What it is

The Delaware Mineralogical Society (DMS) is a Wilmington, Delaware rock, mineral and lapidary club. Its site describes it as “a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and education of mineralogy, paleontology and the lapidary arts.” The club seal reads “Inc. 1960.” DMS holds monthly meetings at the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, runs member field trips, does community outreach and puts on the annual DMS Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show.

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, mineral and fossil collectors, and beginners in the Wilmington area, northern Delaware and the nearby parts of PA, NJ and MD who want monthly talks, members-only quarry field trips and a large local show. The club welcomes lapidary interest, but it is mainly a mineral and fossil club. See Notes.

Why it’s listed

It’s a long-running, established club with its own website. The site gives the meeting schedule and venue, membership dues and show details, and its general meetings are open to the public. It’s the first Delaware listing on Lapidary Plaza.

Official URL

https://dmsrocks.org/

Calendar and meeting schedule: https://dmsrocks.org/calendar/

Membership: https://dmsrocks.org/membership/

Annual show: https://dmsrocks.org/annual-show/

Outreach: https://dmsrocks.org/outreach/

Contact: https://dmsrocks.org/contact/

(First-party site checked 2026-10-14. Every cited URL returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent.)

Location

Meetings are held at the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science, 4840 Kennett Pike, Wilmington, DE. The show is at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 4727 Concord Pike (Rt. 202), Wilmington, DE 19803. Email: [email protected].

This is a club. It is not a school and not a store.

Notes

Meetings: held on the second Monday of the month, September through November and January through May. Social time starts at 6:30 PM and the speaker at 7 PM, followed by club business. Meetings are “free and open to the public.” Members also have a June picnic and a December holiday party. The Oct 12 meeting is past, so the next one is Monday, Nov 9, 2026. That date is calculated from the second-Monday rule, because the site’s event calendar shows “No event found!”
Membership (calendar year): Adult $20, Family $25 (up to two adults plus dependent children), College Student $10. You can pay online or by mail. Registrations after September 1 also cover the following year.
Field trips: members only, to quarries and other sites “not available to the general public,” plus bus trips to museums. Signup is by member email.
Show: 63rd annual DMS Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show, Sat–Sun March 6–7, 2027 (Sat 10–5, Sun 11–5). Admission is paid at the door only: adults $7, seniors $6, juniors (12–17) $4, and children under 12 free with a paying adult. There are 19 dealers.
Lapidary caveat: the site lists lapidary arts in the club’s mission and mentions workshops as outreach, but it doesn’t describe a club lapidary shop or a cabbing class schedule.
Photo: the club seal (DMS-Logo-Color.webp, 600 × 600) from dmsrocks.org, saved as PNG on white.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No contact, membership signup or form submission was made.

FAQ

Q: When does the Delaware Mineralogical Society meet?
A: On the second Monday of the month, September–November and January–May, at 6:30 PM (speaker at 7 PM), at the Delaware Museum of Nature & Science in Wilmington. The next meeting should be Nov 9, 2026.

Q: Are meetings open to non-members?
A: Yes. The club says its general meetings are free and open to the public.

Q: How much is membership?
A: $20 for adults, $25 for families and $10 for college students, per calendar year (checked 2026-10-14).

Q: When is the DMS show?
A: March 6–7, 2027, at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Concord Pike in Wilmington. Tickets are sold at the door only.

Q: Does DMS teach lapidary?
A: Lapidary arts are part of its mission, but the site doesn’t list a lapidary shop or a class schedule. Ask at a meeting.