Jewelry

Gems and Minerals Pendants
Pendants
Gems and Minerals Pendants

Gems and Minerals Novelties

Gems and Minerals Beads

Gems and Minerals Beads

Gems and Minerals Pebble Pups

Gems and Minerals Ocean View Mine
Ocean View Mine Minerals

Gems and Minerals Spheres
Spheres

Gems and Minerals Ametrine

Gems and Minerals Mookaite Jasper

Gems and Minerals Petoskey Stone
Petoskey Stone Toadstool
Michigan's Petoskey Stone is actually a 350-million-year-old fossil coral Hexagonaria percarinata. It has a honeycomb pattern with radiating lines reminiscent of sunbeams. It is soft and polishes easily and is used to make carvings for tourist knickknacks, like this toadstool. You can collect coral "heads" at various spots in Michigan, or you can find water-worn cobbles on Lake Michigan beaches around Carlevoix and Petoskey.

"Petoskey" comes from an Ottawa Indian chief. Sunbeams fell upon his newborn face, so he was named Pe-tos-e-gay ("rising sun" or "sunbeams of promise"). Settlers named a new town in his honor with the English spelling of Petoskey. His granddaughter Ella Jane Petoskey got to see Petoskey Stone declared the Michigan State Stone in 1965.

Gems and Minerals Petoskey Stone

Gems and Minerals Geode

Gems and Minerals Amethyst Brazil
Amethyst Brazil
Gems and Minerals Amethyst Brazil

Gems and Minerals Jewelry

Gems and Minerals Best Beads

Gems and Minerals Jewelry

Gems and Minerals Montana Agates
Montana Agates

Gems and Minerals Labradorite
Labradorite