Category: Announcement

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Pasadena Lapidary Society Members Win Big at Annual CFMS Show

Sue Dekany with her CFMS awards


Pasadena Lapidary Society members Sue Dekany and Sandie & Tony Fender walked away with key awards at the annual CFMS (California Federation of Mineralogical Societies) Show and Convention held this year in Lancaster on May 10-11.

Sue Dekany, PLS Secretary, had been working toward entering a competitive case in late 2024.  Then came the Eaton Fire, and Sue’s accumulated work was trashed.  Out of the ashes, however, Sue thought the remnants would make an interesting educational display.  Boy, was she right!  Over Mother’s Day weekend she set up her Novice-Educational-General Concept-General Audience display showing her rocks that had been cooked in the Eaton Fire, submitted the case competitively in the Novice category of the CFMS show and the result: a Double Win with ‘Best of Show’ and the ‘President’s Award’.  (Sue’s exhibit will be on display again September 20-21 at our annual show in Arcadia.)  Sue’s observations from her rock collection debris: many rocks were massively oxidized (pyrite, some jaspers, onyx and serpentine), every bit of metal lost its protective polish, obsidian fractured in a spiral, but otherwise looked normal, quartz crystals and fluorite turned white and brittle, and amazingly an apatite cabochon survived, looking the same as before the fire.

Sandie and Tony Fender share the CFMS Golden Bear award

PLS members Sandie and Tony Fender were presented with the illustrious Golden Bear Award, given only to recipients in recognition of outstanding service to the CFMS.  Tony and Sandie are both retired educators and lifelong rockhounds.  Over the years they have dedicated much of their time and efforts to holding various positions in the CFMS and are members of several gem and mineral clubs in Southern California.  They’re also avid square dancers! The Pasadena Lapidary Society is beaming with pride over these wins. 

The California Federation of Mineralogical Societies represents over 100 gem and rockhound clubs statewide, as well as a few clubs in Nevada and Arizona.  Visit cfmsinc.org for further information.

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Upcoming BLM Meetings Will Impact Rockhounding in Mojave Trails National Monument — Let’s Get Involved!

Future Rockhounding in the vicinity of the Mojave Trails National Monument (MTNM) is being threatened. For those who’ve enjoyed collecting at Lavic Siding, the Cady Mountains, Afton Canyon and surrounding areas, upcoming legislation could impact our beloved hobby. If you want your voice heard and your opinion counted, please register for and participate in these upcoming Bureau of Land Management (BLM) meetings. The first one will be virtual and the other three will be held in person.

Virtual Meeting is one week from today.  

Sign up now at the link below.  Rockhounds please share this to get the info out.  It is important we get involved!!!

 Webinar Registration BLM

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MEMBERS’ CORNER:

PLEASE NOTE: Our JUNE WORKSHOP will be held on SUNDAY, June 12, instead of Saturday, June 11. The July Workshop will return to the second Saturday of the month, as will subsequent workshops.

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Pasadena Lapidary Society Member Awarded Scholarship by CFMS

Pasadena Lapidary Society (PLS) is proud to announce that member Paolo Sanchez of Burbank has been awarded the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies’ (CFMS) Robert O. Deidrich Memorial Fund Scholarship for school year 2020-21.  This award was established some fifty years ago by the late Melba Deidrich in memory of her husband Robert.  The recipient of the $2,000 award must be an Earth Sciences major entering his/her junior or senior year at either UC Berkeley or Stanford University. Pasadena Lapidary Society is one of many member clubs in the CFMS.

Photo taken on Taal Volcano overlook in early January 2020, days before the Jan. 12 phreatomagnatic eruption that boiled off the crater lake in the immediate background and buried the entire surrounding area in ash.

As Filipino-Americans, Paolo’s parents Debbie and Ferdie trained and worked hard to establish themselves in the U.S.’s medical industry, and through their dedication and experience—as well as wonderful support from his older brother Joshua and younger sister Danielle—Paolo has been able to obtain a first-generation, U.S.-college education at UC Berkeley. With this he plans to continue his passion in the geosciences, working his way up to a PhD and possibly obtaining a career as a professional researcher.  He is in his third year of double majoring in geology and geophysics and is developing a research project involving the chemistry of molten glasses (tektites) formed during the meteor impact that killed the dinosaurs (a.k.a. the K-Pg Impact) 66 million years ago.

