LAPIDARY COMPETITIONS

Although it is not a requirement for members, the Club encourages members to participate in various Lapidary competitions as a way of widening their skills.

WHY HAVE COMPETITIONS?

• To help your learn how to cut gemstones, fabricate jewellery and create designs in enamel.
• To get you used to using a variety of materials to create Lapidary and allied items.
• To give you a further avenue of developing your skills, and increase your enjoyment and appreciation of the Lapidary craft.

Apart from a few informal 'Popular Choice' competitions run by the Club, there are a number of more formal competitions available to interested members
These formal competitions are judged in accordance with the Competitor & Judging Manual for Lapidary & Allied Competitions which is the standard Manual for all competitions in Australia. Although this Manual does not show you how to cut stones, fabricate jewellery etc, it does define the many features which go to make up good work. Qualified Judges award points for these features and record them on judging sheets which are returned to you. Judging sheets are a guide to where improvement is needed. Copies of the Manual are available from the Club at $5.00 each.
Experience shows that competing helps to improve skills and provides encouragement through awards received. The Club competitions give you this opportunity and encourages you to participate.

INTERNAL CLUB COMPETITIONS:
There are two ongoing competitions run by the Club and, although they have Trophies awarded at end of the year based on results of entries submitted throughout the year, there are awards to be won along the way even if you don't start at the beginning. These competitions are:

HOW THEY WORK:

A list of each year’s competition stones with type of material, cut and any special requirements is published each year in GEMFORM and is also displayed on Club notice board.

A. Monthly Competition: This runs from January to October and a different stone/cut is required each month ‑ 10 months, 10 stones. Two of these are compulsory. To be eligible for the Founder's Trophy, Club Championship and Junior Club Championship, only the highest aggregate points score for eight of the ten entries will be taken into account.

Results are announced and Trophies presented at the November Monthly Meeting.

WHAT YOU CAN WIN:
A.   In conjunction with the Monthly Competition:

B.   In conjunction with Bi‑Monthly Faceting Competition:

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OTHER COMPETITIONS:

Nunawading Jewellery Competition: Held every year in conjunction with the Club Exhibition. This is run in several sections, including Enamelled Jewellery. Schedules are available in the Clubrooms from June each year. 1st, 2nd and 3rd medallions are awarded in each Section. The winner of the Design Appeal award has their name engraved on the Rose Bowl Perpetual Trophy and receives a trophy to retain.

External Competitions: Many competitions are held in Victoria and throughout Australia each year. Schedules for most of these are available in the Clubrooms.
Major Victorian competitions are the Gemkhana, Geelong, and Dandenong. Except for the Geelong competition, which is for cabochons only, these cover a wide range of sections and divisions.

The major annual National competition is the GEMBOREE which is held in a different State each year. Schedules for this are always in the Clubrooms, and copies of GEMBOREE booklet are available at the Club.

If you have any questions about competitions, please don't hesitate to ask the Club Competition Co‑ordinator or one of the Club's many qualified judges or our experienced cutters.

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