Lapidary

Lapidary is the art of turning stones into jewelry...

The workshop

TVRC maintains an excellent workshop for its members use. Volunteer foremen & other members are happy to teach new members the needed beginner skills on how to cut rocks or start their first cabs, and the club often offers classes on more advanced skills like wire wrapping, silver smithing and other related handicrafts (members only).

Saws

We have two slab saws (to take the raw stone and cut it into slices like a loaf of bread known as slabs) and 3 trim saws (used to cut out finer shapes from slabs to later make into cabs).

Cabbing Machines

We have several machines, and while these are most commonly used to make cabochons, they can be used for any grinding purposes, though if it's a flat surface, that's best handled by the flat lap.

Flat Laps

Perfect for polishing flat surfaces on the fronts of specimens, geodes, etc. We have the small one in shop and a large one for use outside in warm weather only.

Faceting Machine

This is a precision machine that requires some experience & additional training to utilize; these are what your typical 'gemstones' you see set in rings are cut on.

While we do get a number of inquiries from the public regarding repairs or repolishing of their jewelry, we are not set up to do this, as this can be challenging work to do without damaging the stone or the setting.

For those who are interested in learning about jewelry repairs or jewelry making, we are always happy to do our best to provide guidance and advice to new members.

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