Paolo became interested in Earth Sciences as a kindergartener, developing an affinity for rockhounding through the years by reading geology field books and old textbooks, then applying that knowledge in the domain. He joined PLS as a Junior member at the age of 12 and since then he has given lectures about geology at PLS’ monthly program meetings, led educational rock and mineral identification seminars, and authored/coauthored numerous geological and mineralogical articles in the monthly PLS newsletter Rockhound Ramblings, among numerous invaluable contributions he has made to the Club. As part of Pasadena Lapidary Society’s community outreach, Paolo has taught basic geoscience to local elementary school students, along with providing hands-on teaching techniques with self-collected rock and mineral specimens.

Paolo in the San Gabriel Mountains

Prior to UC Berkeley, Paolo interned at Cal State Northridge for a year, doing research for the Geological Sciences Department.  At present he is a Research Assistant at both the Berkeley Geochronology Center and at the UC Berkeley Earth and Planetary Sciences Dept.  Paolo is also an editor and contributor to the popular non-commercial online mineralogical database mindat.org.

Along with his family, Pasadena Lapidary Society shares great pride in Paolo’s accomplishments, congratulates him at winning this prestigious award, and wishes him much success in his future endeavors.

The California Federation of Mineralogical Societies represents over 100 gem and rockhound clubs statewide, as well as a few clubs in Nevada and Arizona.  Visit cfmsinc.org for further information.

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March Program Meeting CANCELED

Our March Program Meeting, originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in the Donald Wright Auditorium of the Pasadena Central Library, has been canceled based on guidance from the Pasadena Library administration in consideration of the Coronavirus. Information will be posted here in the weeks to come regarding the April Program meeting. Stay safe out there.

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2019 LA County Fair Ticket Winners

As a thank you for holding the 2019 CFMS Annual Show & Convention at the Fairplex, the management had given PLS complimentary tickets to the LA County Fair. We wanted to pass these tickets on to two lucky PLS members (two tickets each). Joe and Marcia Goetz recently picked names out of a hat and the winners were Marlene Kyte and Jim Robb. Congratulations to both!

The LA County Fair runs from August 31 to September 23.

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2018 Show Announcement

Pasadena Lapidary Society Holds Annual Gem Show, March 10-11

60th Annual ‘Tournament of Gems’ Returns to San Marino

Pasadena Lapidary Society (PLS) presents its 60th annual Tournament of Gems, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11, 2018. Titled “Can You Dig It!!!”, this year’s show will feature Society members’ display cases of beautiful gemstones, mineral and fossil specimens, member-created jewelry and artwork; demonstrations of lapidary techniques such as wire wrapping, bending, cabochon grinding, and other jewelry-making skills. Several dealers will be present, selling goods that range from minerals to beads and gems, lapidary tools and everything in between. In the kids’ corner, children can try their luck at the Treasure Wheel and Sand Scoop for goodies. There will be grab bags for sale, a silent auction will be held both days and raffle tickets can be purchased to win some impressive prizes, many of which are hand-made jewelry and other treasures produced by PLS members. Club field trips and other information will be available, along with a new member sign-up table.

Inspiring and educational, the gem show provides an opportunity for families and individuals to explore the world of gem, mineral, rock and fossil hunting, earth sciences and the lapidary arts without leaving town. Pasadena Lapidary Society members go on field trips, find and identify specimens, then bring them home to turn dull (or pretty) stones into works of art.

This event will be held Saturday, March 10 from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday, March 11 from 10 am to 5 pm, at the San Marino Masonic Center, 3130 Huntington Drive, San Marino, 91108. Admission and parking are free. For information, please call (626) 260-7239, talk/text to (727) 512-0381; email info@pasadenalapidary.org. Visit our website at https://pasadenalapidary.org/events/2018-03.

About PLS: The Pasadena Lapidary Society serves to educate its members and the community in mineralogy, earth sciences and training in the lapidary and jewelry arts – while promoting sound mineral resource stewardship based on environmental awareness and ethical behavior. Now in its 72nd year, the Society fulfills its mission year-round with a variety of activities, including field trips, lapidary workshops, outreach presentations, public mineral displays, an annual club show and monthly informational meetings open to the public. Visit our website at https://pasadenalapidary.org, like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pasadenalapidarysociety and follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PasaLapidary. Our monthly program meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month (except December) in the Donald Wright Auditorium of the Pasadena Central Library at 285 E. Walnut St., Pasadena 91101, from 6:30 pm – 8:45 pm, and are open to the public. Free admission.