rock hound...

...heaven at the local Gemstone and Lapidary Club annual open weekend.

It's a very active group that meet weekly to slice, tumble and cabochon an assortment of rocks, minerals and gems, making some into jewelry.
Many of the specimens they find while out on fossicking trips.
Some just for a weekend and other major events over several weeks travelling through gemfields and old mine sites all over Australia...loading up 4wd and caravans for a big adventure.

The clubs rooms were packed all weekend and not surprising as the tumbled stones and slices of beautiful banded jaspers, malachite and variscite, to name but three, seem extremely cheap at just a few dollars.

They offer classes in shaping and polishing gemstones the result called a cabochon.
This technique is apparently applied mainly to opaque stones such as opals while faceting is usually applied to transparent stones.
Mmmm now that might be something to try!