A World-Class Collection Of Jade Is Housed At Lizzadro Museum Of Lapidary Art In Illinois
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published July 13, 2020
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
There is a fun art museum in Oak Brook, Illinois that few people know exists. This place is all about gems, minerals, and precious stones. If you love nature or have an affinity for spirituality, you may enjoy a trip to this place.
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art was established in 1962 and is the world-class collection of Chinese jade and hard-stone carvings by hobbyist Joseph Lizzadro.
Lapidary is the art of cutting and polishing stones. The original collector began with a jade vase from China as jade was difficult to attain decades ago. With this first piece, he created his initial pieces of jewelry.
The museum contains gems, minerals, cameos, fossils, organic gems, gemstones, mosaics, and dioramas, as well as a plethora of jade carvings that are stunning to see.
Educational tours, school programs, classes, and more teach all ages about rocks and where they come from as well as what makes them so vital to our ecosystem.
Guests may be inspired to take some precious stones home with them. The museum has a gift shop with jewelry, activities, statues, stones, and so much more for sale.
Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is open Tuesday through Saturday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. as well as Sunday between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m., and you can get more details on its website or Facebook page. If you’ve ever been to this art museum, we’d love to hear from you. Please share your experiences and photos with us below in the comments.