Lapidary Arts
Lapidary is the art of working in stone through grinding and polishing to create a piece of jewelry or art. The Villages Gem & Mineral Society provides instruction in two of the basic lapidary techniques, Cabbing and Faceting. We also provide instruction in mounting methods to make your stone into jewelry.
Faceting is the grinding and polishing geometrically arranged flat surfaces called facets. Faceting is usually done with transparent gem stones such as emeralds and rubies. We also use colored glass.
Cabochon Making (Cabbing)
If a stone is polished and not faceted it is generally called a cabochon. A cabochon usually is an oval shape with a domed top and a flat bottom. However, a Cabochon can be any shape. Cabbing or cabochon making is probably the most common form of lapidary arts.
Wire Wrapping/Jewelry Making
After you made a cabochon or faceted piece you need to mount it to make a piece of jewelry. One method that we provide instructions in is wire wrapping a stone. We also train in other methods of jewelry making.
The following articles are provided to help you better understand the basics of lapidary.