What it is

Chicago Rocks and Minerals Society (CRMS) is a first-party Chicagoland gem, mineral, fossil, and lapidary club founded in 1946. The official site frames monthly educational meetings, the award-winning newsletter The Pick And Dop Stick, member field trips, a club library, Geo Juniors / Future Rockhounds of America badge work, a March silent auction, and participation in Chicagoland show demonstrations. About: objectives emphasize earth sciences (geology, paleontology, mineralogy) and the lapidary arts, plus collecting minerals, fossils, and cutting material. It is not a commercial lapidary supply warehouse and not a standalone multi-week residential teaching school.

Who it’s for

Rock hounds, mineral collectors, lapidary hobbyists, jewelry makers, and juniors in the Chicago / Skokie area who want second-Saturday evening club meetings with visitors welcome, federation-affiliated community (AFMS / Midwest Federation / CGMA), and a membership newsletter. Membership page invites visitors to a meeting before joining. Contact / Location phone for club questions: Jeanine Mielecki, 312-623-1554; email [email protected].

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party gem & mineral / lapidary club with a printed Skokie meeting address, standing second-Saturday 7:30 p.m. schedule (except July/August), published membership-year dues, and a long-running newsletter identity — not a scraped directory card and not a retail jewelry storefront.

Meeting place (home + Location — checked 2026-09-21): St. Peter’s United Church of Christ, 8013 Laramie Ave, Skokie, IL 60077 (at Laramie and Oakton — across from the Skokie Public Library). Home: doors open framing also notes 6:00 p.m. on meeting days.
Meeting schedule (home + Location — checked today): 7:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of the month (except July and August). Home prints 2026–2027 meeting dates including September 12, 2026; October 10, 2026; November 14, 2026; December 12, 2026; then Jan–Jun 2027 second Saturdays. Visitors welcome (Location + home).
Membership dues (Membership — checked today): $15 per person, per year; membership year September 1 through August 31. Spouse / second adult in the same household +$5 per year. Children under age 18 are free (Membership). Location page also restates $15 / second adult +$5, and prints children under 15 free — confirm the live Membership page for junior age before joining. Dues expected in September to the Treasurer (in person or by mail). New Member/Visitor Information Sheet downloadable from Membership.
Club identity (About + Membership — checked today): newsletter The Pick And Dop Stick monthly except July/August; member-only field trips; club library; March silent auction; Memorial Day weekend CGMA show participation at Kane County Fairgrounds; affiliations include AFMS and Midwest Federation framing on About/Membership.

Meeting times, dues, and junior-age wording above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live home, Location, and Membership pages before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

https://chicagorocks.org/

Meetings & Location: https://chicagorocks.org/location/

Membership (dues & benefits): https://chicagorocks.org/membership/

About Us: https://chicagorocks.org/about/

Contact: https://chicagorocks.org/contact/

Location

Meetings at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ — 8013 Laramie Ave, Skokie, IL 60077. Club contact phone on Location/Membership: 312-623-1554 (Jeanine Mielecki). Email [email protected].

This is a member club meeting hall address (church venue), not a walk-in commercial lapidary supply warehouse and not a residential week-long teaching campus.

Notes

Category is Clubs. Nonprofit gem & mineral / lapidary membership club with printed meeting schedule and dues. Not a Workshops curriculum school and not a Suppliers retail shop.
Dues $15 / +$5 second adult, 2nd-Saturday 7:30 p.m. (except Jul/Aug), and Skokie street address are transcribed from official pages checked on 2026-09-21 and may change. Membership vs Location junior free-age wording differs (18 vs 15) — confirm live Membership.
First-party specimen photo saved beside this listing as chicago-rocks-and-minerals-society.jpg (from chicagorocks.org uploads; fluorite image used on the official site).
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where are meetings?
A: Home and Location (checked 2026-09-21): 2nd Saturday each month at 7:30 p.m. (except July and August) at St. Peter’s UCC, 8013 Laramie Ave, Skokie, IL 60077. Visitors welcome. Confirm the live dated calendar on chicagorocks.org before visiting.

Q: What does membership cost?
A: Membership page (checked 2026-09-21): $15 per person per year (Sep 1–Aug 31); second adult same household +$5; children under 18 free on Membership. Confirm live amounts at https://chicagorocks.org/membership/

Q: Is CRMS a public drop-in lapidary school or supply shop?
A: No. Chicago Rocks and Minerals Society is listed here as a Clubs entry — a membership organization with monthly meetings and club programs. For multi-week curriculum classes, see Workshops; for equipment/rough retail, see Suppliers.