The Scottish Mineral and Lapidary Club was founded on the 2nd of December 1958 by a group of 30 enthusiasts who rented a single workshop in Rose Street in the heart of Edinburgh.
The principal material collected, cut and polished by club members was and still is Scottish Agate. Having no cutting saw at the time, members split agates using a hammer and chisel; the agates were then polished using six polishing laps in the workshop.
By 1961, the Club membership had grown modestly to 55, and for the first time there were junior and associate members.
The hammer and chisel were abandoned in favour of a diamond slab saw and the Club also purchased their first grinding wheel.
Interest in the SMLC grew steadily as members took part in exhibitions of work around Edinburgh; the Club even featured in a BBC broadcast in February 1961.
June 1965 saw a move to the larger St. Giles Street premises in Edinburgh’s Old Town. This move led to the acquisition of a greater number of laps (including faceting laps), grinders and saws, with the addition of a room for silversmithing and a library.
By the early 1980s, membership was in the hundreds and the Club had acquired a fine collection of mineral specimens.
After nearly 42 years of work at St. Giles Street, redevelopment of site meant another move for SMLC, this time to Maritime Lane in South Leith and this is where you will find the club today.
The club is forming strong links with the Leith community and regularly takes part in Leith Festival (link to Leith festival site) and each year hosts an “at home” open day, where visitors can view the work of club members.
(adapted from Collins, W. (1982). 'The Scottish Mineral and Lapidary Club'. In Gray, A.R. and Tait, A. (Eds.) Agate Symposium: Proceedings. Edinburgh: Scottish Mineral and Lapidary Club, Royal Scottish Museum.