What it is

San Juan Gems Rock Shop is a first-party lapidary and rock-shop supplier in Cortez, Colorado, in the Four Corners region. It sells rough rock, slabs, gem-grade dinosaur bone, cabochons, and lapidary and metalsmithing supplies and equipment from its own retail store and online shop at sanjuangems.com. The home page calls it “one of the best stocked rock shops in Colorado and the Four Corners,” says it specializes in gem dino bone “rough and finished,” and says it can locate parts and tools and advise on rock cutting, polishing and metalsmithing. The shop also sells cabochon templates of its own design, including an adjustable set of three navette templates. It is not a membership gem club and not a teaching school.

Who it’s for

Cabochon cutters, rockhounds, silversmiths and collectors who want slabs, rough, templates and small lapidary consumables, either in person in southwest Colorado or by mail order from the official online store. It suits those looking for Colorado Plateau dinosaur bone and petrified wood slabs in particular.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party lapidary supplier with a printed Cortez street address, posted business hours, a family history on its About page, and official shop pages with on-page dollar prices. It is not a scraped directory card, not Amazon, and not an affiliate storefront.

Store and contact (home and Contact pages, checked 2026-09-28): 11523 Hwy. 145, Cortez, Colorado 81321. Phone 970-565-9854. Hours (MST): Monday–Friday 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m., closed Sunday. Out-of-town visitors can arrange appointments outside regular hours by phoning at least 2 weeks ahead.
History (About page, checked today): the shop was started by founder J.B. Sanchez in a garage in Dove Creek, Colorado and moved to Cortez in 1969. It is now run by family members who do slabbing, cabochon cutting and polishing, and custom silver and gold work. The page describes “4 Generations of Lapidary Expertise” and “over 50 Years in business in Cortez.”
Sample lapidary supply prices (Lapidary / Metalsmithing Supplies & Equipment page, checked today): 30 piece diamond burr set, 120 grit — $16.00. Diamond cut-off disc sets — $16.00. 6” silicon carbide discs, 220 grit — $1.50. 6” silicon carbide sanding discs, 400 grit — $1.50. NCF Accelerator (bond accelerator for super glue) — $7.95. Epoxy 330, water clear — $19.25.
Sample template prices (Lapidary / Cabochon Templates page, checked today): GEM-TEMP template J-347 — $7.50. Gem-Temp template J-346 — $7.50. Navette templates (San Juan Gems’ own adjustable design) — $18.95. Template set TEMP007 at $22.00 and J-345 at $7.50 were marked out of stock.
Slabs (Slabs page, checked today): Petrified Wood Slabs and Dino and Gem Bone Slabs categories. The page asks buyers to call or email for anything specific.
Shipping (Contact page FAQ, checked today): ships via USPS or UPS. In-stock orders normally go out the same or next business day unless the owners are away at a show. International shipping is available on request.

The hours and list prices above are what the official shop pages showed on the check date. Stock and prices change. Use the live product page and cart before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

https://sanjuangems.com/

Lapidary / metalsmithing supplies and equipment: https://sanjuangems.com/shop/supplies/

Lapidary / cabochon templates: https://sanjuangems.com/shop/lapidary-cabochon-templates/

Slabs: https://sanjuangems.com/shop/slabs/

About: https://sanjuangems.com/about/

Contact: https://sanjuangems.com/contact/

Location

Retail rock shop (Contact page, checked 2026-09-28): 11523 Hwy. 145, Cortez, CO 81321. Monday–Friday 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. MST, closed Sunday. Phone 970-565-9854.

This is a retail rock shop and mail-order supply business. Do not treat it as a membership gem-club workshop or a class campus.

Notes

Category is Suppliers. This is a first-party rock and lapidary shop with its own online store, rough, slabs, templates and cutting consumables, all with printed prices. It is not a Clubs gem society and not a Workshops teaching program.
The sample prices above (diamond burr set $16.00, cut-off discs $16.00, silicon carbide discs $1.50, templates $7.50–$18.95 and others) are copied from official shop pages checked on 2026-09-28 and may change. Confirm the live SKU, stock and cart total before ordering.
The shop also sells finished jewelry, beads, specimens, home decor and metaphysical items. Only its lapidary lines (rough, slabs, templates, cutting supplies) are the reason for this listing.
The Events page (https://sanjuangems.com/events) is out of date: it still lists 2022 fall shows, and it says show attendance was cut back to three shows. No show dates are cited here. The home page, store pages and © 2026 footer are current.
The online store runs on Lightspeed but is embedded on the official sanjuangems.com pages. All prices come from those first-party pages.
The owners’ names in the history are the shop’s own published business history. No home address is given.
The first-party logo is saved as san-juan-gems.png. It came from sanjuangems.com uploads at 300 px and was not edited.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: Where is San Juan Gems, and when is it open?
A: According to the official Contact page (checked 2026-09-28), the shop is at 11523 Hwy. 145, Cortez, Colorado 81321. Hours are Monday–Friday 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m. MST, closed Sunday. Phone 970-565-9854.

Q: What lapidary supplies does it sell online, and at what prices?
A: Official shop pages checked 2026-09-28 listed a 30-piece 120-grit diamond burr set for $16.00, diamond cut-off disc sets for $16.00, 6” silicon carbide discs (220 and 400 grit) for $1.50, GEM-TEMP cabochon templates for $7.50, and San Juan Gems’ adjustable navette templates for $18.95. Slabs include petrified wood and dinosaur/gem bone. Confirm on the live product page.

Q: Does San Juan Gems run classes or a club?
A: No. The official site is a rock shop and online store. San Juan Gems is listed here under Suppliers, not as a Clubs meeting organization or a Workshops class program.