Gem & Mineral Society of Louisiana
- Website
- https://www.gmsofla.org/
- Location
- Meetings: University of New Orleans Geology/Psychology Building, Room 1000, 6645 Founders Rd, New Orleans, LA 70148
- Last checked
- 2026-10-23
What it is
The Gem & Mineral Society of Louisiana (GMSL) is a membership gem, mineral and lapidary club based in New Orleans. Its home page says the society “is formed by like minded individuals who love the study and artistic aspects of Lapidary Arts,” focusing on earth science, geology and mineralogy, and aims to “provide teachings of all facets of lapidary arts.” Its logo gives the founding year as 1960.
Who it’s for
Rockhounds, cabochon cutters, jewelry makers, families and anyone in the greater New Orleans area interested in minerals and lapidary. The site says meetings are open to everyone, cost nothing, and you don’t have to be a member to attend.
Why it’s listed
It’s an established club with its own website, a fixed public meeting place and schedule, hands-on lapidary workshops and an annual show. It is not a Facebook-only group.
Official URL
Related official pages: https://www.gmsofla.org/events, https://www.gmsofla.org/about-us, https://www.gmsofla.org/workshops/cabochon-workshop, https://www.gmsofla.org/events/2026-show
(All checked 2026-10-23 and returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent.)
Location
Monthly meetings: University of New Orleans Geology/Psychology Building, Room 1000, 6645 Founders Rd, New Orleans, LA 70148 (the About Us page prints 6644 Founders Rd, 70123). The annual show is held at the Alario Center in Westwego, LA.
This is a club. It is not a store or a commercial school.
Notes
- Meetings: second Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m., except July and December. There’s no admission. In July the club met for a rock swap at Mineralogie on the West Bank instead.
- Cabochon (cabbing) workshop: $30 for materials and tools, limited to 8 people per course, with extra shop time on request. The workshop page still showed a past May 3 date on the check date, so ask the club for the next session.
- Other programs: lost-wax workshop, field trips (the site mentions Louisiana gravel bars, Arkansas crystal mines and Georgia rose quartz mines), Pebble Pups youth program, volunteer sign-up and 2026 memberships.
- Show: the 54th Annual Gem and Mineral Show ran October 2–4, 2026 at the Alario Center in Westwego (already past on the check date).
- The site is a Google Sites page. Its newest dated news was from July 2026.
- Photo: the club’s own og:image logo (640 × 746).
- This is Louisiana’s first Lapidary Plaza listing. Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No email or form was used.
FAQ
Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: On the second Monday of each month (not July or December) at 7:30 p.m., in Room 1000 of the UNO Geology/Psychology Building, 6645 Founders Rd, New Orleans.
Q: Do I have to be a member to attend?
A: No. The site says meetings are free and open to anyone interested.
Q: Does the club teach lapidary?
A: Yes. It runs a cabochon-cutting workshop ($30 for materials and tools, up to 8 people) and a lost-wax workshop.
Q: Is there a kids’ program?
A: Yes, a Pebble Pups program is listed on the site.
Q: Does it hold a show?
A: Yes. The 54th annual show was October 2–4, 2026 at the Alario Center in Westwego.