What it is

The Gem Shop, Inc. is a rock shop and lapidary supplier in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, with its own online store and cart at thegemshop.com. The site header calls it “The Midwest’s Largest Rock Shop”. The History page says it began in 1971 as a cottage industry in the basement of founder Eugene Mueller, an art teacher at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee who cut agates and jaspers for art-metal students. It was incorporated and moved to its current Washington Avenue building in 1980, and the page says it now has “the largest inventory of rough rock in the Midwest — over 100,000 lbs!” The About Us page says it is now owned and managed by President Veronica Woods. It is a store, not a club and not a school.

Who it’s for

Cabochon cutters who want rough or slabs, tumblers who want tumbling rough by the pound or 5 lb lot, and hobbyists who want Rhino Lapidary cabbing and lapping machines, wheels and pads. It also suits jewelry makers who want finished cabochons, collectors (minerals, fossils, specimens), and clubs and groups (the About Us page says it arranges tours for clubs and groups interested in the lapidary arts). In-store visitors can dig in the rock yard and basement bins.

Why it’s listed

This is the store’s own first-party Shopify site with a working cart, a printed street address, phone, store hours and a written return policy, and on-page dollar prices. It is not a marketplace, not Amazon, and not an affiliate storefront.

Store (Directions page, checked 2026-10-12): W64 N723 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012; phone 262-377-4666; [email protected]. Hours Mon–Fri 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 1–5 p.m. Closed New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Rough rock (Rough Rock collection, checked today), priced per pound: e.g. Kambaba jasper $6.00/lb, indigo gabbro $8.00/lb, crystalline geodes $10.00/lb, Crystal Canyon geodes $12.00/lb. The homepage also shows Swazi agate, cabbing grade, $20.00 per lb and rose quartz rough $7.50 per lb.
Tumbling rough (Tumbling Rough collection, checked today): e.g. Apache tears $8.00/lb or $20.00 a 5 lb lot; Brazil amethyst $8.00/lb or $20.00 a 5 lb lot.
Slabs (Slabs collection, checked today), sold as 1 lb lots: e.g. Graveyard Point plume agate $20.00, Brockman jasper $25.00, Agua Nueva vein agate $25.00, Blue Mustang picture jasper $35.00. Some lots were sold out on the check date.
Lapidary equipment (Lapidary Equipment & Supplies and Rhino Lapidary collections, checked today): Rhino Lapidary machines including the Lapmaster 12″ $1,650.00, Lapmaster 18″ (variable speed) $2,850.00, Shapemaster $2,750.00, Beadmaster $2,350.00, Sawmaster 24″ $6,600.00 and Sawmaster 18″ $5,250.00 (sold out); plus 6″ bonded diamond wheels (80 or 220 grit) $74.99, a 6″ resin-bond diamond wheel, 1200 grit, $74.99, a 6″ magnetic hard disc, 80 grit, $19.99 and a 6″ magnetic felt pad $14.99.
Returns (Return Policy page, checked today): unused items bought online are returnable within 30 days of delivery. The shop pays return shipping only for defective or mis-shipped items. Refunds go back to the original payment within 7 business days of receipt.
How-to pages (Lapidary Tips menu, checked today): diamond drilling, dopping, rotary tumbling (coarse, medium, fine and polish cycles) and vibratory tumbling.

Prices above are what the official shop showed on the check date. Stock and prices change. Confirm in the live cart before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

https://thegemshop.com/

Lapidary Equipment & Supplies (shop): https://thegemshop.com/collections/lapidary-equipment-1

Rhino Lapidary machines: https://thegemshop.com/collections/rhino-lapidary

Rough Rock: https://thegemshop.com/collections/rough-rock-1

Slabs: https://thegemshop.com/collections/slabs

Tumbling Rough: https://thegemshop.com/collections/tumbling-rough

Example product (Rhino Lapmaster 12″): https://thegemshop.com/products/lapmaster-12

Cart: https://thegemshop.com/cart

Directions and hours: https://thegemshop.com/pages/directions

About Us: https://thegemshop.com/pages/about-us

History: https://thegemshop.com/pages/history

Return Policy: https://thegemshop.com/pages/return-policy

(Canonical first-party Shopify site checked 2026-10-12. Every cited URL returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent. www.thegemshop.com redirects to the bare domain.)

Location

The Gem Shop, Inc., W64 N723 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012, in Cedarburg’s historic district about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, one block north of Washington Ave. and Bridge Rd. on the west side of the street. 262-377-4666. Open Mon–Fri 9:30–6, Sat 9:30–5, Sun 1–5. Online orders ship from the store’s Shopify cart.

This is a rock shop and lapidary supplier. It is not a club and not a school.

Notes

Category is Suppliers: retail rough, slabs, tumbling material, cabochons and lapidary machines and wheels through a real cart. Minerals, fossils, jewelry and home décor are also sold, but the lapidary rough and equipment lines and the “Lapidary Tips” pages make it a lapidary supplier rather than a gift shop.
First Wisconsin supplier on Lapidary Plaza (Wisconsin already has the Wisconsin Union Intro to Lapidary workshop in Madison; a different city, business and category). Away from Friday’s MS / UT / WY and Thursday’s KS / OR / OH.
The site does not say whether Rhino Lapidary is its own brand or an outside maker, so the listing just names the brand as sold.
The About Us page mentions a link to the Tucson Showplace in Tucson, AZ; that is not part of this listing.
The Box & Bucket Sale page describes a July 24–25, 2026 event at the TGS Warehouse (W53N580 Highland Dr, Cedarburg), now past.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, cart action, account sign-up, form submission or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: Can I buy lapidary rough and slabs online from The Gem Shop?
A: Yes. The official Shopify store sells rough rock by the pound (e.g. Kambaba jasper $6/lb on 2026-10-12), tumbling rough by the pound or 5 lb lot, and slabs in 1 lb lots (e.g. Graveyard Point plume agate $20).

Q: Does The Gem Shop sell cabbing machines?
A: Yes. It lists Rhino Lapidary machines such as the Lapmaster 12″ ($1,650), Shapemaster ($2,750) and Beadmaster ($2,350), plus 6″ diamond wheels and magnetic laps.

Q: Where is the store and when is it open?
A: W64 N723 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg, WI 53012. Mon–Fri 9:30 a.m.–6 p.m., Sat 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun 1–5 p.m. Phone 262-377-4666.

Q: What is the return policy?
A: Unused items bought online can be returned within 30 days of delivery. The customer pays return shipping unless the item was defective or shipped in error.

Q: How long has The Gem Shop been in business?
A: Since 1971, per its History page. It was incorporated in 1980 and moved to its current Washington Avenue store that year.