I ain't nothin' but a Rockhound (Clubs in General)

Name: Snu210

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Product:	Clubs in General
Date:	14/10/07 (124 review reads)
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Advantages: Learn something new, produce beautiful gemstones, very affordable

Disadvantages: Not many younger people join the club due to lack of time

Rock and gem clubs, or “lapidary” clubs are a good way to connect with others in your community who are interested in lapidary arts. They are usually family-friendly, don’t take too much physical effort and can teach you how to produce beautiful gemstones. Lapidary clubs are usually cheap to join (I pay AU $20 a year for my membership to the Essendon Gem & Lapidary Club in Melbourne, Australia). They are very helpful in all aspects of lapidary and can link you to a wider network of lapidary exhibitions, statewide events and suppliers wherever you are.

Here are some cool things I have done with my club:

CABOCHONS: These are polished gemstones which are not faceted but curved and shaped on one side and flat on the other. Cabochons can be “set” in jewellery by silversmithing, wire wrapping, beadwork or pre-formed silverwork. You would be amazed how much money you can save by making your own cabochon. A good one usually takes about 4 hrs and $8 to make but I have seen bad ones for sale at jewellers for about AU$170.

BEADWORK: The beadwork my club does involves gluing cabs to suede and beading with delicas and seed beads around it, building up layer to hold the cabochon in and created a beaded chain to attach it to. This is a new craze to hit Victorian clubs and competitions are just starting in beadwork.

SILVERSMITHING: My club is just getting the equipment for this now – so I haven’t done it yet, but silversmithing involves the heating and shaping of metal (silver, gold etc) to create durable jewellery which can then have cabochons or faceted stones attached to it.

WIRE WRAPPING: This is when wires are roped together decoratively to envelope cabochons or faceted stones. Think miniature wire scrollwork or latticework. Can be made using silver and other wires.

FACETING: I loved doing this course as the gemstones produced are equivalent to what you would buy for an engagement ring, only bigger. Faceting involves cutting surfaces or “facets” into the gemstone to produce finely shaped jewellery that reflects light in special ways. Hard to master but fun to learn.

Lapidary exhibitions are a great way to add to your collection – they usually have rough material, material for faceting, finished pieces, competitions, displays and lots of cool but older people who want to talk about their latest fossicking holiday. I have personally done about 9 fossicking trips and had luck finding gemstones on 4 of them, usually with a lot of research beforehand to find out where the x-marked spot is.

I find that my lapidary club is a comfortable and easy place to be where you are encouraged to dress down, be yourself and explore the wonderful world of gemstones with people who are willing to share. It’s so much fun, and so affordable I think I will keep lapidary a hobby for my lifetime!

You can find more information and visit an example lapidary club here: http://www.essendongemclub.asn.au

To find a lapidary club in your area, look up "lapidary" in a business phone book, or hunt down lapidary+your area in Google.

Summary: If you have ever thought about joining one, do it - you won't regret it!