What it is

The Central Florida Mineral & Gem Society (CFMGS) is a nonprofit rock, mineral, gem and lapidary club based in Orlando, Florida. Its home and About pages say it was founded in 1961 and is dedicated to sharing knowledge and enjoyment of rocks, minerals, gemstones, lapidary arts, beading and related crafts. The club keeps a workshop with cabbing equipment, tools and faceting machines, and it runs classes through the year in cabochons, silversmithing, metal work, wire wrapping and beading.

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, beginning and returning cutters, jewelry makers and families in the Orlando / central Florida area who want a federation-style club with a member lapidary shop, low annual dues and ongoing workshop hours. Visitors can tour the workshop on weekends when noted on About.

Why it’s listed

It is a first-party club site with a printed workshop address, clear second-Monday meeting place and time, stated lapidary purpose, printed dues on the membership application, and member cabochon workshop hours. It is Lapidary Plaza’s first Orlando / central Florida club (northeast Florida already has Tomoka in Holly Hill).

Official URL

https://cfmgs.org/

Membership 2026: https://cfmgs.org/membership/
About: https://cfmgs.org/about-cfmgs/
Classes and Workshop: https://cfmgs.org/classes/
Events: https://cfmgs.org/events/
Membership application (docx): https://cfmgs.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-Memebrship-A.docx
PayPal dues link (from Membership page): https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/W9H2AJU2QRKKN

(All checked 2026-11-09 and returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent.)

Location

Workshop: 6100 S. Orange Avenue suite 190A, Orlando, FL 32809 (home/About also print 6100 S. Orange Avenue). Meetings: Pine Castle Woman’s Club, 5901 S. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32809, 2nd Monday of the month, 7:00–9:00 p.m.

This is a club. It is not a store. Workshop access and self-paced classes require membership as described on the Classes page.

Notes

Dues (membership application docx + Classes page, check date): $20.00 single membership per year; fiscal year January 1–December 31; dues payable October–December; members unpaid by January 31 are dropped. Classes page also states classes require a $20 CFMGS annual membership and that self-paced classes are $6/hour (scheduled event classes priced by the instructor). Application lists workshop/class $10.00 per minor ages 12–18 with parent alongside the $6/hour line.
Lapidary workshop (Classes page): Cabochon Cutting Workshop at the Orange Ave shop, Saturdays 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. and Wednesdays after 4:00 p.m.; instructors named for cabochons, silversmithing, wire wrapping, faceting and rock cutting/slabbing.
Meetings / events (Events + home, check date): November 9, 2026, 7:00–9:00 p.m. — 65th-anniversary celebration and meeting at Pine Castle Woman’s Club; CFMGS Gem Show September 12–13, 2026 listed on the site.
Membership page links a PayPal payment button and the downloadable 2026 application form.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No email, phone call or form was used.

FAQ

Q: Where does CFMGS meet?
A: Monthly meetings are at the Pine Castle Woman’s Club, 5901 S. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32809, on the second Monday, 7:00–9:00 p.m. The workshop is at 6100 S. Orange Avenue suite 190A, Orlando, FL 32809.

Q: How much does membership cost?
A: $20/year single membership per the 2026 membership application and Classes page.

Q: Does the club have lapidary equipment?
A: Yes. Home, About and Classes pages describe a workshop with cabbing equipment, tools and faceting machines, plus Saturday and Wednesday cabochon workshop hours for members.

Q: Can non-members take classes?
A: The Classes page says classes require a $20 CFMGS annual membership; self-paced time is $6/hour after that.

Q: When is the next meeting?
A: On the check date the Events calendar highlighted the November 9, 2026 anniversary meeting; confirm the next date on https://cfmgs.org/events/.