The Lapidary Arts are the methods and knowledge needed to identify and work with stones, minerals, and gems. In large part, the classes taught at William Holland focus on jewelry making using these skills. A Lapidary is a person who cuts stones and a Rockhound is one who is very enthusiastic about rocks, gems, and minerals.

If you are visiting or staying at William Holland, you will find that we keep many brochures for local attractions available in our dining room. We are also near Dahlonega, Blue Ridge, Jasper, and Helen in Georgia, Franklin in North Carolina and Chattanooga in Tennessee. These are all fun and exciting places to explore during your visit or stay. You can find even more information about Young Harris and its surrounding area at our local chamber of commerce website.

If you do happen to be in our area during our season, you are welcome to contact us ahead of time and make an appointment to visit our campus. We especially encourage visitors to come during the Friday Show and Tell so that they can see the beautiful work done by the students that week. During our off season we do not allow visitors to our campus as there are no staff on duty.

We welcome visitors to join us for Tailgating, Auction, and Show and Tell. It is not possible for you to sell items at Tailgating, however, you can purchase items at both events. We do require that all visitors who attend Auction pay by check or with exact change. Show and Tell is also a great time to visit our campus because it will afford you a chance to see the work done in all of the classes that week. For more information on times and what happens at each of these events, see our Policies and Guidelines and remember to contact us before arriving so that we know you are coming.

In general the spring at William Holland is chilly and rainy up until around mid-May. The summer months (June, July, and August) are often very hot and dry but also have the potential for severe storms. The fall is usually warm during the day with cool mornings and evenings, with leaves turning in mid-September and temperatures getting colder into late October and November. It is very unlikely that there will be any snow at any time during the season.

As a non-profit organization our mission is made possible primarily through your donations. We accept monetary donations as well as donations of Lapidary related items and raw materials. In all cases, we can provide you with letters acknowledging your donations that will allow you to deduct the amount of your donations on your taxes. If you would like to donate to our Auction, you are welcome to donate anything that comes to mind, not just Lapidary related items. We have sold everything from quilts and certificates for free massages to candy in the Auction. Remember that all donations to the Auction raise money to upkeep and stock our classrooms. For more information on donation to William Holland visit our Donations page or contact us.

All packages/mail sent via the USPS should be sent to: [Your Name] C/O William Holland Retreat Inc. PO BOX 980 Young Harris GA 30582 All packages/mail sent via third-party parcel delivery service (UPS, FedEx, etc.) should be sent to: William Holland School of Lapidary Arts ATTN: [Your Name] 230 Lapidary Ln Young Harris GA 30582 Please note that any items sent via USPS addressed to 230 Lapidary Ln will most likely be discarded by the Postal Service as no mail receptacle exists at our physical address.

In most cases, if you did not recieve a catalog and should have, it is because your address has changed since you last provided your information to us or you have not been a student here in over three years. If you have been a student at William Holland in the past three years, have requested a catalog in the past year, or just want a catalog for any reason and have not received one, please let us know so that we can get a catalog on its way to you as quickly as possible. Once catalogs have begun mailing, it is always possible for you to download a copy directly from our website. We do encourage everyone to make use of the information we provide here online rather than requesting print catalogs, as the website is kept constantly up-to-date with the latest updates to our schedule and news about the School.

Here at William Holland, our focus is on providing a good place for our volunteer instructors to teach their students the skills they have accrued over lifetimes of practice and artistry. We do not provide repair services nor do we take commissions to identify stones, cut stones, or make jewelry pieces. Our instructors do often do these things in their own businesses, so if you see someone listed in our Instructor Biographies, that seems like they would be able to help you, we will do our best to put them in touch with you.

As of the 2012 season we are seeking to tighten our budget in order to continue to keep rates for classes as low as possible. We still provide catalogs for free upon individual request, however, we will be delivering rack cards and/or business cards to shops, mines, and other venues as they are much more cost effective for us and take up less space for the shop owner.