What it is

The Topeka Gem and Mineral Society (TGMS) is a first-party gem, mineral and lapidary membership club in Topeka, Kansas. Its Society Information page says the club’s purpose is “exclusively educational and scientific”: to promote interest in geology and the lapidary arts, encourage collecting and displaying rocks, gems and minerals, run field trips, and build public interest in gems and minerals. The club has a Lapidary Shop at 8049 Southeast 29th Street in Tecumseh, Kansas. Members use it on Tuesday nights for lapidary equipment and for member-taught wire-wrapping, silversmithing and lapidary classes. TGMS also holds monthly general meetings, runs a junior rockhound program, publishes a monthly newsletter, The Glacial Drifter, and puts on an annual gem and mineral show. The home page shows the logos of the Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies (RMFMS) and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). It is not a commercial rock shop and not a public art school.

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, cabochon cutters, jewelry makers and families in Topeka and northeast Kansas who want a low-dues club with access to club-owned lapidary equipment, low-cost member classes, monthly meetings, member field trips and a fall show. Kids 17 and under can join as junior members and take part in the AFMS Future Rockhounds of America program.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party lapidary club with a printed meeting address, a club workshop address, published annual dues, a dated 2026 calendar of meetings and open-shop nights, a named 2026 officer list and a dated 2026 show. It is not a scraped directory card and not a rock-shop storefront.

General meetings (Meeting Places page and events calendar, checked 2026-10-08): members gather at 7:15 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month at First Congregational Church, 1701 SW Collins Ave, Topeka, KS. In June, July and August the club holds potlucks instead, and there is no general meeting in December. The next meeting on the calendar is Friday, October 23, 2026, 7:15–9:00 p.m.
Lapidary shop (Meeting Places page and Open Shop series, checked today): the shop at 8049 Southeast 29th Street, Tecumseh, KS is open to members every Tuesday, 6:00–10:00 p.m. for lapidary equipment use and for wire-wrapping, silversmithing and lapidary classes. Listed 2026 dates: October 13, 20 and 27; November 3, 10, 17 and 24; and December 1.
Member classes and equipment (Membership page, checked today): classes in wire-wrapping, silversmithing and lapidary are “usually free of charge (except for materials)” and are taught by members. Members get access to club-owned lapidary equipment “(weather permitting)”. A small additional fee may be asked to cover equipment maintenance and upkeep.
Dues (Membership page, checked today): $15.00 a year individual, $20.00 a year couple and $5.00 a year junior (17 or younger). Dues come due in December for the following year and are considered delinquent after the February meeting. Joining takes a membership application and a liability release form, and dues are paid when the forms are turned in.
2026 annual show (Annual Show 2026 page, checked today): Saturday, October 10, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. and Sunday, October 11, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. at the Woodshed Event Center, 1909 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka. Admission is cash only at the door: adults $6 ($5 with a coupon), students aged 13–17 $2, children 12 and under free. The page lists vendors, door prizes, silent auctions, a raffle, kids’ activities, and member demonstrations of jewelry making and of cutting and polishing stones.
Junior Rockhounds (Meeting Places and Junior Rockhounds pages, checked today): meetings are on the first Thursday of each month. Members gather at 6:00 p.m. and classes start at 6:30 p.m. The program is a certified member of the AFMS Future Rockhounds of America and has 20 badge units, including Lapidary Arts, Fossils and Gold Panning & Prospecting.

These dues, dates and addresses are what the official site showed on the check date, and they can change. Confirm on the live site before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

Last checked: 2026-10-08

https://www.topekagms.org/

Membership and dues: https://www.topekagms.org/society-information/membership/

Meeting places and lapidary shop: https://www.topekagms.org/society-information/meeting-places/

Open Shop calendar: https://www.topekagms.org/series/open-shop/

October 23, 2026 general meeting: https://www.topekagms.org/event/general-meeting-4/2026-10-23/

Annual Show 2026: https://www.topekagms.org/society-information/annual-show/annual-show-2026/

Junior Rockhounds: https://www.topekagms.org/junior-rockhounds/

Officers: https://www.topekagms.org/society-information/officers/

Location

General meetings (Meeting Places page and October 23 event page, checked 2026-10-08): First Congregational Church, 1701 SW Collins Ave, Topeka, KS. Lapidary Shop: 8049 Southeast 29th Street, Tecumseh, KS. The 2026 show is at the Woodshed Event Center, 1909 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka. Contact (Officers page): the president is listed at [email protected], and field-trip questions go to [email protected]. A club phone number and mailing address are not stated on site.

The Tecumseh address is a member club lapidary shop. It is not a walk-in lapidary supply store or a public classroom open without membership.

Notes

Category is Clubs. TGMS is a membership society with meetings, a member lapidary shop, member classes, field trips and an annual show. It stays in Clubs rather than Workshops or Suppliers.
The listing uses Topeka as the city because that is the club’s name and where it meets. The lapidary shop is in neighboring Tecumseh, Kansas.
Field trips are for members with currently paid dues who follow the club’s Code of Ethics (Field Trips page). The newest field-trip summaries posted on the site are from 2024 (latest: MCM Quarry, Lecompton, November 23, 2024), so current trip dates are not stated on site.
The newsletter page lists The Glacial Drifter issues through September 2026 as the current issue, with an archive back to 2012.
The home-page menu link labeled “Future Rockhounds” (/rockhounds.html) returned 404 on the check date. The Junior Rockhounds page at /junior-rockhounds/ works and is the one cited.
The 2026 show (October 10–11) falls two days after the check date.
The first-party TGMS logo (crossed rock hammers with the letters T, G, M and S) is saved as topeka-gem-and-mineral-society.png. It came from the club site (/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/cropped-TTGMS-logo-white.png) and was PNG-recompressed only.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: What does TGMS membership cost?
A: The Membership page (checked 2026-10-08) lists $15.00 a year for an individual, $20.00 a year for a couple and $5.00 a year for a junior member (17 or younger). Dues come due in December for the following year. See https://www.topekagms.org/society-information/membership/

Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: Members gather at 7:15 p.m. and the meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. on the fourth Friday of each month at First Congregational Church, 1701 SW Collins Ave, Topeka. June through August are potlucks, and there is no December general meeting. The next meeting on the calendar is October 23, 2026.

Q: Does the club have a lapidary shop?
A: Yes. The Lapidary Shop at 8049 Southeast 29th Street, Tecumseh, KS is open to members on Tuesday nights, 6:00–10:00 p.m., for lapidary equipment use and member-taught classes. Classes are usually free except for materials, and a small equipment-upkeep fee may be asked.

Q: When is the 2026 Topeka gem and mineral show?
A: Saturday, October 10 (10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.) and Sunday, October 11 (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), 2026, at the Woodshed Event Center, 1909 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka. Admission is cash only: adults $6 ($5 with a coupon), students 13–17 $2, children 12 and under free.

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