What it is

The Huntsville Gem and Mineral Society (HGMS) is a first-party gem, mineral and lapidary membership club in Huntsville, Alabama. Its History page says it was organized in 1958 by a small group interested in lapidary arts and incorporated in Alabama in 1965, and that it now has over 300 members. The club runs a member Lapidary Shop at the HGMS Education Center. The Lapidary page says almost all of the shop equipment was bought new in 2016. It includes four Highland Park 14-inch slab saws, ten diamond-surfaced double-wheel arbors (80/220, 280/600 and 3000/14,000 grits), two 6-inch trim saws and a 24-inch saw. HGMS also runs Rocket City Jewelers (wirework, chainmaille and metals classes), Metalsmithing, Pebble Pups for ages 8–18, field trips and an annual show. It is affiliated with AFMS, the Southeast Federation (SFMS) and the Dixie Mineral Council. It is not a commercial rock shop and not a public art school.

Who it’s for

Cabochon cutters, rockhounds, jewelry makers and families in Huntsville and North Alabama who want a low-dues club with a member lapidary shop, free equipment certification training for adult members, monthly programs, a newsletter (Rocket City Rocks and Gems) and a large fall show. The site says visitors are welcome at meetings and can ask for a tour of the facility.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party lapidary club with a printed Education Center street address, published annual dues, a fixed meeting cadence, posted lapidary shop hours, and a dated 2026 annual show with printed admission. It is not a scraped directory card and not a rock-shop storefront.

Education Center (home / Meetings, checked 2026-10-06): 7901 Bailey Cove Rd SE, Huntsville, AL 35802, in the Sandra Moon Community Complex. Contact email on site: [email protected]. Phone: not stated on site.
Annual dues (Application page, checked today): $20.00 individual per year (cash or check; $21 if charged at the Show); $25.00 family per year (cash or check; $26 if charged at the Show). Membership expires October 1 each year; dues are payable by December 31 of the current year.
Meetings (Meetings page, checked today): 4th Tuesday of each month, arrive about 6:00 p.m., business meeting at 6:30 p.m. followed by a program, in the South Meeting Room of the Education Center. Upcoming dates listed: October 27 and November 24, 2026; Christmas potluck December 9, 2026.
Lapidary shop (Lapidary / Lapidary Shop Schedule pages, checked today): certification training is required to use shop equipment and is offered to HGMS members 18+. The site says there is no training fee, but there is a daily usage fee (amount not stated on site). Posted open times include Mon 6–9 p.m., Tue 9 a.m.–2 p.m. and 6–9 p.m. (closed on meeting nights), Wed 6–9 p.m., and the 1st Saturday 9 a.m.–noon. Friday sessions are listed as discontinued.
Annual show (Gem, Jewelry, and Mineral Show page, checked today): Fri Oct 9, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat Oct 10, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun Oct 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., 2026, at the Jaycee Community Building, 2180 Airport Road SW, Huntsville. Admission $5 adults, $3 students under 18, children 5 and under free, $10 weekend pass. Parking is free.

These dues, hours and dates are what the official pages showed on the check date, and they can change. Confirm on the live Application, Lapidary Shop Schedule and Show pages before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

Last checked: 2026-10-06

https://huntsvillegms.org/

Membership dues and application: https://huntsvillegms.org/application/

Lapidary shop: https://huntsvillegms.org/lapidary/

Lapidary shop schedule: https://huntsvillegms.org/lapidary-shop-schedule/

Meetings: https://huntsvillegms.org/meetings/

2026 Gem, Jewelry, and Mineral Show: https://huntsvillegms.org/gem-jewelry-mineral-show/

Location

Education Center (home / Meetings, checked 2026-10-06): HGMS Education Center, Sandra Moon Community Complex, 7901 Bailey Cove Rd SE, Huntsville, AL 35802. Meetings are on the 4th Tuesday. The 2026 show is at the Jaycee Community Building, 2180 Airport Road SW, Huntsville.

This address is a member club education center and lapidary shop. It is not a walk-in lapidary supply store or a public art-school campus open without membership.

Notes

Category is Clubs. HGMS is a nonprofit membership society with meetings, a member lapidary shop, member classes and an annual show. It stays in Clubs rather than Workshops or Suppliers.
The $20 / $25 dues, the 4th-Tuesday cadence and the October 9–11 show dates are copied from official pages checked on 2026-10-06 and may change.
The Lapidary Shop Schedule page lists holiday closures (for example “Closed November 25th and December 23rd” under Monday) that do not fall on those weekdays in 2026, so they look carried over from an earlier year. Check the current schedule or newsletter before going.
The History page says HGMS was organized in 1958 and incorporated in 1965, but also says it “celebrated our 50th Anniversary” in 2017. The founding year used here is the 1958 date printed on that page.
The site’s home page shows a “Coming Soon!” heading, but its menus, calendar and show pages are live and were updated October 3, 2026, per the footer.
A first-party HGMS Annual Fall Show 2026 banner is saved as huntsville-gem-and-mineral-society.jpg. It came from huntsvillegms.org (/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Show-Banner1.jpg) and was JPEG-recompressed only. It is a dated show banner, not a logo.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: What does HGMS membership cost?
A: The Application page (checked 2026-10-06) lists $20.00 a year for an individual and $25.00 a year for a family, cash or check ($21 / $26 if charged at the Show). Membership expires October 1 each year. See https://huntsvillegms.org/application/

Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: On the 4th Tuesday of each month: arrive about 6:00 p.m., with the business meeting at 6:30 p.m. It meets in the South Meeting Room of the HGMS Education Center, 7901 Bailey Cove Rd SE, Huntsville, AL 35802 (Meetings page, checked 2026-10-06).

Q: Can members use the lapidary shop?
A: Yes, after certification training. Training is offered to members 18 and older with no training fee. There is a daily shop usage fee, but the amount is not stated on site. Posted open times include Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, Tuesday daytime and the first Saturday morning. See https://huntsvillegms.org/lapidary-shop-schedule/

Q: When is the 2026 show?
A: October 9–11, 2026 (Fri–Sat 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun 10 a.m.–5 p.m.) at the Jaycee Community Building, 2180 Airport Road SW, Huntsville. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and free for children 5 and under (show page, checked 2026-10-06).

Q: Is HGMS a lapidary school or a rock shop?
A: Neither as listed here. HGMS is under Clubs. It is a membership society with a member lapidary shop, meetings and an annual show. For public-enrollment classes, see Workshops. For equipment and rough, see Suppliers.