About William Holland School of Lapidary Arts
The William Holland School of Lapidary Arts is a renowned institution founded in 1983, welcoming students from around the world to study and learn Lapidary Arts. This unique practice involves shaping stone, minerals, or gemstones into decorative items such as cabochons, engraved gems, and faceted designs. Each week of the season begins with a check-in session, followed by classes that start at 9:00 AM Monday. The school offers a range of classes, including gemstone faceting, and instructors are experts in their fields, providing a wealth of knowledge to students. The atmosphere is supportive and enjoyable, with kind and knowledgeable staff, as well as students who are eager to learn and share their experiences. Whether students are complete novices or experienced learners, they can expect to create unique items, such as wearable jewelry, and enjoy a range of classes that go beyond Lapidary Arts, including leather work and basket weaving.
I have been attending this school for three years now. I’ve taken classes in wire wrapping, metal clay, enameling, fused glass, metal etching, polymer clay, and silversmithing, and there are so many more I want to take. The instructors are not paid by the school, but have a class fee and estimate any extra supply charges. William Holland has their own fee for what they supply, (classrooms, general classroom supplies and equipment, meals, and if you are not local to the area of the school the fee includes a room, or if you have a camper, a place to set it up.)
The staff works very hard for the students with different events every night for those who stay there. Commuters...read full review
Excellent school. Excellent teachers. Just finished week long course in gemstone faceting. Wonderful experience. A vacation and learning experience all in one. If you have an interest in lapidary arts look them up.
I've come here twice and taken faceting 1&2 with Tom Mitchell. The absolute highlight of course is the class you choose. Every teacher is a wealth of knowledge on their subject and it's worth talking to all of them. I'm bias since I took Mr. Mitchell's class but there is no one else I'd rather have learned to facet from. His experience and capability shines through with every lesson. He is encouraging and wise. All the staff as well as all the other students were kind and enjoyable to talk to. There was no shortage of quality anywhere. From the food, to the room, to any topic of conversation was enjoyable to the end.