What it is

Wisconsin Union Wheelhouse Intro to Lapidary is a first-party public lapidary class presented by Wheelhouse Studios at the Wisconsin Union (University of Wisconsin–Madison). The official event page describes beginner instruction in safety and basic techniques to saw, grind, sand, and polish rock into cabochons, as a complement to jewelry making. The class meets off-site at the Madison Gem and Mineral Club, 217 N. Paterson Street, not in Memorial Union studios. Successful completion certifies students to use the lab during open-shop periods. It is a public, fee-based, pre-scheduled class through a university union art program. It is not a membership gem club listing and not a retail supply shop.

Who it’s for

Beginners in the Madison / Dane County area who want an instructor-led cabochon course with a published price and a dated multi-week schedule. An Intermediate Lapidary series is offered on the same model for students past the intro level. Additional supply cost depends on projects and includes some personal protection gear.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party lapidary workshop with a printed off-site street address, a named presenting studio (Wheelhouse), a fixed weekly schedule, dated 2026 sessions and an on-page dollar price. It is not a scraped directory card, not a gem-club meeting listing, and not a jewelry retail storefront.

Presenter and contact (event page footer, checked 2026-09-29): Wheelhouse Studios, email [email protected]. Wisconsin Union locations printed: Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., Madison, WI 53706, phone 608-265-3000; Union South, 1308 W. Dayton St., Madison, WI 53715, phone 608-890-3000.
Class venue (event page, checked today): Madison Gem and Mineral Club, 217 N. Paterson Street (also labeled “Offsite: Madison Gem and Mineral Club” on the Intermediate page).
Price (Intro and Intermediate event pages, checked today): $210.00 each.
Intro schedule (Intro event page and Wheelhouse calendar, checked today): Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 5:30 p.m. through Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 9:00 p.m. Event status on the check date: Sold Out.
Intermediate schedule (Intermediate event page, checked today): Wednesdays April 8, 15, 22, 29, May 6 and May 13, 2026, 5:30–9:00 p.m., also $210.00, status Sold Out.
Curriculum (Intro page, checked today): evaluate and work agate/jasper-type material into cabochons; safety; saw, grind, sand, polish; certification for later open-shop lab use. Additional supply cost depends on project(s).

The price, times and session dates above are what the official pages showed on the check date. Sessions and fees can change. Confirm on the live event page before registering.

Official URL

https://union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/intro-lapidary-6

Intermediate Lapidary: https://union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/intermediate-lapidary

Wheelhouse calendar: https://union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/open-art-studio-and-classes/classes-and-workshops/calendar

Location

Class meets at the Madison Gem and Mineral Club, 217 N. Paterson Street, Madison, WI (off-site from Memorial Union). Registration and presenter contact go through Wheelhouse Studios / Wisconsin Union ([email protected]; Memorial Union 800 Langdon St., Madison, WI 53706).

This is a public class venue and university art-program registration. It is not a gem-club membership application page and not a lapidary retail counter.

Notes

Category is Workshops. This is a public, pay-per-course lapidary class with a printed schedule and price through Wheelhouse Studios at the Wisconsin Union. It is not a Clubs membership society listing (even though the lab is at the Madison Gem and Mineral Club) and not a Suppliers equipment or rough shop.
The $210 fee and session dates are copied from official Union event pages checked on 2026-09-29 and may change. Both Intro (fall 2026) and Intermediate (spring 2026) showed Sold Out on the check date; watch the Wheelhouse calendar for new sections.
The event page does not print a ZIP code for 217 N. Paterson Street; only the street and city are cited here.
Open-shop lab access after certification is mentioned on the class page; separate Madison Gem and Mineral Club membership dues are not part of this Workshop listing.
The first-party event image is saved as wisconsin-union-intro-to-lapidary.jpg. It came from the union.wisc.edu files CDN (/sites/default/files/image/2026-08/lapidary.jpeg) at the size the page serves and was not edited.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: How much is the Wheelhouse Intro to Lapidary class?
A: The official Wisconsin Union event page (checked 2026-09-29) lists $210.00. Confirm on https://union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/intro-lapidary-6

Q: When and where does it meet?
A: The fall 2026 Intro section was listed for Wednesdays from September 23 through October 28, 2026, 5:30–9:00 p.m., at the Madison Gem and Mineral Club, 217 N. Paterson Street, Madison, WI. An Intermediate series at $210 was listed for Wednesdays April 8–May 13, 2026.

Q: Do I need experience or club membership to register?
A: Intro is designed for beginners. Registration is through Wheelhouse / Wisconsin Union, not through club dues. Completing the course certifies lab use during open-shop periods per the event page.

Q: Is this a gem club or a supply shop?
A: Neither. This entry is listed under Workshops. It is a public, fee-based lapidary class from Wheelhouse Studios at the Wisconsin Union. For membership gem societies, see Clubs. For equipment and rough, see Suppliers.