Tag: gemstones

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Rock Tumbling Subject of May 19 Meeting With Noah Urbina

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

If you were ever curious about rock tumbling, now’s your opportunity to learn about it. For many, the process seems as if it might be hard but it is basically a creative process to make rocks smooth and polished-looking (as if nature had done the work) through the use of a rock tumbler. Rock tumblers can be rotating or vibrating machines to which grits and polish are put into a container with water and the rocks you want to make pretty or smooth. Noah will walk you through the process of tumbling so that you, too, can have polished rocks.

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007. Admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table. Bring a rock specimen you’d like identified – or maybe you have a special memory attached to one that you can share while you’re at the meeting. Hope to see you there!

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Paolo Sanchez Speaks on Diamonds: The Science Behind the Stone

Paolo Sanchez

TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 7:00 P.M.

As the birthstone of April, the diamond is arguably the most popular and sought after gemstone for the past several hundred years, owning its reputation from its rarity, durability and cultural status. However, there is a notable scientific value behind the glamour. Diamond’s simple chemistry of pure crystalline carbon has made it a valuable tool for industry and cutting-edge science experiments. This presentation will be in the spirit of the late Dr. George Rossman, where grad student and PLS member Paolo Sanchez will discuss the geology, chemistry, synthesis and applications of diamonds beyond simply its status as a gemstone.

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007.

Come join us! Admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table; bring a rock specimen you’d like identified. Take a chance at winning a cool rock, slab or related items by buying a raffle ticket. See you there!

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Pearls Take the Spotlight with Special Guest Renée Newman

March 17, 2026 Program Meeting Starts at 7:00 p.m.

A 112-carat abalone pearl was found in Sonoma County, California in 1990 by the late Wes Rankin. After the pearl was appraised at $144,000 by John Latendresse, Wes decided to go into the natural pearl business and started the Pacific Coast Pearls company. Abalone fishing has been illegal in California since 2018, in order to save the dwindling population of abalone. However, it is still allowed in Baja California, Mexico during non-spawning months. Besides briefly discussing natural pearls from California and Mexico, Renée’s PowerPoint presentation will also include other topics such as:

  • The American pearl rush
  • The highest priced pearls
  • South Sea pearls that resemble Chinese freshwater baroque pearls and how to distinguish them
  • How Australia became the first country to produce cultured saltwater round pearls
  • How pearl oysters improve our atmosphere and the oceans.
    And more.

Renee Newman GG (GIA) is the author of 16 books on jewelry and gems. Her interest in pearls developed when she was an international tour director and visited Japan, China, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and French Polynesia. After obtaining her GG from GIA, she became a gemologist and jewelry control manager for the Josam Diamond Trading Corporation in downtown Los Angeles. Even though their focus was on diamonds, they realized that mounting diamonds with colored gems and pearls gave them a wider variety of jewelry to sell and higher profit margins. Armed with trade experience and gemological credentials, Newman decided to create books that helped readers visually evaluate the quality of gems. Since 1989, she has written fourteen books on gems and jewelry. Her latest book is Pearls: Their History, Sources, Types & Qualities. The books will be available for sale at the meeting for a discounted price. Bring cash or check. For more information about Renée and her books go to http://www.reneenewman.com. You can connect with her on Instagram @reneenewmangg and Facebook at www.facebook.com/renee.newman.

This program meeting takes place at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007, on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

Come join us! Doors open at 6:30, admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table; bring a rock specimen you’d like identified. Buy a raffle ticket for a few bucks and try your luck at winning a cool rock specimen, slab, or otherwise. We hope to see you there!

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Program Meeting Tuesday, Feb. 17; 7:00 p.m.

Our planned speaker for February had to cancel but fear not — Pasadena Lapidary Society member Bill Walls will give a short talk about field trip findings and we will be watching a movie about a Selenite crystal cave in Mexico. Imagine a cave with massive crystals bigger than telephone poles! Check out this Wikipedia page to get an idea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Crystals

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007. Admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table. Bring a rock specimen you’d like identified – or maybe you have a special memory attached to one that you can share while you’re at the meeting. Hope to see you there!

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Altering Stones Subject of Tuesday, January 20 Meeting; 7:00 p.m.

PLS Vice President Barna Laszlo will lead a “show and tell”-style talk about depositing some coloring or filling agent into the pores of rocks in order to change how they look or improve their durability. The chemistry involved in these processes range from making a glue bond to using highly reactive compounds. Barna will show around several samples so that you can decide whether you like the results or not.

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007.

Come join us! Doors open at 6:30, admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table; bring a rock specimen you’d like identified. We hope to see you there!

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Tuesday, October 21 General Program Meeting Focuses on Minas Gerais, Brazil; 7:00 p.m.

