What it is

The Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse (GMSS) is a first-party gem, mineral, fossil and lapidary club with its own clubhouse at 209 Oswego Street in Liverpool, New York, just north of Syracuse. The official site describes it as “a club for Mineralogy, Paleontology & Lapidary arts” in Central New York and a 501(c)(3) public nonprofit. It runs monthly general meetings, a Jr. Rockhounds youth group, field trips, a clubhouse library, the Crack’N Cab newsletter, a members-only lapidary lab (the Marie Cole Skill Center), and the annual GemWorld show at the New York State Fairgrounds. It is not a commercial lapidary supply shop and not a public art school.

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, mineral and fossil collectors, cabochon cutters, beaders, and families in the Syracuse / Central New York area who want a dues-paying club with a clubhouse, monthly meetings, field trips, and access to cutting equipment. Lapidary classes and the open lab require current club membership.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party gem & mineral club with a printed clubhouse street address, published annual dues, a fixed monthly meeting schedule, a dated club calendar, and a dated annual show. It is not a scraped directory card and not a rock-shop storefront.

Clubhouse and contact (Contact page, checked 2026-09-28): clubhouse 209 Oswego Street, Liverpool, New York 13088. Mailing: P.O. Box 2801, Syracuse, NY 13220. Role emails are listed for officers and committees, for example [email protected] and [email protected]. No club phone number is printed.
Annual dues (Membership Info page, checked today): $15 adult, $10 juniors (under 18), $20 families. Renewals are due each August. A 2026–2027 printed application is posted.
Meetings (Membership Info page, checked today): general membership meetings on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 PM, except July, August and December. Board meetings on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 PM, open to all members. Jr. Rockhounds of CNY meets on the 3rd Saturday, 1–2 PM, for young members aged 4 to 18.
Lapidary classes (Lapidary Classes page, checked today): beginner cabochon classes run for 3 consecutive Saturdays, 10:00 AM–12:30 PM, at the clubhouse. The fee is $75.00 for club members, or $75.00 plus $15 individual / $20 family dues for non-members, who join at the first class. An advanced course requires the club’s beginner class or a BOCES class first.
Open lapidary lab (Lapidary Classes page, checked today): Thursdays 6:00–9:00 PM and Saturdays 1:00–4:00 PM, with a $7.00 lab use fee (cash). The 10-inch saws are available on Saturdays only. You must be a member and have completed the club’s lapidary course or John Sweeney’s lapidary classes.
Club calendar (Calendar page, checked today): Board Meeting October 6. Beading Group October 17, 1–4 PM. October Clubhouse Event October 19, 7–8 PM (a fluorescent-minerals talk). Board Meeting November 4. Auction Night November 16. All events are at 209 Oswego St.
Annual show (GemWorld page, checked today): GemWorld 2026 ran July 11 (10 AM–6 PM) and July 12 (10 AM–4 PM), 2026, in the Center of Progress Building at the NYS Fairgrounds, 575 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, NY 13209. Adult admission was $8.00 at the door each day, and children under 12 got in free.

These dues, fees, hours and dates are what the official pages showed on the check date, and they can change. Confirm on the live membership, lapidary and calendar pages before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

https://gmss.club/

Membership info: https://gmss.club/membership-info

Lapidary classes and open lab: https://gmss.club/lapidary-classes

Club calendar: https://gmss.club/calendar

GemWorld show: https://gmss.club/gemworld

Contact: https://gmss.club/contact

Location

Clubhouse (checked 2026-09-28): 209 Oswego Street, Liverpool, NY 13088. Mailing: P.O. Box 2801, Syracuse, NY 13220. The annual show is held separately at the NYS Fairgrounds, 575 State Fair Blvd., Syracuse, NY 13209.

This address is a member club and clubhouse. It is not a walk-in lapidary supply store or a public art-school campus.

Notes

Category is Clubs. GMSS is a nonprofit gem, mineral and lapidary membership club. Its lapidary classes and open lab are gated by membership and are part of the club program, so it stays in Clubs rather than Workshops. It is not a Suppliers retail shop.
Dues ($15 / $10 / $20), class fee ($75), lab fee ($7), the meeting schedule and the calendar dates are copied from official pages checked on 2026-09-28 and may change.
The site gives two names for the clubhouse plaza: “Francesca’s Plaza” on the home page and “the old Ponderosa Plaza” on the Membership page. The street address (209 Oswego Street, Liverpool) is the same on every page, so only the street address is cited here.
Auction Night times differ: the home page says Monday, November 16, 7:00 PM (sellers come an hour early), and the calendar lists 6:00–9:00 PM. The two probably agree once seller setup is counted, but confirm before attending.
The Lapidary Classes page still shows advanced-class dates of June 13, 20, 27 that have already passed. The page does not print dated fall beginner sessions and says to schedule by contacting the lapidary coordinator. No fall class date is cited here.
GemWorld 2026 (July 11–12) had already happened on the check date. No 2027 date was printed.
The lapidary registration contact on the official page is a volunteer’s personal email address. It is left out here; the club’s role address [email protected] is given instead.
A first-party club image is saved as gem-and-mineral-society-of-syracuse.jpg. It is the gmss.club share image (logo plus collage), downloaded at the site CDN’s 800 px size and not otherwise edited.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: What does GMSS membership cost?
A: The official Membership Info page (checked 2026-09-28) lists $15 per adult, $10 per junior under 18, and $20 per family, with renewals due each August. Confirm live amounts at https://gmss.club/membership-info

Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: General meetings are on the 3rd Monday of each month at 6:30 PM, except July, August and December, at the clubhouse at 209 Oswego Street, Liverpool, NY 13088. Board meetings are on the first Tuesday at 7 PM, and Jr. Rockhounds meets on the 3rd Saturday from 1 to 2 PM.

Q: Can I learn to cut cabochons at GMSS?
A: Yes, as a member. The beginner course runs three consecutive Saturdays, 10:00 AM–12:30 PM, for $75 (non-members add $15 individual or $20 family dues). Graduates can use the open lab on Thursdays 6–9 PM and Saturdays 1–4 PM for a $7 cash lab fee. See https://gmss.club/lapidary-classes

Q: Is GMSS a lapidary school or a rock shop?
A: Neither. GMSS is listed here under Clubs. It is a membership society with a clubhouse, meetings, field trips, a members-only lapidary lab and the GemWorld show. For public-enrollment classes, see Workshops. For equipment and rough, see Suppliers.