It has been over 2 months since our retail location opened. We have been overwhelmed with the support we have received from our community, especially on our grand opening day, July 30th. We saw many familiar and new faces that day. In the last 2 months, we have been slowly modifying our space to suit our needs and the needs of our customers. If you haven’t had a chance to check us out, make sure to visit us at 1111 Gordon Drive! From Tuesday to Saturday, you will find either myself, Remy, or my father, Doug, at the shop. On most days, we are both there working away, come say hi!
New Products and Stock
With the added space of a retail store and workshop, we have been able to bring in new items and products for our customers. One of the hardest tasks is deciding what to have in stock! We are always open to hearing suggestions on what items you would like to see in the store. We are also keeping more lapidary supplies in stock, such as rock tumbling grit, silicon carbide belts, polishing compounds, lubricants, stencils, etc. We have added a small selection of jewelry-making supplies, such as jeweler’s saws, various setting tools, pliers, and metal punches. Most of the lapidary supplies, rough, and slabs you will find in the back of the shop, so don’t be afraid to go into the back workshop area!
Now that our workspace is mostly set up, we are ready to provide some lapidary services for those of you that do not have your own equipment. Do you have a piece of jasper or a geode you’ve been dying to cut open? Bring it down to our shop and we can cut or slab up your rocks! Prices will mostly depend on size. Our biggest saw is 18 inches, so we can only cut rocks up to about 7 1/2 inches wide/tall (for now!).
We are also happy to offer up polishing/shaping services. If you have a rock you’d like to see polished up, bring it down to the shop and we can take a look at it for you. Prices will depend on the time it takes to complete the job. For any questions regarding cutting or polishing services, send us an email at kelownarocksandgems@gmail.com.
Still Working on Equipment
We have received some inquiries about refurbished equipment. Rest assured, we are still going to be selling refurbished equipment! We have a stockpile of some great saws, arbors, and even some polishers that are ready to be worked on. Between the renovations and the store, we haven’t been able to work on them much, but we are ready to get started again. All restored equipment will be put up for sale on our Facebook page, and the BC Lapidary Market Facebook page.
We also continue to service your lapidary equipment! If you have a saw with seized bearings, or a wobbly arbor, or just need some general maintenance/cleaning, bring your equipment down to the shop and we can take a look at it. Fees will depend on parts needed and time taken to make repairs or clean the unit.
We are happy to have new equipment for sale: Lortone tumblers! We currently stock Lortone 3As (single barrel) and 33Bs (double barrel). We can also get in larger tumblers, such as 6 pound and 12 pound Lortone tumblers. If you’re interested in a larger tumbler, contact us for pricing.
Come by and say hi!
As always, we are open to any questions about lapidary work, rock tumbling, mineral identification, or anything else you might want to know more about. Come down to the new shop just to say hi, or check out what we have to offer. For you rockhounders out there, don’t forget to join your local Kelowna lapidary club, the 1120 Rock Club!