Rockhounds of all ages are invited to Gems On The Hill at the Signal Hill Public Library on Saturday, Sept. 24 to see, buy and learn about the Earth’s hidden treasures.
The event is hosted by the Long Beach Gem & Mineral Society and will celebrate all things geology, including demonstrations on geode cutting and making wire jewelry. There will also be 22 vendors selling geological wares such as gems, minerals and fossils.
“We’ve always been about educating the community about our passions,” said Karin Alvarez, president of the Long Beach Gem & Mineral Society.
The Long Beach Gem & Mineral Society has been meeting since 1937. The society has two main facets: weekly workshops on engraving, cutting and polishing stones (a practice known as lapidary) and a monthly meeting where speakers are invited to cover a range of geological topics ranging from gemstones, meteorites, fossil collecting, mining locations and more.
Gems On The Hill marks the first time the Long Beach Gem & Mineral Society has partnered with the Signal Hill Public Library.
“It was very exciting,” Alvarez said of the process of working with the library. “They were very willing to work with us, help us, and we in turn gave them ideas on what we would like to do. The whole process went great.”
Gems On The Hill will also feature a “sand dig” for kids, where various minerals (including crystals and semi-precious gemstones) will be hidden in a sand pit, giving children the chance to stake their claim and excavate their own unique collection.
“One of the things that we enjoy doing is going out to the field and collecting stones, or fossils for that matter,” Alvarez said. “So this kind of gives kids the idea of what it would be like to go and do that.”
Gems On The Hill is the Long Beach Gem & Mineral Society’s first large event since before the pandemic began. During lockdown, the 85-year-old society survived through Zoom meetings before eventually reconvening at the Long Beach Senior Center.
“One of the objectives of having our show is also to tell the community that we’re around, and we would love for new members to join us,” Alvarez said.
Membership for the Long Beach Gem & Mineral Society costs $25 a year per person and includes access to field trips, lapidary workshops and monthly meetings on the Second Wednesday of each month, featuring a different speaker each meeting.
Gems On The Hill will be held at the Signal Hill Public Library at 1800 E Hill St. on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is free.
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