Michael’s Lapidary & Gem Shop

I’m leaving this review to make contact with the owner; my grandfather passed away and was very good friends with the man who owned this shop.

was calling around looking for gem rough for lapidary, but they have no answering machine, and are apparently not open mondays or tuesdays by noon, which is when I gave up.
was directed by Reynoso Lapidary & Supply (who didn’t carry what I needed) to try Jewel Tunnel Imports, who are wholesale only, who then kindly recommended I try Burminco Rocks and Minerals. am just leaving this note here to help others who are searching Unilocal for «lapidary»

Michael’s is the king of lapidary shops in orange county. Anyone who has lived here for a long time and loves cutting stones, making jewelry, and learning about the proper use of materials will know this place. It came straight from the rock hunting craze of the late 50s and early 60s, and continued to the present (although in a different building).
It’s been handed down from it’s original owners, who knew more about lapidary and metal working than just about anyone you could ever find. I remember what the store owner taught me 30 years ago about jewelry when I first became interested.
He said, «glue has no place in jewelry».
Contrast that with the «other» michaels (the big chain), and you’ll find glue as the starting point for some of the jewelry making projects featured on their web page.
If you want your jewelry to be beautiful and last a thousand years, this is the place to check out.