What it is

The Northwest Arkansas Gem and Mineral Society (NWAGMS) is a gem, mineral, fossil and lapidary club based in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with its own clubhouse. Its home page describes it as “an educational, friendly club of all ages and experience who enjoy a shared interest in earth science, gems, minerals, fossils, lapidary work, making jewelry, and more,” and says members “have use of a wonderful fully-equipped workshop and have the opportunity to participate in field trips.” Its stated purposes include to “promote and perpetuate knowledge of the lapidary arts.”

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, collectors, lapidary and jewelry hobbyists, families and beginners in Northwest Arkansas (Siloam Springs, Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville) and nearby Oklahoma and Missouri. The site says monthly meetings are open to the public.

Why it’s listed

It’s a real club with its own clubhouse address, a fixed monthly meeting time, dated upcoming meetings, a member lapidary workshop, field trips and a dated annual show. This listing covers the club itself.

Official URL

https://nwarockhounds.com/

Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show: https://nwarockhounds.com/index.php/gem-mineral-jewelry-show

Membership form (PDF): https://nwarockhounds.com/images/Membership-Form.pdf

(First-party site checked 2026-10-22. Every cited URL returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent. The site intermittently serves a “One moment, please…” loader page; see Notes.)

Location

NWAGMS Clubhouse, 15048 Highway 43, Siloam Springs, AR 72761 (corner of Highway 43 and Lawlis Road).

The club says it has no phone number because it is run by volunteers; it asks people to come to a meeting or use the site’s contact form.

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

Notes

Meetings: fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the clubhouse, open to the public.
Upcoming on the check date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 7:00 p.m. general meeting (talk on cursed gemstones, costumes encouraged, 2027 officer nominations, silent auction, door prize); Tuesday, November 17, 7:00 p.m. (third Tuesday this time; talk on Appalachian mountain building and officer elections); Tuesday, December 15, Christmas potluck (third Tuesday).
Member benefits listed: use of the fully equipped club workshop, field trips, speakers and programs.
2027 show: Spring Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show, Saturday April 17, 2027 (9 a.m.–5 p.m.) and Sunday April 18 (10 a.m.–4 p.m.), NWA Armed Forces Reserve Center, 6800 SW Minuteman Ave., Bentonville, AR 72712. $5 entry donation; children under 10 free with an adult; active military free; free parking; rock and mineral identification table.
Date conflict: the home page teaser says “April 18–19, 2027,” but the show page says April 17–18, 2027 (a Saturday and Sunday). This listing uses the show page.
Federations: the site’s partner links name the American Federation and the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies.
Bot check: on the check date nwarockhounds.com sometimes returned a 200 “One moment, please…” loader page instead of content. The home page and show page each returned real content on at least one retry (08:19–08:33 a.m. CST). Recheck before publishing.
Photo: the club’s own clubhouse-sign photo (clubhouse-sign.png, 351 × 274). The site has no separate logo file.
Suggested at publish: photoFit: cover.
This is the first Arkansas listing.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No membership form, contact form, email or purchase was used.

FAQ

Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: The fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the clubhouse, 15048 Highway 43, Siloam Springs. In November and December 2026 the dates move to the third Tuesday (November 17 and December 15).

Q: Can I visit before joining?
A: Yes. The club says its monthly meetings are open to the public.

Q: Does the club do lapidary?
A: Yes. Promoting the lapidary arts is one of its stated purposes, and members can use a fully equipped club workshop.

Q: How do I join?
A: Print the membership form from the website and bring it to a meeting.

Q: When is the club’s show?
A: April 17–18, 2027, at the NWA Armed Forces Reserve Center in Bentonville, with a $5 entry donation.