The starting co-ordinates will place you outside the clubroom to the Essendon Gem and Lapidary Club Inc. which was formed way back in 1969.
For those not sure of the word, "lapidary" relating to the engraving, cutting, or polishing of stones and gems.
A gemstone (also called a gem, fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semi-precious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewellery or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, and jade) or organic materials that are not minerals (such as amber, jet, and pearl) are also used for jewellery and are therefore often considered to be gemstones as well. Most gemstones are hard, but some soft minerals are used in jewellery because of their luster or other physical properties that have aesthetic value. Rarity is another characteristic that lends value to a gemstone.
There are more than 3800 minerals known to exist, with only a very small proportion of these suitable to be cut and polished into gemstones
There are over 300 types of minerals that have been used as gemstones.
Can you identify some of these?
