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The Huntsville Gem and Mineral Society (HGMS) is a non-profit educational organization for people interested in mineralogy, geology, paleontology, lapidary arts and related fields.  Our primary purpose is to educate our members and the general public in these areas.  We accomplish this by presenting programs, shows and lectures (to school children and organizations); hosting field trips; and exchanging rocks, minerals and fossils.  We have regular monthly meetings, and special annual events, such as the Fundraising Auction, the Picnic and Rock Swap, the Gem, Jewelry, and Mineral Show (the largest in North Alabama), and the Christmas Dinner.  Plus, HGMS members have access to a state-of-the-art lapidary shop and to jewelry crafting activities, such as wire working and metalsmithing.  Guests and visitors are always welcome!

President’s Message

In lieu of a meeting this month we are happy to be resuming our annual auction.  I hope many of you will be able to make it out and buy some treasures.  We also had a field trip opportunity to go out to the Hollytree area and search for Paint Rock agate.  As of this writing, a few of us went to brave the cold winter weather and found some nice Paint Rock agate.  There will be more opportunities to access this location, but we are limited to the number of people who can go at any one time.  Watch your email for the next chance.  And if you are fortunate enough to go on this trip or others, always be considerate of the property owner and their rules so that we can continue to get access to these areas.  Forging these relationships takes time and effort.  Thanks to Bill for putting us onto this one.  In closing, let’s have a great auction! az (Anthony Zwilling)

William Holland Welcomes Back In-Person Classes

The SFMS (Southeast Federation of Mineral Societies) classes at William Holland are open for registration! Classes run June 5 – 10th. There are still openings in all classes except Flame Painting. The instructors and classes are:

Cindy Moore – Metal Mania
Gene Sheridan – Wire Wrap II (needs students)
Debora Mauser – Low Tech Casting (needs students)
Jerri Heer – Seed Beaded Cabs (needs students)
Tom Slavicek – Leather (needs students)
Valerie LaMotte – Silver I
Paul Roberts – Cabs II
Bill Boggs – Intarsia II
Guy Meador – Flint Knapping
Samantha Lazzaro – Enameling I (needs students)
Becky Patellis – Soft Solder
Bob Hohn – Flame Painting (Waiting List Only)

For class descriptions and instructor bios, see https://www.sfmsworkshops.org. For more information, send email to Cindy Reed, the SFMS WH-Registrar, at wh-registrar@southeastfed.org.

The William Holland School of Lapidary Arts is located at 230 Lapidary Lane, Young Harris, Georgia, 30582. For more information, see www.lapidaryschool.org.