Berry wins Irv Brown Award for best gems, minerals, and jewelry case

The San Diego County Fair's gems, minerals, and jewelry competition has an Irv Brown Award for the best case, and this year that award was given to Rainbow's Meg Berry for her "Alice in Jewel Land" case. Berry designed the case and supplied it with her own gemstones and decorative enhancements.

Berry also won first place in the Mixed Display, Work Done by Exhibitor category for that case. She received both first and second in the One Carving: Professional class, and also had first-place exhibits in the One Faceted Stone: Professional and Open Lapidary – Not Spheres, Cabs, Carvings categories. Berry added a second-place award in the Three Faceted Stones from Natural Material class, and third place for her One Faceted Stone with Phenomenal Properties entry.

"Alice in Jewel Land" consists of more than 30 stones and more than 20 carvings.

"It took me about 12 hours at the fair to put it in," Berry said.

Many of Berry's gems had been displayed in previous exhibits. "I don't have that many new pieces," she said.

This 2016 San Diego County Fair theme "Mad About the Fair" featured Alice in Wonderland.

"I've been in love with Alice in Wonderland since I was a kid," said Berry. "The theme just clicked for me. It was a good theme. It really sparked my interest."

Berry was able to utilize minerals from six different continents in the display. The European gemstones are from Turkey and Russia, and Berry also notes a Western Europe presence in the non-mineral portion.

"There's a tea cup from England," said Berry.

Irv Brown is a past member of the Fallbrook Gem and Mineral Society, although the Irv Brown Award is not restricted to a member of that organization.

"His goal is for people to have nice things to look at," Berry said.

Brown also is on a panel of judges for gems, minerals, and jewelry exhibit entries but makes the sole decision for the Irv Brown Award.

"He likes to have one that is just up to him," Berry said.

This year Brown's award was bestowed upon Berry's case. "He was

there when I was putting my case in and was just blown away," said Berry.

Berry's first-place and second-place One Carving: Professional works are both pendant carvings. "Feather Fetish", which was given first place, features a 29.73-carat nephrite jade stone mined in Wyoming. The second-place selection, "Pinot Noir", includes a 47.02-carat pyrope garnet specimen mined in Morogoro, Tanzania.

Berry noted that "Pinot Noir" is more valuable financially than "Feather Fetish". "It was definitely a subjective choice on the judges' part," she said.

The winning Open Lapidary – Not Spheres, Cabs, Carvings submission utilizes a labradorite feldspar stone mined in Madagascar. Berry's work is called "Absalom", which is the name of the blue caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland.

"I just thought it was a cool rock and I just like that category," said Berry.

First place in the One Faceted Stone: Professional class was given for Berry's pyrope garnet entry. The stone with a super spiral round cut is 10.75 carats, and the rough is 24.09 carats. The pyrope was mined in Morogoro. "It was a heck of a stone," Berry said.

"Trio from Tanzania" was the title of Berry's Three Faceted Stones from Natural Material entry. The 3.00-carat corundum sapphire with color change mined in the Umba Valley has a trillium cut as does the 2.86-carat tanzanite zoisite mined in Arusha. The pyrope garnet with color change is 3.03 carats, has a round spiral cut, and was mined in Morogoro.

Berry's One Faceted Stone with Phenomenal Properties entry was a faceted briolette opal mined in Brazil. The cut stone is 20.08 carats and the rough is 322 carats. The opal displays "play of color", or flashes of color. "That category requires an optical phenomenon in the stone," Berry said. "The play of color is the optical phenomenon that opal displays."

Berry also had two entries which did not place. Her One Faceted Birthstone Gem is pyrope garnet, has a shield cut, weighs 8.52 carats and was mined in Morogoro. Berry's One Faceted Stone, 25 Carats and Up is aquamarine beryl, which was mined in Brazil. The stone with a round super spiral cut is 42.93 carats and the rough is 520 carats.

"I have a wall of blue ribbons," said Berry. "I don't need any more."

Berry explained that she enters the exhibit to display her collections rather than to win awards.

"It's the county fair," said Berry. "It's for fun. I like interacting with people. It's about fun and making connections and turning people on to rocks."