What it is

Mid-Tennessee Gem & Mineral Society (MTGMS) Lapidary at Fifty Forward is a first-party public lapidary workshop program presented by Mid-Tennessee Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. at FiftyForward Donelson Station in Nashville, Tennessee. The official Schools page describes multi-week Lapidary / Stone Polishing courses in a dedicated lapidary classroom with Genies, saws and polishers, teaching students to cut and polish cabochons from slab material. Registration is through Fifty Forward; the Schools page states you do not need to be a member of either the Center or MTGMS to take a class (Center members pay lower center fees). It is a public, fee-based, pre-scheduled course series. It is not a membership gem-club listing by itself and not a retail supply shop.

Who it’s for

Adult beginners and all skill levels in the Nashville / Middle Tennessee area who want an instructor-led introduction to cabochon cutting and polishing with published center and maintenance fees and a dated quarterly schedule. The Fall 2026 schedule labels Lapidary/Stone Polishing as All experience levels. Students must have the mental, physical and eyesight skills to be safe in class; the instructor approves participation during the first class.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party lapidary workshop with a printed campus street address, a named presenting society (MTGMS) and host center (FiftyForward Donelson), dated Fall 2026 session starts, and on-page / PDF dollar prices for Fifty Forward members and non-members plus maintenance fees. It is not a scraped directory card, not a gem-club meeting listing alone, and not a jewelry retail storefront.

Presenter and venue (Schools page and Fall 2026 Class Schedule PDF, checked 2026-10-01): Mid-Tennessee Gem & Mineral Society, Inc. at FiftyForward Donelson Station, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37214-2902. Registration phone on the Fall schedule: 615-883-8375 (Fifty Forward). Schools page also links www.fiftyforward.org/donelson.htm.
Price — Lapidary/Stone Polishing (Fall 2026 Class Schedule PDF, checked today): typical Center Member Fee $40 / Non-Member Fee $70, plus Maint Fee $40 (one Friday daytime section shows Maint $50). Fees are a one-time charge for the full length of the class. Fifty Forward Center members pay 50% of the non-member center fees per the schedule note. Additional slabs and rocks are available for purchase in class.
Schedule samples (Fall 2026 Class Schedule PDF, checked today): multiple Lapidary/Stone Polishing sections with first class dates including Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Friday, October 2 at 9:00 a.m.; Monday, October 5 at 6:30 p.m.; Wednesday, October 7 at 6:30 p.m. Sections are listed as 11 class meetings, 2 or 3 hours each, in the Lapidary Room. Sign-up for Fall began in person Saturday, September 19, then by phone from Monday, September 21.
Curriculum (Schools page, checked today): cut cabochons from slab material; use club/center Genies, saws and polishers; beginners receive agate or jasper for a first project. Regular lapidary courses are described as about 12 weeks (Fall PDF notes lapidary as 12 two-hour classes / 24 hours of instruction in the schedule-reading notes, while the Fall grid shows 11 meetings for several sections—confirm the live PDF before relying on a count).

The fees, times and session dates above are what the official Schools page and Fall 2026 PDF showed on the check date. Quarters and fees change. Confirm on the live Schools page and current schedule PDF before registering.

Official URL

Last checked: 2026-10-01

http://mtgms.org/schools.htm

Fall 2026 Class Schedule (PDF): http://mtgms.org/schools/2026%20Fall%20MTGMS%20Class%20Schedule.pdf

Fall 2026 Class Descriptions (PDF): http://mtgms.org/schools/2026%20Fall%20MTGMS%20Class%20Descriptions.pdf

MTGMS home: http://mtgms.org/

Location

Classes meet at FiftyForward Donelson Station, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37214-2902, in the Lapidary Room / Lapidary Classroom described on the Schools page. Registration goes through Fifty Forward (615-883-8375 per the Fall schedule).

This is a public senior-center classroom venue hosting MTGMS courses. It is not a gem-club membership application page and not a lapidary retail counter. (MTGMS also partners with a Tullahoma Coffee County Senior Citizens Center site; this listing is for the Donelson / Nashville lapidary program.)

Notes

Category is Workshops. This is a public, pay-per-course lapidary series with a printed schedule and dollar fees through Fifty Forward / MTGMS Schools pages. It is not a Clubs membership society listing (though MTGMS is a society) and not a Suppliers equipment or rough shop.
The $40 / $70 center fees and ~$40 maintenance fee are copied from the official Fall 2026 Class Schedule PDF checked on 2026-10-01 and may change. Prefer the live PDF linked from http://mtgms.org/schools.htm.
The official Schools site is served over http (https to mtgms.org did not return a usable page on the check date). Cite the http URLs that returned HTTP 200.
A first-party lapidary classroom photo is saved as mtgms-fifty-forward-lapidary.jpg. It came from mtgms.org (/images/schools/LapidaryClassroom.jpg) and was not otherwise edited beyond JPEG recompression.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza.
No Lapidary Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: How much is the Fifty Forward / MTGMS Lapidary class?
A: The Fall 2026 Class Schedule PDF (checked 2026-10-01) lists Lapidary/Stone Polishing at about $40 for Fifty Forward members and $70 for non-members, plus a maintenance fee around $40 ($50 on one Friday section). Confirm on http://mtgms.org/schools.htm and the linked Fall PDF.

Q: When and where does it meet?
A: Fall 2026 sections checked on 2026-10-01 included starts on October 1 (Thu 10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.), October 2 (Fri 9:00 a.m.), October 5 (Mon 6:30 p.m.) and October 7 (Wed 6:30 p.m.) at FiftyForward Donelson Station, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville, TN 37214-2902, Lapidary Room.

Q: Do I need MTGMS or Fifty Forward membership to register?
A: The Schools page (checked 2026-10-01) says you do not need to be a member of either the Center or MTGMS to take a class. Fifty Forward members receive the lower center fee (50% of the non-member center fee per the schedule note). Registration is through Fifty Forward, not a gem-club dues path alone.

Q: Is this a gem club or a supply shop?
A: Neither as listed here. This entry is under Workshops. It is a public, fee-based lapidary course series from MTGMS at FiftyForward Donelson. For membership gem societies, see Clubs. For equipment and rough, see Suppliers.