PLS Member Paolo Sanchez Presents Findings From His June 2025 Expedition to This Mineral-Rich Area

Paolo doing field work in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

This month’s presentation by Pasadena Lapidary Society member Paolo Sanchez focuses on the famed mineral-rich districts of Minas Gerais, Brazil, following his June 2025 expedition to this region. Paolo spent two and a half weeks exploring gem- and lithium-rich pegmatites of grand proportions as part of his research to understand how the melting ancient ocean floor could contribute to making these deposits. This talk will touch upon historic gem mining in the area as well as an international rush for lithium and industrial minerals happening today, with a focus on the mining districts of Linopolis, Araçuai, and Diamantina.

Also, PLS Vice President Barna Laszlo will do a short talk on altering stones.

This month’s program meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Fireside Room of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007.

Come join us! Doors open at 6:30, admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table; bring a rock specimen you’d like identified. We hope to see you there!

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“The Colorful Condor Agates of Argentina”, Subject of September Program Meeting

7:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 16th, 2025

Our main speaker for the September program meeting will be Mary Pat Weber, geologist and mineral collector, who will present “The Colorful Condor Agates of Argentina”. She will present the amazing story of how these agates were discovered, lost, and re-discovered in a remote, inhospitable region high in the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Condor agates are colorful, tightly banded agates and patterned agates found in the mountains near San Rafael, in Mendoza Province, Argentina. This agate has become a popular stone among collectors and jewelry designers. Specimens of these beautiful agates from Mary Pat’s personal collection will be on display at the meeting.

Another Condor agate specimen. Photo provided by Condor Agate via Facebook.

There will also be a short talk at this meeting in the form of a recap of our members’ experiences at Camp Paradise, a CFMS-sponsored lapidary and jewelry camp. As a group, we attended every class offered this year. We learned new things and made beautiful projects. Camp Paradise offers two 1-week sessions each August for members of CFMS affiliated clubs such as Pasadena Lapidary Society. Come learn about this wonderful experience and make your plans for next year.

This program meeting takes place at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007.

Admission is free; open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the display table; bring a rock specimen you’d like identified. See you there!

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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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Geode Presentation and Discussion on Clear Creek Management Area, Topics of May Program Meeting

Tuesday, May 20th, 7:00 p.m.

PLS member Armando Pedroza skillfully cutting a geode.

Pasadena Lapidary Society member Armando Pedroza has been cutting geodes for over 15 years at gem shows and club presentations. In our upcoming May general meeting he will be presenting and demonstrating his geode program. Geodes will be available for purchasing and he will be cutting them for those who wish to see the magic inside. Geode prices range from $10 to $90. The geode program will be outside on the patio.

PLS member Christian Schulze exploring potential finds at Clear Creek.

PLS member Paolo Sanchez will present a program on the Clear Creek Management area in San Benito County, California. It has been a popular spot for geologists, mineralogists and rockhounds alike for over a century. Part of a large geological feature known as the New Idria Serpentine Intrusion, this area is home to various rare and interesting minerals such as demantoid and melanite varieties of andradite garnet, plasma agate, jadeite, uvarovite, zeolites, as well as asbestos and mercury minerals. It is also where twenty new minerals were first discovered, including the California state gemstone, benitoite. With such a bounty of mineralogical wealth, what makes the New Idria Serpentine Intrusion so special? This talk will delve into the underlying geologic history of the area as well as the interesting minerals that make New Idria a unique place in the mineral world.

This program meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007. Come to learn and make new friends; open to the public, free admission. 

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Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Program Meeting, 7 p.m.

Focuses on “An Unconventional Guide to Putting Together a Noncompetitive Exhibit Case” With Mary Pat Weber

This month’s program will be presented by retired geologist Mary Pat Weber, who has been collecting minerals and displaying them at area shows for the past 20 years. Mary Pat’s approach to building exhibit cases is that it should be fun, easy and interesting to the public.

Putting together a noncompetitive case for a local show that highlights your interests in the hobby does not have to be time consuming or expensive. Unburdened by the demands of competitive case rules and strict judging standards that emphasize what is wrong with an entry rather than its overall appeal to the public, Mary Pat is free to be creative and try new things. She prides herself on trying to put together a unique case for each show to give the public something different to look at.

We have all been to mineral shows where you see the same cases over and over every year.
Mary Pat will show us the materials and methods she uses to make her displays often from materials you probably already have. In the final analysis it is not the number of points or ribbons earned that make a good case but rather the number of nose prints of children left on the glass.

This program meeting is at 7:00 p.m. at Fellowship Hall of The Santa Anita Church, 226 W. Colorado Blvd., Arcadia, CA 91007. Come to learn, make new friends; open to the public, free admission.