Campbelltown & Districts Lapidary Club Inc.

Discover the satisfaction of turning a piece of unremarkable stone into a showpiece for jewellery or display. We have all the facilities to cut, shape and polish any gemstone from Aussie opals and Queensland agates to nearly every common or extravagant gemstone from all corners of the world. It can be equally exciting to glamourise a river pebble from your garden, a piece of petrified wood or a rare gem from a far-flung hidden mine. No previous knowledge or skills are needed – our duty officers will mentor you all the way.

If you’re not sure what faceting is, just look at the centre stone of any engagement ring. You’ll learn the art using ordinary glass nuggets provided by the club and have quite a thrill as you transform those scraps into a glittering stone fit for a princess. Once you’ve got the knack of it, you’ll raise the bar and can dazzle your family and friends with anything from peridot, aquamarine, amethyst, emeralds, rubies and more. It’s relaxing, rewarding and a fabulous activity for all ages.

We host a two-day gemstone, jewellery, crystal, mineral and fossil exhibition at Ingleburn every July and it is a not-to-be-missed occasion for members and the community in general. Every room of the community centre is filled with offerings from professional gemstone and related dealers from NSW and beyond. Members finished works are displayed, some for sale, and if you’ve not visited a gem show before it can be jaw dropping and enlightening.

We also hold a Market Day twice a year at our clubrooms with members stalls and lapidary related guest stalls. Entry is free and visitors can browse the stalls at their leisure and enjoy home-made refreshments on our patio.

In-house jewellery making half day workshops are held periodically, usually every two months and sometimes more often. We have two accredited and experienced teacher members that tutor the regular workshops and all equipment and tools are provided. There are also occasional workshops with visiting tutors and we are allied with a local artisan jeweller who teaches silversmithing at their local studio. Some of our most regular workshops include wire wrapping and a variety of mixed media styles using your gemstones to make jewellery with minimal skills and tools.

There’s a special thrill sawing through a nondescript and boring greyish rock ball (geode or thunder egg), to discover what’s hidden inside – you never know what you’ll find until you’ve done that vital cut. It could be a nest of sparkling crystal, colourful agate or a fossil - half the fun is the discovery. You can also purchase ‘raw’ crystal chunks, unworked fossils and cut crystals and fossils and use the club facilities to modify the shape or texture as you prefer. If your interest is the metaphysical aspects of crystals, you’ll love working with them to form the shape you want for wearing, meditation or display.

We have a core group of enthusiastic beadworkers that meet at most of our Wednesday sessions and string together arty beading creations from tiny pin-head sized beads to bulky gemstone beads. Everyone works on their own projects but share ideas and often mentor each other on mutual projects. The club has quite a selection of beads you can use to get started on your projects and the beading ladies will be more than happy to direct you to suppliers as needed.