Looking for new adventures?  Feeling creative? 
Want to learn new skills, or improve upon old ones? Then the Quartzsite Gem and Mineral Club could be the answer. Where people come to have fun and also play with rocks. Like the sign sez... Cookouts, Friendship, Fieldtrips, Fun.

We are the largest Gem and Mineral Club in the US, and offer a wide range of activities aimed at all skill levels.  There are classes and instruction  offered in general lapidary, silversmithing, wire wrapping,  lost wax casting, faceting, opal cutting, stone carving, and knapping.  We also go on a weekly rock collecting field trip, and there are weekly 4wd trips to old mines and other remote sites in the area.

Every Thursday morning from  8:30 till noon there is an orientation in the lapidary shop for all new members. The orientation will cover the history of the club, safe operating procedures for the  machines and introduce the new members to the activities available.  After completing the orientation your membership card will be stamped to show that you have completed the course, and you will then be able to use the shops.

The Lapidary shop is open and available for your usage on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday after your completion of the orientation.  This is the busiest room in the shop, and there is always a foreman/instructor available to answer questions.

The Silver Shop is another of our popular activities.  After you have completed your cabochon in the lapidary shop come here and turn it into a pendant.  Our helpful instructors are ready to show you how.  Your initial project will be the creation of a ring.  We have kits available, you pick a cabochon, and build it from there.  After you have created a beautiful ring you will make a pendant using the skills developed in making the ring.  Making the ring and the pendant will give you the basic skills needed to begin your exploration of the craft of silversmithing.  The silver shop is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

On Thursday mornings chain making classes are offered in the silver shop.  There is instruction in traditional link in link chain, and knit chain.   The knit chain will usually take two class sessions to complete, and the link in link chain probably will take three class sessions.  Kits are available for both styles of chain.

WeThe club offers wire wrapping classes in beginning and intermediate levels several times a week.  These are very popular classes.  Your creations can be spectacular, with the excellent instructors that we have you will progress rapidly.

We offer lost wax casting classes  Any of these sessions are open to the beginner, or experienced caster.  If you are just starting out you will be walked through the basics, and will cast either a ring or pendant on  your first try.  The casting room is also used for straw casting. 
We offer classes in wax modeling to create an original wax design which can then be cast in silver.

We have begining and intermediate faceting classes in which you will be instructed in how to turn a piece of raw crystal into a finished faceted stone.  Classes take a day and one half to complete, and you will have been well versed in the procedures needed to turn out a very nice stone.  The club has several faceting machines, and additional space if you have your own machine.  

In the Opal classes we work with Spencer, ID. Opal, and create a opal triplet, a three layer stone consisting of a optical quartz cap, the opal layer and a backing.  This results in a stable stone and brings out the best of the opal.  You will also building skills that can then be applied to other types of opals.

In the stone carving classes you will initially be working with soapstone on a small object of your choice, using a variety of hand and power tools. The class will provide you with the skills so you can go on to more complex carvings. 

Our knappers using a variety of simple tools, shape stone such as obsidian, into arrow heads and knife blades.  We have several instructors, and each will teach a slightly different style. There are usually several members in the class each working on their individual projects.
 
 

In additon to our activities in the shop, we have a weekly field trips to rock collecting areas.   Also throughout the year we have flourscent rock collecting trips.  Once or so a  month there is a cookout on the field trip, and  we have a pancake breakfast/tailgate swap meet once a month on a Saturday morning.

The Quartzsite Gem and Mineral is the best entertainment value in 
town. We offer many activities and events,  You should be able to find 
something here that will spark your imagination. Come Join the fun.