What it is

Tucson Gem & Mineral Society is a nonprofit Tucson, Arizona gem, mineral, and lapidary club established in 1946. Its What We Do page states the Society began as a small group interested in mineral collecting and lapidary, with the intent to further knowledge and appreciation of a hobby that was just beginning to grow. Mission printed there: to encourage interest and study in geology, mineralogy, lapidary, and allied earth sciences. Members get Rock Talk (society newsletter), a membership directory/roster, exclusive Society activities and special events, 50% off admission to the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, member-only field trips, educational classes, summer potlucks, and the chance to volunteer at the Show (Show volunteer roles are framed as open to paid TGMS members only). Affiliations printed on What We Do: Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies and American Federation of Mineralogical Societies. It is not a commercial lapidary supply shop and not a standalone week-long residential teaching school.

Who it’s for

Mineral collectors, rock hounds, lapidary hobbyists, students, families, and Southern Arizona enthusiasts who want club fellowship, first-Monday general meetings with speakers (with printed Labor Day / February exceptions), educational classes, member field trips in Arizona and neighboring states, and eligibility for Show volunteer roles and the member Show-admission discount. General Meetings are open to the public (guests welcome); Zoom continues for members via the TGMS HUB and for non-members by contacting the TGMS Office. Field trips and many special events require Active Member status as of the event registration date.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party Tucson gem & mineral club with a printed Blacklidge Drive office address, a published general-meeting schedule (usually first Monday 7:00 p.m.), printed Hub membership dollar dues by type, dated calendar meetings and educational classes for fall 2026, and official 2027 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show® hours and ticket dollars — not a scraped directory card and not a retail jewelry storefront.

Office / contact (site footer / Hub — checked 2026-09-17): 3727 E Blacklidge Dr, Tucson, AZ 85716; phone (520) 322-5773. Same street address appears on Membership, Calendar, What We Do, and Show footers.
General Meetings (Membership + What We Do + Calendar — checked today): usually the first Monday of the month, starting 7:00 p.m., at the TGMS Office (3727 E. Blacklidge Drive). Membership page notes: June–August meetings are potlucks; September is the second Monday because of the Labor Day holiday. What We Do also notes meetings on the first Monday of each month except September and February. Calendar verified September 14, 2026 TGMS General Meeting (Labor Day shift) 7:00–9:00 p.m. with Anna Domitrovic lecture “Genesis of a Limestone Cave”; October 5, 2026 General Meeting 7:00–9:00 p.m. with Hannah Brodhagen on worldwide rhodochrosite. Refreshments served; members may join via Zoom through the TGMS HUB.
Membership Hub dues (hub.tgms.org/membership — checked today): Adult — $36.36 / year (ages 18–118); Family — $51.81 / year (adults and children under 18 living in the same household); Student — $10.61 / year (college students); Junior — $5.47 / year (kids under 18). Society dues cover one year. Special notice on Hub: checks are not being accepted for membership payment at this time. Active Member status after fee is paid and the form is processed (may take up to 10 days). Memberships will not be processed at the Show; $5.00 fee for replacement cards. Benefits printed: Rock Talk subscription; Membership Directory; exclusive Society activities and special events; 50% off annual Show admission; Show volunteer eligibility for paid members.
Sample calendar events (Calendar — checked today): TGMS Ed. Class — September 15, 2026, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m., instructor Bill Shelton, topic “The RAREST Elements and Their Minerals” (members RSVP via HUB); Micromount Meeting Aug 17, 2026; member field trips (examples on calendar: Rowley Mine Mar 21, 2026; Temporal Gulch Mar 14, 2026 — Active Members only).
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show® (Show page — checked today): next public Show dates printed as February 11–14, 2027 at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Avenue, Tucson. Hours: Thu Feb 11 / Fri Feb 12 / Sat Feb 13 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; Sun Feb 14 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Admission $15.00 ($14 + $1 TCC ticket tax); children 14 and under FREE with a paying adult; Friday Feb 12, 2027 Military (active & retired) & Senior Citizens (62+) Day — $2.00 off regular ticket; 2-day tickets $26.00. Show page frames the event as the 72nd TGMS Show. Tickets at the door or TCC Ticket Box Office (TGMS does not sell tickets directly).

Meeting exceptions, dues, Show hours/tickets, and class topics above are what the official pages showed on the check date. They can change. Confirm on the live Membership Hub, Calendar, What We Do, and Show pages before treating any date, fee, or seat as fixed.

Official URL

https://www.tgms.org/

What We Do (mission & affiliations): https://www.tgms.org/what-we-do

Membership (benefits & types): https://www.tgms.org/membership

Membership Hub (dollar dues & join): https://hub.tgms.org/membership/

Calendar: https://www.tgms.org/calendar

Show (2027 dates, hours, tickets): https://www.tgms.org/show

School Visits: https://www.tgms.org/school-visits

Location

TGMS Office / meeting facility — 3727 E Blacklidge Dr, Tucson, AZ 85716. Phone (520) 322-5773. General Meetings: usually first Monday, 7:00 p.m. (September Labor Day shift to second Monday; February exception per What We Do). Major public show: Tucson Gem and Mineral Show® at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Avenue, Tucson — next printed dates February 11–14, 2027.

This is a member clubhouse / meeting / Society office address, not a walk-in commercial lapidary supply warehouse and not a residential week-long teaching campus.

Notes

Category is Clubs. Nonprofit gem & mineral / lapidary membership society with printed office meeting schedule, Hub dues, educational classes, field trips, and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. Not a Workshops residential school and not a Suppliers retail shop.
2027 Show dates/hours/ticket dollars, Hub dues $36.36 / $51.81 / $10.61 / $5.47, Sep 14 & Oct 5 2026 general meetings, and Sep 15 2026 educational class sample are transcribed from official pages checked on 2026-09-17 and may change.
First-party brandmark saved beside this listing as tucson-gem-mineral-society.png (from tgms.org Squarespace TGMS Brandmark asset, composited on dark green for visibility).
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When and where are general meetings?
A: Membership / What We Do / Calendar (checked 2026-09-17): usually first Monday of the month, 7:00 p.m., at the TGMS Office, 3727 E Blacklidge Dr, Tucson. September shifts to the second Monday for Labor Day (2026 meeting was Sep 14); What We Do also notes a February exception. Guests welcome; Zoom available. Confirm live Calendar notices.

Q: What does membership cost?
A: Official TGMS Hub membership products checked 2026-09-17: Adult $36.36/year; Family $51.81/year; Student $10.61/year; Junior $5.47/year. Confirm live amounts at https://hub.tgms.org/membership/

Q: Is TGMS a public drop-in lapidary school or supply shop?
A: No. TGMS is listed here as a Clubs entry — a membership organization with Society meetings, educational classes, field trips, and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. Public visitors are welcomed at general meetings and the annual Show; field trips and many special events require Active Member status. For week-long residential curriculum, see a Workshops listing; for equipment/rough retail, see a Suppliers listing.