75th Anniversary of Mineral and Gem Society of Castro Valley
Rocks, gems, petrified wood, crystals and jewelry will be among the items at the Mineral and Gem Society of Castro Valley’s annual show. The club is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
The Mineral and Gem Society of Castro Valley (MGSCV) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year and is holding its annual show the first weekend in March.
“Our club has been a nonprofit group dedicated to educating the public about geology, minerals, and the lapidary arts since 1948. At our workshop, we have just about any equipment that’s needed to take a chunk of rock and turn it into a piece of jewelry,” says workshop manager Beth Farmer.
She adds that the group also has additional methods to help display the beauty of minerals and stones and a metals workshop for casting small items, soldering, and other silver work. After safety training, Members use the equipment to operate the machinery and work with stone. The group also offers educational experiences to schools.
On March 1-3 the MGSCV will host more than 40 dealers at its show. They will be displaying and selling rocks, cabochons (gems polished but not faceted) gemstones (faceted stones), mineral specimens, fossils, jewelry, crystals, beads and supplies, tools, settings to complete and display stones, and more.
“Our club also will have exhibits, demonstrations of lapidary art, a kids’ spinning wheel, and geode splitting,” says Farmer. “We will have a live auction of items donated by club members and door prizes.”
MGSCV has its workshop in Hayward but welcomes Castro Valley residents and anyone interested to check out the organization at www.mgscv.org
The schedule for the 75th Annual Mineral, Gem, and Jewelry sale is as follows:
Friday, March 1, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, March 2, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, March 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show will be held at Newark Pavilion, 6430 Thornton Ave., Newark. A one-day pass is $6; children under 13 are free with an adult. Three-day passes are $10. Law enforcement and military members are free. Tickets may be purchased online via the website.
Proceeds from the event help support the MGSCV workshop and its outreach. Contact the group at info@mgscv.org, or (510) 887-9007.