ORIGIN
The Houston Gem and Mineral Society (HGMS) was originally founded as the Houston Rock and Lapidary Club on December 7, 1948. Shortly after organizing as a club, the name was changed to its present one. The society is open to all persons with rockhound or fossil "fever." We offer something for every family member, from junior members to senior citizens, and our activities encourage family participation.

SECTIONS
We have six special interest sections, each with different meeting times and leadership:

	A general interest alternative to evening meetings
	Cutting gemstones
	Cutting and shaping rocks for jewelry and other uses
	Study and collection of minerals in their unmodified state
	Meetings, programs, classes, trips, and publications concerning fossils
	A Saturday group for children ages 5–17

MEMBERSHIP
ANNUAL DUES:  1/2 price July 1 and after 
Single Adult ………………………..$30.00        Youth….....…………………………………$8.00
Couple ……………………….……..$40.00        Family (all members in one house) ……$50.00
The Membership form can be printed and mailed to HGMS, or you can fill one out at a meeting. Click on "Join Us" above.

HGMS Bylaws
Download the recently approved 2005 version of the HGMS Bylaws (30 KB in PDF format).

• The six Sections (Day Light, Faceting, Lapidary, Mineral, Paleontology, and Youth) mentioned above.
• Rock, mineral (economic, hardness), and fossil set donations to schools and teachers.
• Scholarships awarded to students at the University of Houston and San Jacinto College.
• Adult education courses in earth sciences, jewelry making, and the lapidary arts. E-mail us for information on the latest class schedule. Click on Class Descriptions for an idea of typical course offerings. Click on Class Schedules for March–October 2005 class schedules.
• Mineral Section and Paleontology Section libraries (see the Paleo library index).
• The K-12 Education Page has a multitude of resources for K-12 earth science education.