Sep
11
When his peers were playing the latest video games, Simon Galicia was walking with his head down, carefully scanning the pavement around him with each step..
“I’ve always liked rocks,” Galicia, now 21, said. “You could say it’s gotten out of control, but when I see them I love their geometric aesthetic.”
The Solano Community College, and former MIT Academy, student has accumulated more than 500 rocks and crystals since he began his obsession at 7.
All of them, ranging from those the size of a thumbnail to a 50-pound specimen, are displayed and carefully stored in his bedroom at his family’s East Vallejo home.
Galicia said his rocks have come from different sources, including family, friends and his own pocket money.
“Let’s just say I could have bought a couple of cars by now,” he said of the money he’s spent on his passion.
Though he’s studying general science at Solano Community College, Galicia said he hopes to major in geology when he eventually transfers into a four-year university.
“I love (rocks) the most, beside my family and friends,” he said.
Galicia said his favorite rocks come from the Tsumeb Mine, Namibia.
“They have a wide variety of minerals, about 400 different ones,” he said. It’s also been closed since 1966, he said.
One of his mentors Rick Kennedy, a Santa Clara collector and dealer, said Galicia has a very sophisticated taste for his age.
Kennedy, a collector of 40 years, said he met Galicia about five years ago at a gem show in San Rafael.
“I was a dealer at the show, and he came in knowing who I was,” he said. “I was very impressed that he had a very wide knowledge for such a young person. He had a very defined sense of aesthetic and it’s rare to see in such a young age.”
Galicia has seen taken a step forward on his collection by starting up a small business through the social media site Facebook in March, 2012.
“My ultimate goal is to be a dealer and travel around to get rocks,” he said. However, he said he understands that it is very difficult to support oneself with just the business.
“This is a disposable income source,” Galicia said. “Not necessity.”
However, there are a few in his collection that he won’t part with, including one his mother bought for him as a surprise, he said.
“I’d been looking at that rock for maybe three years,” Galicia said.
“Some of them have sentimental values, and I will never sell those,” he added.
He can be contacted on www.facebook.com/westcoastmineral, or email him at westcoastmineral@gmail.com.
Simon Galicia
Age: 21
Hometown: Vallejo
Occupation: Student, mineral rock collector, small business owner
Quote: “I’ve always liked rocks. You could say it’s gotten out of control, but when I see them I love their geometric aesthetic.”
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