Due to covid and the influx of live shows on social media, more and more people are getting into rocks and minerals. That’s great for those of us who make a living mining and selling rocks and minerals! Unfortunately, those live shows are famous for giving out wrong information. So, when people come to us asking how they can learn more about the field of rocks and minerals, we always recommend that they look into joining a lapidary club near them.

What is a lapidary club?

Lapidary clubs (also known as rock clubs, gem and mineral clubs, etc.) promote popular interest and education in rocks, minerals and lapidary. Lapidary is the craft of working, forming and polishing rocks, minerals and gemstones. Lapidary clubs often offer classes in jewelry making, cabochon cutting and faceting, stone carving, beadmaking and other craft work. The clubs also promote and facilitate rockhounding field trips to various locations for the purpose of collecting rocks or mineral specimens. Rock and mineral clubs range in size from very small to huge. They usually have regular meetings, guest speakers, show and tell, educational resources, and monthly newsletters. Often the members are willing to share their knowledge and expertise with new comers. Most lapidary clubs charge a fee to join. But that money goes into educational research and supplies. Larger clubs sometimes sponsor scholarships or financial assistance to students majoring in earth sciences. Many have workshops you can access to work do lapidary work. Most lapidary clubs also put on a Gem and Mineral with vendors and exhibits at least once a year.

Depending on where you live there may or may not be a lapidary club near you.

One of the best places to look for a local lapidary club is on the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies website. The American Federation of Mineralogical Societies is composed of seven regional organizations of rock, gem, mineral, fossil, and lapidary societies. Each region operates independently and in cooperation with the other regions to maintain a solid foundation for the hobby. Clubs affiliated with the AFMS abide by the AFMS Code of Ethics, and can acquire liability insurance from their Regional Federation, so members enjoy access to field trip locations that would otherwise be inaccessible.

Here is the main link to their Guilds and Clubs page: http://amfed.org/

The seven regions each have their own website too and most list all the clubs in their region. They are broken down into the following regions:

CFMS- California Federation of Mineralogical Societies represents lapidary clubs in California, Nevada, and Hawaii.

EFMLS - Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies represents Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

MWF - Midwest Federation of Mineralogical and Geological Societies represents lapidary clubs in 12 states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

NFMS - Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies represents Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon,

Utah, and Washington.

RMFMS - Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies represents Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, parts of Nebraska (western portion of state), New Mexico, Nevada), parts of North Dakota (western portion of state), Oklahoma, parts of South Dakota (western portion of state), parts of Texas, Utah and Wyoming.

SCFMS - South Central Federation of Mineral Societies represents Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas.

And the SFMS - Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies represents Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.

There are lots of independent lapidary clubs too. Many are 501C non-profit organizations. Like everything else in life, it is up to you to do your homework-check out their website, attend a few meetings, check out their workshop, read their rules and meet the members. Find one that is a good fit for you, where you can enjoy yourself hanging out with people who share your love of rocks and minerals.

There are so many clubs that I’m not going to list them here. These two websites have compiled list and it might be a good place for you to start your research. 

Or just google lapidary club or rock club in your area!

https://rockseeker.com/rock-and-mineral-clubs-by-state/

https://www.lapidaryworld.com/clubs_USA.html

Happy hunting!