Submitted by SVGMS
The 54th Annual Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show of the Shenandoah Valley Gem & Mineral Society (SVGMS) takes place September 16 – 18, 2022 at The Augusta Expo, 277 Expo Road. Fishersville VA (2 PM – 6 PM, Friday; 10 AM – 6 PM, Saturday; 11 AM – 5 PM Sunday). Admission is $4.00 for Adults, $3.00 for Students & Seniors; Children age 12 & under, Scouts & military in uniform admitted FREE! Tickets are good for all three days of the show.
The SVGMS Gem & Mineral show is a Shenandoah Valley tradition. This year will be its 54th presentation and the club’s show team has gone to great lengths to make it bigger and better than ever. New vendors, educational demonstrations, and expanded space (BOTH exhibit halls at Expo!) will insure attendees a great family outing while we are enjoying fall in the Shenandoah Valley.
It features informative and intriguing demonstrations of lapidary processes that will remove the mysteries of rock cutting & polishing and make this seemingly arcane hobby approachable to anyone interested. In past instances of the show, hundreds of Valley gem & mineral fans, students & kids enjoyed the diverse attractions and many have since become involved with a new and exciting hobby.
Attendees will be treated to many attractions, including:
- Minerals, gems & hand-crafted jewelry offered for sale by 30+ vendors from the Shenandoah Valley & beyond (Pro tip – Get your Christmas shopping done early!) “Gem mining” sluice for youngsters to try their hand at finding gems in “pay dirt” just like the old time miners did! Our friends from the Gem & Mineral Society of Lynchburg will be bringing their “Picker’s Wheel” for everyone to give a spin and win a prize (Saturday & Sunday only) Sphere-making demonstrations – come see how rough rocks and other materials are prepared and shaped into polished spheres and learn more about this fascinating process A cabochon-making display/discussion area – see how you can turn rocks that interest you into polished stones in the club’s lapidary shop!
- A ‘treasure hunt for the wee folks – let the kids hunt for actual gem rough! A wire-wrapping demonstration/discussion area – see how polished stones become jewelry and how you can learn to make your own Meet The Friends of Mineralogy Virginia Chapter – a new resource for you to engage to further your study & enjoyment of Virginia minerals and those of the rest of the world Door prizes contributed by our vendors & members – hourly drawings Saturday & Sunday!
Full details about the show including a list of scheduled vendors, directions, hours, and a downloadable flier can be found at http://tinyurl.com/SVGMS-Show-2022.
A portion of the proceeds of the show goes towards charitable donations to geology-related organizations in our area.
The SVGMS web site is accessible at this link: http://www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org.
The Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society is a nonprofit organization which strives to promote education in and appreciation of minerals, fossils, archaeology, general geology, and the lapidary arts.
We provide opportunities for collection, exchange, discussion, and exhibition of specimens and mineral material. For further information, please contact the show chairman, Scott Gregory, at 727-542-9723 or sgregory357@hotmail.com