What it is

The Nassau Mineral Club (NMC) is a Long Island rock, mineral, gem and lapidary club based in Glen Cove, New York. Its home page says it was founded about 70 years ago by Sperry Corporation employees interested in mineralogy and later expanded to include people interested in other fields of geology, including preparing minerals for jewelry (lapidary). The stated purpose, repeated on Membership and in the club by-laws excerpt, is to further and promote interest in geology, mineralogy, gemology, paleontology and the lapidary arts through meetings, lectures, exhibitions and field trips.

The club keeps a lapidary workshop at Garvies Point Museum. Home and Workshop pages say the shop is fully equipped to cut and polish rock slabs and cabochons, facet gems, make chains, cast in silver, enamel metals, and cut, form and solder metal. Open workshops run every Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Special-topic workshops (cabbing opals, faceting, metal clay and others) are listed as upcoming or TBD on the Workshop page.

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, beginning and returning cutters, jewelry makers and collectors on Long Island (and visitors willing to travel) who want a federation-style club with a member shop, Saturday workshop hours and a printed dues rate. Membership is open to any person 16 years of age or older. The site invites non-members to contact the club to arrange a visit.

Why it’s listed

It is a first-party club site with a printed workshop address and Saturday hours, a stated lapidary purpose, a downloadable 2026 membership application that prints dues, and a member cabochon shop with equipment photographs in the club gallery. It is Lapidary Plaza’s first Long Island / Glen Cove club (upstate New York already has the Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse in Liverpool).

Official URL

https://nassaumineralclub.org/

(All checked 2026-11-10 and returned HTTP 200 to curl with a Chrome user agent.)

Location

Garvies Point Museum, 50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove, NY 11542, lower level. Open workshops Saturdays 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Contact lists The Nassau Mineral Club, Inc. at the same Barry Drive address, with email nassaumineralclub@gmail.com and phone 917-560-9257 (Diane). The 2026 application asks that forms and payment be mailed to a membership volunteer in East Northport; that is a return address for dues, not the workshop.

This is a club. It is not a store. Workshop use is described as a membership activity; the site asks visitors to contact the club to arrange a tour.

Notes

Dues (2026 membership application pdf + Membership page, check date): Membership is January 1–December 31. The application lists $100 for 2026 membership dues and $25 per year for renewal (available to prior-year members only). The Membership page prints, in all caps, that membership dues are $100 as of April 1, 2026. Payment may be by check with the mailed form, or, per Membership, electronically (bank, Venmo or Zelle as printed on that page). The application asks that the form and payment be returned before January 31.
Lapidary workshop (Home, Workshop, Events, brochure): Open workshops every Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Members may work individually on club machinery. The brochure says a knowledgeable member will give a new member a stone slab to practice on and preliminary machine instruction. The 2026 application includes workshop safety and machine-training rules (safety glasses, no power equipment for children under 16, training required before use).
Field trip / show (Membership, Events): Members may arrange to dig the club’s shared claim at Diamond Acres, a Herkimer diamond mine in Fonda, NY, beginning in early May, with plans cleared through the president. A yearly trip to the East Coast Gem and Mineral Show in West Springfield, Massachusetts, is mentioned. Events also archives past special workshops; many “upcoming” special-topic workshops were marked TBD on the check date.
Affiliations: Affiliate member of the Eastern Federation of Mineralogical and Lapidary Societies (EFMLS) and the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies (AFMS). The site describes the club as a 501(c)(3) organization.
Small source note: NY already has a club listing in Liverpool (Gem & Mineral Society of Syracuse); this is a separate Long Island club. A Spring 2025 Nugget mentioned earlier dues figures that the current 2026 application and Membership page supersede — this listing uses the 2026 application and Membership page.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No email, phone call or form was used.

FAQ

Q: Where does the Nassau Mineral Club meet?
A: Open workshops are every Saturday, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., on the lower level of Garvies Point Museum, 50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove, NY 11542.

Q: How much does membership cost?
A: The 2026 membership application lists $100 for new membership and $25 for renewal (prior-year members only). The Membership page states dues are $100 as of April 1, 2026.

Q: Does the club have lapidary equipment?
A: Yes. Home, Workshop and brochure pages describe a fully equipped shop for cabochons, slabs, faceting and related crafts, and the official gallery includes photographs of the club’s cabochon and lapidary machines.

Q: Who can join?
A: Membership is open to any person 16 years of age or older. The site was accepting 2026 applications on the check date and invites visitors to contact the club to arrange a visit.

Q: How do I apply?
A: Download the 2026 application from the Membership page, then return it with payment as that page and the form describe (mail, or email plus electronic payment).