Creative Evansville’s Lapidary Society Currents

with Aimee Blume

We have a hidden gem shop where you’ll find some of the most unique, 100% made-fromscratch jewelry in Evansville – handcrafted all the way down to stones cut, shaped, and sometimes even collected by the artist.

It’s not a jewelry store, a boutique gift shop, or even a museum gift shop.

It’s the Evansville Lapidary Society.

“The definition of ‘lapidary’ is the art of cutting and polishing semi-precious minerals and gemstones,” explained Andrew Roques, the 2025 Lapidary Society president.

Creative people who love working with gems and minerals often enjoy making jewelry, and many Lapidary Society members meticulously craft stunning rings, pendants, and bracelets out of stones they’ve shaped themselves, using techniques of wire-wrapping, silver smithing and others. Many of these pieces are then sold to fund the club.

During the summer months, the Lapidary Society has a booth at the Franklin Street Bazaar, but if you’re looking for a singular jewelry gift for your Valentine, you may stop by the Society’s building on Willow Road during open hours to shop.

On a recent visit, we browsed through hundreds of pieces of jewelry. We found traditional turquoise and silver rings and bracelets; pretty, feminine pendants of gems and crystal set in silver wire; unique pieces made from bone and fossils found by the artist; earrings of crystal points; even a scorpion sculpted of black gemstones and copper wire. If you have an interest in particular crystals or gemstones, you’re sure to find an example – the variety of stones and colors seems never-ending.

The prices for these all-handmade pieces are surprisingly low. Most wire-wrapped necklaces range from $30-$50, with larger and more intricate pieces going up in price based on the time it takes to fashion them. Sterling silver pieces cost more, averaging from $75 to over $100.

Liz Ertle, the Society’s social media coordinator, is also one of the most productive wire wrappers in the group.

“I usually use copper or stainless-steel wire,” she said. “For the most part, the jewelry here is made with natural stones, but occasionally glass or interesting man-made gems are used also. We make things that are basic or fancy. You can get a simple beautiful stone with a single wire wrapped about it, to something that’s very big and elaborate that takes days to make.”

Katie Phelps, the group’s 2025 treasurer, especially likes finding her own materials.

“I like to know where the minerals come from,” she said. “The different parts of the earth that create them. Sometimes we take field trips, and I like to hunt for geodes. I’ve been to mine quartz, emerald, and garnets.”

If you’d like something shiny that’s not jewelry, you’ll also find crystals and gemstones in their natural raw forms, polished, and faceted or cut into other shapes. There are polished stone sculptures, crystal balls, petrified wood, fossils, inlaid boxes, and an endless assortment of curiosities.

Purchasing gifts from the Lapidary Society is not only economical, but it supports a good cause. The club was established in 1953. At that time, according to Roques, most lapidary artists owned their own equipment and worked from home. When a member donated the building in the early 1990’s, the organization was able to establish a communal workspace, which enabled members to learn and practice without needing to invest in their own workshops.

Prospective members even now are given three visits to the shop, where they’ll be taught to use the equipment safely and make a stone cabochon before officially joining and paying the $35 annual dues. Classes in wire wrapping, field trips and other educational opportunities are offered regularly.

The Evansville Lapidary Society, a nonprofit organization

1304 Willow Road

Phone: 812-425-4367

Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. - Noon, 6-9 p.m.; Thursday 6-9 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-1 p.m.