What it is

The Summit Lapidary Club is a membership lapidary club in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (Summit County, next to Akron). Its home page says, “Here we share our love and skills in the lapidary arts, where rocks and minerals are transformed into works of art.” The About Us page says the club began in 1946 as The Falls Gem Club, was reorganized as the Summit Lapidary Club in 1974, and became a member of the Midwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies in 1982. It describes itself as “a private social club for paid members” with more than 100 members.

The club owns a clubhouse at 244 Chestnut Boulevard. The About Us page says members “can be trained to use our club equipment including slab and trim saws, grinders, and polishers, which are located in the lower floor of our clubhouse.”

Who it’s for

Cabochon cutters, faceters, wire wrappers, silversmiths and rock and mineral collectors in the Akron, Cuyahoga Falls and greater Summit County area who want shared lapidary machines, member-taught classes and a club show to sell and exhibit at. Its Geo Juniors group is for children 8–18 with a parent.

Why it’s listed

It is a long-running club (since 1946) with its own website, its own clubhouse and lapidary equipment, and a published list of member classes. It is Lapidary Plaza’s first Ohio club.

Official URL

https://summitlapidaryclub.com/

About Us: https://summitlapidaryclub.com/about-us
Classes and Workshops: https://summitlapidaryclub.com/classes-and-workshops
Gemboree: https://summitlapidaryclub.com/gemboree
Geo Juniors: https://summitlapidaryclub.com/geo-juniors
Newsletters and Calendar: https://summitlapidaryclub.com/newsletters-and-calendar
Contact Us: https://summitlapidaryclub.com/contact-us

(All checked 2026-11-03 and returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent.)

Location

Clubhouse: 244 Chestnut Boulevard, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. Monthly meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month, September through May, at the Polish-American Club, 472 East Glenwood Ave, Akron, Ohio 44310. Email: [email protected] (from the Contact Us page, which also has a web form). The site does not print a phone number.

This is a club. It is not a store or a commercial school, and its classes are for members only.

Notes

Classes (Classes and Workshops page): classes are “exclusively available to our members” and “free for members,” though some need members to bring equipment or pay for materials. Listed topics include faceting (the club has several faceting machines and a library of faceting diagrams), wire-wrapped cabochons, metalsmithing (bezel and prong settings for cabochons), penannular pins, gem trees, wire weaving, beading, flame painting and soft soldering. The page says it is “under construction,” so the list may change.
Membership (About Us page): membership is by application, reviewed by a member sponsor. There is an initiation fee, an annual membership fee, and a commitment to volunteer twice a year at the club’s Gemborees. Amounts are not printed on the public pages.
Gemboree (home and Gemboree pages): the club thanks visitors for “a great 50th Anniversary Gemboree” and says the next one is April 24–25, 2027, with 38+ vendors (gems, crystals, jewelry, tools, rough rock, carvings, geodes, minerals), food trucks, free parking, silent auctions, a gem mine and geode cracking for kids, live demos and member display cases. The show’s venue address is not printed on the Gemboree page.
Geo Juniors (Geo Juniors page): a youth club for ages 8–18 that meets the second Sunday of the month, 1–4 p.m., at the clubhouse. It is part of the AFMS Future Rockhounds of America badge program, and parents attend with their children. There is a yearly per-family fee.
Club trips (About Us page): recent trips listed include the Agate Expo, mining in North Carolina and collecting trips for Ohio’s state gem, Ohio flint.
Small source notes: the home page banner calls the Gemboree “semi-annual” and the Geo Juniors page calls it “biannual,” but the Gemboree page only names the April 24–25, 2027 show. The banner links to gemboree.org, which returned an HTTP 500 server error on the check date. The Newsletters and Calendar page listed Summit Gem newsletters only through December 2025.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No email, phone call or form was used.

FAQ

Q: Where is the Summit Lapidary Club?
A: Its clubhouse is at 244 Chestnut Boulevard, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 44221. Monthly meetings are at the Polish-American Club, 472 East Glenwood Ave, Akron.

Q: When does the club meet?
A: At 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month from September through May, at the Polish-American Club in Akron. On that schedule the next meeting after the check date falls on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

Q: Can I use the club’s lapidary machines?
A: Members can be trained to use the club’s slab and trim saws, grinders and polishers in the lower floor of the clubhouse. The club also has faceting machines for members.

Q: Are the classes free?
A: The club says its member classes are free, though some may need you to bring equipment or pay for materials. Classes are for members only.

Q: How do I join?
A: Fill out an application, which a member sponsor reviews. There is an initiation fee and annual dues, and members commit to volunteer twice a year at the Gemboree. Use the Contact Us page or [email protected] for details.

Q: When is the next Gemboree?
A: April 24–25, 2027, according to the club’s home and Gemboree pages.