Category Archives: Welcome to the VGMS

 

Annual Ventura Gem Show

Our annual gem show is held at the Ventura County Fairgrounds on the first full weekend in March. In 2026, the dates will be March 7 & 8. For more information visit our Show page.

Membership Highlights

VGMS members enjoy many benefits, including an annual gem show, field trips, lapidary instruction and use of equipment, monthly newsletter, museum, extensive library, social events, youth programs, and of course, camaraderie. To become a member, visit our Membership page and fill out the Membership Form at the bottom of the page.

VGMS Meetings

Poinsettia_PavilionGeneral meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of the month (except November and December – 2nd Wednesday).  The public is invited to attend any of our general meetings. We meet either on Zoom or at Ventura’s Poinsettia Pavilion in the Santa Paula Room (3451 Foothill Rd, Ventura, CA 93003) on the 4th Wednesday of every month, except November and December, when we meet on the 2nd Wednesday so as not to interfere with the holidays. Park in either the upper or lower lot, and enjoy an ocean view of Ventura from this hillside venue just below Two Trees.

Mission Statement

The VGMS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote popular interest in geology, mineralogy, paleontology, and related subjects. We sponsor lectures, classes, demonstrations, field trips and school visits to further education and interest both within VGMS and the community at large. Our annual gem show exhibits rock, mineral, fossil, and lapidary arts collections in order to share our hobby with the public. Find out more at About the VGMS.

APRIL PROGRAM

Our April meeting will be our very own Jennifer Russell who will present “Sparkle Secrets: Your Crash Course in Diamonds”

Jennifer will explain everything you need to know about making your money go further when buying and caring for diamonds. She will teach you the essentials of what to look for, how to find and understand pricing guides, and show you some tools of the trade. She will demonstrate how to clean and maintain your jewelry to keep it looking amazing and in good condition. To close it out, She will mention some unlikely places to shop for diamond jewelry (hint, it’s NOT the mall!). Jen will even bring some beautiful diamond jewelry from her private collection, so feel free to bring some of yours to show off during the break too!

Social time begins at 7pm and the meeting will start at 7:30. Members of the public are welcome. We hope to see you there! 

VGMS Showcase at the Foster Library in Ventura

VGMS once again has set up a display in the E. P. Foster Library through May. The display is pictured below, and below that, members Jim & Nancy Brace-Thompson,  John Cook, Angela and Luther Brown, and Jean and Ron Wise who brought specimens from their own collections and set up the display.

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The VGMS Library Online

Our library collection contains over 600 books covering the full spectrum of the earth sciences, mineral and fossil collecting, lapidary arts, petrified wood, meteorites, gold prospecting and more. Many of those books focus specifically on California – its mining history, field trip localities, minerals and fossils. The Field Guide section contains field guides to almost all of the states. The collection also holds hundreds of issues of such magazines as Rock & Gem, Lapidary Journal and Gems & Minerals. Many of these contain articles with field trip directions and step-by-step instructions for lapidary projects. The library room has a large reading table so you can use our monthly workshop hours to sit and browse.

Our book catalog is now online: VGMS Book Library.