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Museum of the History of Jeweler and Lapidary Arts

Yekaterinburg is an important city in central Russia that was founded in 1721 by Russian statesman, Vasily Tatischev, and German-born Russian military officer and metallurgist, Georg Wilhelm de Gennin. The city has many beautifully preserved historic buildings, some dating back to the founding of the city. There are more than thirty museums in Yekaterinburg, including the fascinating Museum of the History of Jeweler and Lapidary Arts, which was established in 1992.

Situated in the former mining drugstore, built in 1821, the Museum of the History of Jeweler and Lapidary Arts has many exceptional exhibits devoted to minerals, precious and semi-precious gems. Lapidary refers to the craft of cutting, forming and finishing stones, minerals, gemstones and other material, such as shells, pearls, amber, coral, bone, glass and synthetic materials, into decorative or functional items. An artisan who practices the art of lapidary is referred to as a lapidary. There are lapidary clubs throughout the world and gem shows are a regular feature of these clubs.

Stone cutting and finishing equipment dating back to the 15th century is on display at the museum, along with items made of malachite, jasper and marble, which were manufactured at the Yekaterinburg Lapidary factory in the 19th century. The “Golden Pantry” of the museum documents the history of Russian jewelry art along with exquisite examples of gem-encrusted silver and gold jewelry from the past. A separate exhibition within the museum showcases modern pieces of jewelry art of the Urals.

The Museum of the History of Jeweler and Lapidary Arts also serves as a place for lapidaries and jewelers to experiment with their crafts, creating new styles of jewelry and other items that are then displayed at the museum. Traveling exhibitions relating to jeweler and lapidary arts, as well as seminars and contests are arranged throughout the year at the Museum of the History of Jeweler and Lapidary Arts.

Tourists in Yekaterinburg will have plenty to choose from to occupy their time, including a zoo, war memorial, parks, theatres, museums, ancient architecture, art galleries and more. There are numerous tour operators to help visitors get the most out of their stay in this interesting Russian city – be sure to add the Museum of the History of Jeweler and Lapidary Arts to the list of places to see.

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