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Post by aDave on Mar 23, 2017 19:57:08 GMT -5
Hi all, FYI, the CFMS-AFMS Gem Show and Convention is being held this year in Ventura, CA, at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, June 9-11. The show's site can be found here: 2017cfms-afmsshow.com/Please note that on the show home page, there is a link pertaining to "pre-registration." It wasn't clear if it was meant for all attendees, so I made an inquiry to the host club. Below is my query and reply. I'm putting it down in total in case it pertains to you: Query: Good afternoon,
I just went to the CFMS-AFMS website, and I'm left with a question (or two). The site has directions to pre-register for those who would like to attend. Is it absolutely mandatory to do so? If someone doesn't pre-register, will they not be able to purchase tickets at the gate? Thanks and regards.
Reply: Hi David:
Yes, as a patron you may arrive on any day and 3-day passes and 1 day passes will be available for purchase.
Should you be entering an exhibit, attending the banquet or luncheons, you might want to send the advanced registration form to save your space. Space for these events might sell out before show time.
If you are from out of the area – camping or hotel reservations would be best in advance. Camping on the fairgrounds is limited so you would want to get a reservation ASAP if you are camping. This is a National event within the Gem & Mineral World, so a lot of out of town and out of state guests are expected.
Let me know if you have any other questions. From info@vgms.org
While it's on the show website, the url to the registration page is whoscoming.com/2017cfms-afms/show.htmlI realize it's a bit early to be posting about a June show, but it appears the deadline for registration is April 30, 2017, and hotels in the area may also fill up early. Hope this helps. Regards. Dave
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Mar 24, 2017 9:37:53 GMT -5
Thanks Dave. I've found good material at that show before!
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Post by aDave on Jun 6, 2017 11:00:12 GMT -5
Just bumping this as the show is this weekend.
Dave
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jun 11, 2017 8:39:27 GMT -5
Post some pics! Unfortunately I can't make it, but I'd love to see some snapshots!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2017 8:51:21 GMT -5
Oh...
He has at least one thing to share...
Dave? Pix of your auction winnings?
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Post by aDave on Jun 11, 2017 11:51:12 GMT -5
As @shotgunner knows, I went yesterday. I'll post up a brief something later. Sorry, Bluesky78987 Susan, no "general" show pics to speak of. Dave
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lookatthat
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Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
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Post by lookatthat on Jun 11, 2017 12:06:15 GMT -5
As @shotgunner knows, I went yesterday. I'll post up a brief something later. Sorry, Bluesky78987 Susan, no "general" show pics to speak of. Dave Ah, Dave, you are a cruel, cruel man. Remind me later to take some pics at our little local show later this summer. It's a very small show, but we do have a few "world class" collectors who are members and put in some nice exhibits.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jun 11, 2017 12:23:02 GMT -5
As @shotgunner knows, I went yesterday. I'll post up a brief something later. Sorry, Bluesky78987 Susan, no "general" show pics to speak of. Dave Cmon aDave, What'dja win? What'dja win? Huh? Huh? Huh?
