My name is Ginny Marr, and joining the Sun Lakes Rock, Gem & Silver Club was the best thing I’ve ever done. Coming from Massachusetts back East, I had moved to Scottsdale and took many long walks without ever seeing or talking to anyone. Then I decided to move to Sun Lakes. Wow, what a difference! I have made so many new friends and have never been so busy with all the activities available here.

My instructor was Susan Carter who holds a master’s degree from the famous Pratt Institute and was so encouraging as I took the Silver 1 and 2 classes. The “Rock Club,” as we call it for short, is one of the largest clubs in Sun Lakes, and we have four separate Craft Shops. Lots of room with all the “tools of the trade” are available for your personal use during classes and Open Shops.

It’s so easy and quite surprising that there are so many classes in each of five main categories: First is Lapidary where we cut and polish semi-precious rocks, and second is Silver where we learn to form metal into jewelry. Third is Lost Wax where we start with soft wax and turn it into metal jewelry of ancient bronze or sterling silver, or even gold if you’ve got deep pockets. Fourth is glass with three subcategories: Stained Glass, Fused Glass, and Dichroic Glass. Fifth is Creative Crafts with a whole bunch of subcategories: Gourd Crafting, Wire Wrap Jewelry, Beading, and Ming Trees.

Probably the best place to get a good overview of our club is to go online and check it out at slrgs.com. You’ll spend time deciding which of the 20 different classes you want to take first. But, first, you must join the club, which costs $30 for a full year of eligibility.

Come to the general meetings, which are held on the third Monday of each month, October through April. We meet at the newly remodeled Cottonwood HOA facility at 10 a.m. with guest speakers, and all classes are presented for your review. Next, you’ll want to sign up for one of the 20 different classes, which usually last four or five weeks, and surely you will graduate with flying colors. After which, you are then eligible to work on your own personal projects in the Open Shops.

Okay, so this is December, with all the holiday activities soon to follow. After you join the club, we hope you’ll attend our annual Holiday Dinner Party on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Cottonwood HOA. And then, for sure, you want to attend our general meeting on Monday, Dec. 19, at 10 a.m., also at the Cottonwood HOA.

Wishing you Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings from the Sun Lakes Rock, Gem & Silver Club!