Rockhounds and the El Camino College community alike gathered at this year’s South Bay gem and mineral show to discover everything from cut geodes to popular characters carved into stone.
The South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society hosted the free two-day event — its 73rd annual show — from Saturday, March 28, to Sunday, March 29, at the Ken Miller Recreation Center in Torrance.
Activities at the show included displays, a raffle, a silent auction and opportunities to buy rough rock, petrified wood, slabs, polished stones and donated items, with proceeds going to support the society and its endowed Wally Ford Scholarship for geology students at El Camino College.
The scholarship honors Waldo “Wally” Ford, the first geology professor at ECC and a founding member of the Torrance-based South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society in 1948.
Geology students submitting an ECC Foundation Scholarship Application during the fall semester are considered for the discipline-specific award.
This year’s show — the second full one since the pandemic — had newer additions, including black light fluorescent rock exhibits and 10 vendors selling stones, minerals and jewelry.
Some vendors sold carved stones in the shape of animals and various popular characters, including Disney’s Baby Yoda and Darth Vader; Dreamworks’ dragon Toothless; and Pokémon characters such as Bulbasaur and Eevee.
Some rock and fossil displays at the event were from geology and oceanography professor Jwan Wageman.
“She’s been a great asset to support our club and build outreach to the community,” Chris Figueroa, president of the society said.
A collaboration between the society and Wageman began last year when treasurer Ed Whitefire contacted her to recruit student volunteers at the event.
“We didn’t have enough members volunteering, and the El Camino class really helped support this group so much,” Nancy Ozolins, a society member and volunteer, said. “We just have extremely positive things to say, it’s a very good relationship back and forth.”
Over 30 El Camino College students attended Saturday with most assisting at tables and working as watchguards to earn extra credit, instead, of writing a paper in Wageman’s geology and oceanography courses.
They also received a discount to purchase items at the event.
Studio art major Anh Tran, 18, made new signs with illustrations to create interest at different tables and activities.
“We had some issues with the ‘Flip the rock over’ [activity] at first, because we only had words there, so I drew it and it was a lot easier for people to know what to do,” Tran said.
ECC students, faculty and staff from metalsmithing and jewelry-making courses also attended the show to find materials for projects.
Whitefire, who once hosted a Burbank science fiction convention in 1994, is credited for bringing the society’s annual rock show back after the pandemic.
“When COVID hit, it really hit our members hard,” Whitefire said. “For a few years we didn’t do shows. … I said, ‘Look, this is a small thing compared to what I’ve done before, so I can do this. I pulled it together for them.”
Figueroa, who led demonstrations cutting 10-million-year-old Moroccan geodes, said the society’s gem and mineral show usually has about 500 attendees across the two days.
The show Saturday occurred at the same time a “No Kings” rally took place nearby at the Torrance City Hall.
“Normally if we don’t have a protest outside, we have more people,” Figueroa said.
Dale Harwood, a vendor and five-year South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society member, found it coincidental.
Harwood became the self-proclaimed “Cylindrite King,” as listed on his business cards, after purchasing 300 pounds of high-grade Bolivian cylindrite by chance.
“I thought, ‘Well, maybe they’re protesting me,'” Harwood said. “I’ve had fun with it all day.”
Figueroa said ECC faculty and students often give presentations at the society’s meetings, which are at 6 p.m. in the Katy Geissert Civic Center Library every first Tuesday of the month.
The society also hosts local youth outreach and educational events.
More information about the South Bay Lapidary and Mineral Society can be found at southbaylapidaryandmineralsociety.com.
Editor’s note:
- Photo gallery added at 8:18 p.m. Tuesday, March 31