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Post by aDave on Jun 11, 2017 12:32:55 GMT -5
As @shotgunner knows, I went yesterday. I'll post up a brief something later. Sorry, Bluesky78987 Susan, no "general" show pics to speak of. Dave Cmon aDave , What'dja win? What'dja win? Huh? Huh? Huh? OK, Susan...just for you. Graveyard Point Agate. I'll wet it later and try and get some halfway decent pics. Dave
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 11, 2017 16:48:09 GMT -5
VGMS used to be my old club. Great bunch of folks and a great show too. I used to always do the silent auction booth. Great fun!.....Mel
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Post by Pat on Jun 11, 2017 17:22:41 GMT -5
Pictures?😀
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Post by aDave on Jun 11, 2017 20:41:22 GMT -5
OK, so I went to the show yesterday. I know many like to see pics, but many of the vendors had placed "no photos" signs at their booths, so I wasn't going to press that fact. I didn't want to be "that guy." Besides, I don't often think of taking photos for a report, so using a phone to take photos wasn't high on my list. The show was being hosted at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, and the bulk of the show was contained within two exhibition halls. For comparison sake, each hall is about the size of a high school basketball gymnasium. One hall contained vendors. The second hall contained a few vendors, booths set up by local clubs, and the exhibits that were placed for competition. There was a third speaking venue, but I never made my way there. In all honesty, I'm probably the worst person to use for a review of something like this. I'm new in the hobby, so I can't offer alot of detail. But, from what I observed, most of the vendors seemed to have finished cabs, gems, jewelry. There were some vendors who sold slabs or tools, but for me there wasn't anything that stood out. That's just me, and while there might have been great stuff, I can't offer an opinion. At the end of the day, I was struck by the fact that the parking lot was not that full, and there didn't seem to be alot of folks walking through the show. In comparison, I've been at gun shows at the same location, with the same halls used, and the gun show was far busier than what I saw for this show. It was interesting to see, as this was supposed to not only be the state show, but the national event as well. I didn't see anything from vendors that I wanted or needed, but I ended participating in a silent auction that was being run by the host club. The club I just joined partnered with the host club, so I thought I'd at least throw some money to help the cause. I ended up buying an end cut of what was labeled Graveyard Point Agate. A quick internet search seemed to confirm the piece was what was claimed, and I ended up contacting @shotgunner Scott who helped me set some bidding parameters. At the end of the day, I got the piece, which will save me a trip to Idaho. It's an 8 lb piece, and if I can get (or someone else can get ) at least one cab out of this, I'll be happy. Here are some photos of what I picked up: At some point down the road, I hope to start cabbing, so If I can get (at least) one out of this chunk, I'll be happy. Thanks for reading and best regards. Dave
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jun 12, 2017 9:43:04 GMT -5
Cool auction win! I love silent auctions. And fine trip report too!
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 12, 2017 16:03:01 GMT -5
Interesting report. I've almost stopped going to rock shows because the emphasis seems to be so heavily on geegaws, finished jewelry and dyed polished stuff from common foreign sources. For me a little of that crap goes a long way. I collect slabs and like rough rock to cut and that's about it. In recent years, it seems to me that show attendance is kind of dropping off and I think what's being sold is a good part of the problem. The other part is, of course, the decrease in good collecting sites and the huge cost of most lapidary equipment now. When my pop got me interested in the hobby, good collecting areas were open all over and it was a cheap hobby for a man and his son from very limited means. Now, everywhere you look the government has closed our lands to collecting and you need to be pretty well off to have a good little rock shop of your own. Makes it much harder to bring the young'uns into the hobby and much less interesting to adults who like to self collect or cut their own raw materials.....Mel
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Post by aDave on Jun 12, 2017 19:37:22 GMT -5
Interesting report. I've almost stopped going to rock shows because the emphasis seems to be so heavily on geegaws, finished jewelry and dyed polished stuff from common foreign sources. For me a little of that crap goes a long way. I collect slabs and like rough rock to cut and that's about it. In recent years, it seems to me that show attendance is kind of dropping off and I think what's being sold is a good part of the problem. The other part is, of course, the decrease in good collecting sites and the huge cost of most lapidary equipment now. When my pop got me interested in the hobby, good collecting areas were open all over and it was a cheap hobby for a man and his son from very limited means. Now, everywhere you look the government has closed our lands to collecting and you need to be pretty well off to have a good little rock shop of your own. Makes it much harder to bring the young'uns into the hobby and much less interesting to adults who like to self collect or cut their own raw materials.....Mel Mel, I think that's an accurate response/interpretation of what I posted, no matter how vague it was. I would have loved to have seen a show with rough and slabs being the predominant focus of vendors. In my humble and uninformed opinion, this show missed that mark. I happened to go to Victorville this year and was far more entertained with the variety of rough material and slabs. This seemed more commercial than I would have expected or liked to see. That's just me. Dave
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jun 16, 2017 8:43:25 GMT -5
Yeah most of the local shows are like that, because you get so many non-lapidary buyers. Our Culver City show is the same way. There are usually a couple of slab dealers but not as many as I'd like. Oh, and Dave, make your reservations NOW for Quartzsite next year!
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