Doug Williams
OK, so let’s pretend you were (maybe) just barely interested in the Rock, Gem and Silver Club, not that you would actually take a class and learn how to become a jewelry designer, but that you really are kind of interested in some very nice jewelry that you would wear and then tell all your friends that you actually made it yourself!
Well, first of all, you’ll want to consider these interesting facts!
1. Diamonds are the hardest natural substance found on earth.
2. Rubies are the most popular gemstone today.
3. Gold is so soft and easily worked that you can roll one ounce into a hair-thin wire 50 miles long.
4. Quartz is one of the most common mineral on earth.
5. Turquoise first recorded use dates back to 5000 BC in Mesopotamia where it was used as beads.
6. Jade, because of its toughness, has been used for hammers, fish hooks and stone axes.
7. Rocks fall into three groups based on how they were formed, i.e., igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic. ZZZZ, zzzz (sounds of snoring). Hello! Am I boring you yet?
OK already, we’re not surprised that all you really wanted to know about this whole Rock Club thing was simply when, where and how do I get the gem stones to make into jewelry on the cheap?
Ah HAH! Well, it is right here in Sun Lakes Country Club (Phase 1) at 10:00 a.m. in the Navaho Room on the third Monday of the month (October through April). Don’t be shy – come on in and see for yourself how one of the largest (and oldest) clubs in Sun Lakes gets together to offer their 162 members easy classes in many of the ancient arts of jewelry making. And soon you’ll have lots of new friends, and you’ll be wearing your own jewelry creations!
Here are just a few of the inexpensive classes available (every month, all year long) from over 20 professional instructors: Lapidary I and II, Silver I and II, Lost Wax, Wire Wrap Bracelets, PMC, Faceting, Fetish Bears, Beading, Stained Glass, Dichroic Glass, Stone Handles, Opals, Field Trips, Mineral Study and Gourds (and then when someone says, “How’s your gourd?” you can say they are very creative, very stylish and very pretty!).
Hey, why not check it out online at our website, www.slrgs.com? There you can see the full lineup of classes, costs, times, days of week, etc., etc. With a small amount of chutzpah, a tiny bit of luck and good old determination, you can become the next Cartier, Tiffany, Piaget, Bulgari, Dior, Faberge, Hermes, Chanel or maybe even David Yurman? Who’s to know?
Oh yeah, it only costs 25 bucks to join our club for one whole year, and then you get your choice of classes and three craft shops which are located in Oakwood, Cottonwood and Sun Lakes Country Club.
Just want to ask a question? Call our president Carol Capano at 802-4658 or 432-278 or email her at [email protected].