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The San Diego County Fair's gems, minerals, and jewelry exhibit has a competitive class called One Carving Beginner, Amateur, and Fallbrook carvers took the top two places in that category.
Joyce O'Connell received first place and Meline Giannini had the second-place carving.
"We were happy to be recognized," O'Connell said.
O'Connell called her carving "Pacaderma." The double-headed elephant is both male and female and was made of labradorite mined in Labrador, Newfoundland.
"That one took a long time," O'Connell said.
"Pacaderma" was also O'Connell's first carving.
"I was happy to be recognized," she said. "That was pretty exciting."
Giannini's flower pendant utilized a chrysocolla gem silica mined in Arizona.
"It was about 20 hours of work for that little tiny pendant," she said.
Giannini was not disappointed that O'Connell took first place.
"Joyce's piece is an absolute inspiration," Giannini said. "I had a flower."
The pendant was Giannini's second carving.
An exhibitor may utilize the beginner category if he or she has never won first place in that class but must enter in the Advanced competition if he or she has won first place in that category's Beginner equivalent. O'Connell thus will not be eligible for the One Carving Beginner, Amateur competition in 2017.
"Maybe next year I'll take first," Giannini said.
"I still feel like a beginner," Giannini said. "I'm encouraged to enter again and work a little harder at producing something."
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