Tag: rock hounding

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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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“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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Tony Swatton, Master Blacksmith and Gemcutter to Present at PLS August Program Meeting

Tony Swatton, creating art from fire.

Meeting starts Tuesday, August 19th at 7:00 p.m.

Tony Swatton is a self-taught blacksmith, gemcutter and armorer with over 35 years’ experience. Known for crafting historically accurate and fantasy-inspired weapons and armor, his work has appeared in films and TV series like Pirates of the Caribbean, Thor, and The Mandalorian. Swatton is also the creator of the popular YouTube series Man at Arms, where he recreates famous pop-culture weapons. He has conducted demonstrations and classes worldwide, sharing his expertise in blacksmithing and bladesmithing. His Burbank business, The Sword and Stone, is highly regarded in the industry for its craftsmanship and innovation.

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, August 19, 2025 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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June 17 Program Meeting Focuses on Crystal Photography

Tuesday, June 17th, 2025 at 7:00 p.m

For our June program meeting, PLS member Christian Schulze will show attendees the basics of how he captures image content through video and photography. Basic studio setup, equipment, mineral prep, photography tips and digital labeling will all be addressed.

Two comparison photos show a good photo capture at left, compared to one that needs improvement on the right with the knowledge that Christian is planning on sharing with us.

Christian Schulze is also owner of Hotspells Rocks & Minerals in the Elysian Valley area of Los Angeles.

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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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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Author Renée Newman to Speak on Diversity of Gems

Tuesday, Nov. 19th at 7:00 p.m.

Renée will provide a PowerPoint presentation that will include gems from California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho. It will focus on the most notable ones such as tourmaline, jade, benitoite, sunstone, opal, turquoise, chrysocolla, fire agate and Four Peaks amethyst, and the places where they are mined.

Members of the Pasadena Lapidary Society are fortunate to live near areas with a diversity of gems. For example, the distance from Pasadena to the Oceanview mine in San Diego County is only 105 miles. There you can dig for tourmalines, kunzites, morganites, and aquamarines, and take a jeep tour of Chief Mountain where you can see the currently active mines. Historically that area was important. From 1898 until 1911, it was the world’s largest producer of tourmaline and it is still producing high quality material. Renée’s presentation will also briefly discuss other mining areas in the Western states.

Renée Newman is the author of books that show readers how to visually evaluate the quality of gems. She has written multiple books on gems and jewelry. 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 www.reneenewman.com. You can connect with her on Instagram @reneenewmangg and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ renee.newman.5648/

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, November 19, 2024.

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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PLS Members’ Field Trip ‘Show and Tell’ Experiences Subject of Tuesday, October 15th Program Meeting, 7:00 pm

Location: Fireside Room at the Santa Anita Church

The Pasadena Lapidary Society October General Meeting will be held in the Fireside Room because our regular room is going to be used for election training. As PLS President David Lacy phrased: “the meeting will be very cozy”. It would be difficult to set up a slide show in the Fireside Room or outside depending on the weather, so we will not have an invited speaker in October. Instead, we will feature three of our club members — Sue Dekany, Curtis Kan and Daniel Nishimura — who will give ‘show and tell’ talks about recent
field trips to the Clear Creek, CA area, the Dead Camel Mountains, NV and McDermitt in OR/NV. Daniel’s upcoming speech is going to be about his adventure collecting Wonderstone in the Yellow Mountains near Fallon, NV.

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 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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Walt Wright Speaks on Petrified Wood for September Program Meeting

September 17, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.


Walt Wright is an expert botanist, ecologist, geologist, and paleobotanist from Brea, California. He has worked as a Naturalist for the U.S. Forest Service, and in education and research at the University of California, Riverside. He has written articles and given numerous classes, seminars, and lectures on how petrified wood is formed and identified. He has been collecting petrified wood since he was 10 years old, when his mother gave him a piece. To date, he has over 10,000 pieces in his collection.

This program meeting takes place on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, 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, May 21 Program Meeting, 7:00

For our May Rock of the Month talk, PLS member Nancy Robb will provide a slide presentation on Pasadena Lapidary Society’s annual shows held from the 1940s to the 2000s, in a continuation of our 75th Anniversary observance.

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!