For the 55th year, the Vallejo Gem and Mineral Society will have its annual show at which visitors can see and buy jewelry, cut rocks prime for working and other intriguing items.

The club was organized in 1954, and in short order had its first show at the old Vallejo Teamsters Hall, said Dan Wolke, a longtime Gem Society member, along with his wife, Cyndi.

The club was small enough back then for members to meet for lapidary workshops in a member’s garage, Dan Wolke said.

But by 1972, the club had grown and was ready for a permanent home. That’s the year the Solano County Fairgrounds let the club move into a place that gives members a full lapidary shop as well as meeting space.

Visitors to the annual Solano County Fair get to see the club’s displays and learn about rock saws, trim saws, grinders, polishers and silver casting, as well as the makeup of the colorful stones on which those instruments are used.

The shop gives new members a chance to learn how to use those machines, Wolke said.

They begin by making finished oval cabochons, he said, usually something that would decorate a belt buckle. Those who never have worked a stone before usually start with obsidian that is marked out.

Obsidian is volcanic glass that can be the color of smoke. It also comes in lavender, green and a version that is a rainbow of colors, Wolke said.

“It’s almost bulletproof,” he said. “You can’t ruin it, and it polishes well.”

New members learn to draw out the design, cut it on the straight saw, then grind and polish it. After they make their first cabochon, they have gone through all the steps to work a stone, Wolke said. Then they get to make two more, to determine they’re both competent and confident enough to progress in lapidary work, he said.

“Everyone has a different level,” he said. Some simply make items for themselves or friends or family members. “That’s how I started out,” he said.

The club has junior memberships to encourage children who love rocks, geology and jewelry making. Those at least 12 can work at the shops, and younger ones can help members look for rocks.

Some members progress to the stage where they sell their works. In Wolke’s case, he started his own home lapidary business. “Then I read ‘Radical,’ a Christian book,” he said. He was inspired by author David Platt to give away the profits from his home business to area food banks, homeless shelters and The Wounded Warrior Project.

Wolke’s wife Cyndi often makes free-form objects, while others stick to standard shapes. Members learn about beading, wire wrapping and silver soldering, too.

And the club goes on field trips every few months. Younger members can join on the educational trips to the East Bay Hills to look at an old volcano flow; to Cloverdale along the Russian River to find jasper and, occasionally, some jade; or out to Covelo at the Eel River for green jade.

Other trips can take members to Monterey, Avila Beach, Santa Maria and the Mojave area. On those trips, visitors may find brecciated rhyolite with agate, DeeDeeite (named for DeeDee Magri) and other interestingly patterned minerals.

Dan Wolke said visitors to the gem and mineral show may become so fascinated by the rocks that they become interested in the club, or in the hobby made up of people often nicknamed “rock hounds.” “Rock hounding gets you out, and you meet wonderful people, people who want to take care of the Earth,” he said.

The local club now has about 140 members, 90 percent of them from Solano County. “This is truly a fun club and a place to be,” Wolke said. “We have many knowledgeable members who share their vast experiences and knowledge with other members.”

This year marks the club’s 60th anniversary, and it has named its gem, mineral and jewelry show “Spring Bling,” Wolke said. “You’ll see some new dealers,” he said, as well as those who have been involved in lapidary work for 30 to 40 years.

He said 33 artisans will have 76 tables of jade, turquoise, amber, crystals and other merchandise and displays. They’ll also have fossils, sand paintings, painted rocks, horseshoe nail art as well as jewelry and other items made from cut and polished minerals.

There also will be cut slabs of stone and minerals for those who want to take on new projects, and this year visitors can see a vendor who will have meteorites.

Visitors also will see demonstrations of such techniques as wire wrapping, jewelry enameling, wax carving that leads to silver or gold creations, and gold panning.

The show will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 28 and March 1 in McCormick Hall of the Solano County Fairgrounds, 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo. Admission is $5 for adults and free for those younger than 12. Parking is free.

Those interested may visit the society’s website, vjgems.org.