[Volunteer Claudia]

Villages Gem & Mineral Society Annual Artisan Show Feb. 23 Will Benefit Two Charities

The Villages Gem and Mineral Society, the local rock-hounding group, will be hosting their highly anticipated artisan jewelry show at the Seabreeze Recreation Center, at 2384 Buena Vista Blvd. in The Villages on Sunday, February 23, 2020 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. It will feature approximately 50 vendors and 100 tables, encompassing the entire recreation center. Some of the featured items include pendants, earrings, bracelets, silver items, beaded items, wire-wrapped items, glass fusion, pottery, pine needle baskets, rough rock, including opals and larimar, fossils, geological specimens and more.

Club members enjoy collecting, grinding and polishing of rocks and minerals, transforming many into jewelry-quality specimens. The group's membership and interests have been greatly expanding in the past year in three major areas, lapidary, faceting and wire wrapping as well as a new growing interest in scrimshaw.

The club hosts this popular annual jewelry show of items produced by talented members where proceeds will help two charities this year. The Batey Rehab Project, which will be present at the show, is the club's charitable organization located in the Dominican Republic. The Batey Rehab Project’s purpose is to prevent poverty, educate and empower women and children, and especially prevent human trafficking through the sale of larimar stone and finished jewelry. The larimar rock, is only found in one place in the world, the Dominican Republic. With the club's assistance, the Batey Rehab Project had garnered enough sales at last year's February show equal to providing two new houses in their village. Additionally, YOUR Humane Society SPCA, Sumter County’s oldest and largest no-kill shelter will be available to receive monetary donations, pet food and supplies. They are a 501(c)3 non-profit, helping animals in need throughout the community. Donations directly help to cover the cost of saving, treating and caring for neglected, abused and abandoned animals.

The jewelry show offers free admission and parking, and the first 250 entrants will receive a free door prize ticket to win one of three gift baskets. A free gift basket ticket will also be given to every person purchasing an item, as well as to those bringing donations of pet food and supplies to the show for YOUR Humane Society SPCA. Raffle tickets will be on sale for $1.00 in the Ponte Vedra Room to be eligible to win numerous vendor-donated prizes; drawings will take place every 30 minutes. Additionally, an Aztec Indian carving made of mahogany obsidian will be offered in a separate raffle.

For more information, contact the Villages Gem and Mineral Society President Matt Davis at davismr321@comcast.net, The Batey Rehab Project at www.thebrp.org and YOUR Humane Society SPCA at www.hsspca.org or 352-793-9117.

Photo Caption: Villages Gem and Mineral Society member David Hamilton.

[LuvtheVillages]

This is a great show. The jewelry is high quality. The stones are real, not plastic. Its beautiful merchandise.