What it is

The Rock & Mineral Society of Hawai’i (also Hui Pōhaku Ō Hawai‘i) is a Honolulu mineral, rock and lapidary club. Its home page says it is the only mineral club in the state, was established in 1970, and is “a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to mineral and rock collecting and appreciation and the lapidary arts.” The membership form uses the corporate name Rock & Mineral Society of Hawai’i, Inc., and describes it as a community-benefit nonprofit.

Monthly meetings are in person on the fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:15–8:00 p.m., in the Arts & Crafts Building at Makiki District Park. The home page printed the next meeting as Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. (topic TBA), and notes that November and December dates may be adjusted. Meetings open with club business, then an educational program (mineral of the month and show-and-tell, and sometimes a speaker or presentation), and end with “talk story” until the room must be vacated at 8:00 p.m. sharp.

The same Arts & Crafts Building “hosts the lapidary lab upstairs.” Membership benefits include access to that shop and periodic Thursday-evening lapidary training.

Who it’s for

Rockhounds, beginning and returning cutters, collectors and families in Honolulu (and visitors or non-residents willing to join) who want a first-party club with a printed meeting place, a member lapidary shop and printed dues. The form says membership is open to all ages, families welcome, including non-residents. The public is invited to attend any single meeting as guests.

Why it’s listed

It is a first-party club site with a printed Honolulu meeting address and schedule, a stated lapidary purpose and member shop, a downloadable membership form that prints dues, and a next-meeting date on the check date. It is Lapidary Plaza’s first Hawaii listing.

Official URL

https://hawaiimineralsociety.pohakugalore.net/

The site’s printed domain, https://www.rockandmineralsocietyofhawaii.org/, redirected to that same home page (checked 2026-11-11, HTTP 200).

Membership: https://hawaiimineralsociety.pohakugalore.net/become-a-member-of-the-rock-and-mineral-society-of-hawaii/
Membership form (pdf): https://hawaiimineralsociety.pohakugalore.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/RSMH-club-membership-form.pdf
Lapidary class / lab FAQ: https://hawaiimineralsociety.pohakugalore.net/become-a-member-of-the-rock-and-mineral-society-of-hawaii/lapidary-class-honolulu/
Newsletters: https://hawaiimineralsociety.pohakugalore.net/newsletter-of-the-rock-and-mineral-society-of-hawaii/
August 2026 show page: https://hawaiimineralsociety.pohakugalore.net/one-day-hawaii-mineral-and-gem-show-sale-august-2026/

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

Location

Arts & Crafts Building, Makiki District Park, 1527 Keeaumoku St, Honolulu, HI, fourth Wednesday, 6:15–8:00 p.m. The home page says every building in the park uses that same street address, with no visible building signage; the Arts & Crafts Building is described as the one in the middle of the park, with an accessible ramp. Parking is free but limited. Mailing address on the membership form: Rock & Mineral Society of Hawai’i, PO Box 23020, Honolulu, HI 96823-3020.

This is a club. It is not a store. The member lapidary shop and the City and County Parks and Recreation adult lapidary class that uses the same lab are membership or registration activities, not a public drop-in studio.

Notes

Dues (membership form pdf, uploaded September 2026, check date): Single $20; Family (2 or more) $30.00. The form has check boxes for New Member and Renewal, and asks that renewals be returned before January 31 of the year. Payment is by check payable to Rock & Mineral Society of Hawai’i at the Honolulu PO Box. The PDF’s internal title still reads “Rock Club Membership 2023 edited final”; the file was created September 2, 2026, and is the form linked from the current Membership page. This listing uses that form.
Lapidary shop (Membership, home, lapidary-class page): Members have access to “the only well-equipped lapidary shop on the Island,” also in Makiki District Park. Classes and training by experienced members are listed for Thursday evenings periodically (attend a meeting for details). The lab is upstairs in the Arts & Crafts Building. The form lists special-interest check boxes including Lapidary and Faceting. The club’s public FAQ says the society does not teach faceting in that lab.
Related Parks and Recreation class (lapidary-class page, check date): The City and County of Honolulu, Parks and Recreation, offers a free adult lapidary class at the same park in Spring, Summer and Fall sessions; it is run by club volunteers and requires official Parks registration. The pages still stated that the summer 2026 class (started in June) was full, with a waiting list. This listing is the club, not that class; no upcoming Parks session date or price was printed on the club site on the check date.
Show (show page, check date): The club hosted a one-day mineral, jewelry and gem show on Saturday, August 29, 2026, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., at Washington Middle School cafeteria, 1633 S King Street, Honolulu, with free admission and parking. That date was already past on the check date.
Small source note: Current newsletters are sent only to paid members and are no longer published on the public newsletters page. Officer names on the form (president Mark Ludwig; vice-president/lapidary Dean Sakabe) are as printed there. This is Hawai‘i’s first Lapidary Plaza listing.
Not affiliated with Lapidary Plaza. No email, phone call or form was used.

FAQ

Q: When and where does the club meet?
A: On the fourth Wednesday of each month, 6:15–8:00 p.m., in the Arts & Crafts Building at Makiki District Park, 1527 Keeaumoku St, Honolulu. On the check date the next meeting was listed as Wednesday, November 25, 2026, at 6:15 p.m.

Q: How much does membership cost?
A: The membership form linked from the official site prints $20 for a Single membership and $30 for a Family (2 or more).

Q: Does the club have a lapidary shop?
A: Yes. Membership pages describe a well-equipped shop in Makiki District Park, in the same Arts & Crafts Building, with periodic Thursday-evening training. Attend a meeting for current shop details.

Q: Can I visit before I join?
A: Yes. The membership form and home page say the public is invited to attend any single meeting as guests.

Q: How do I apply?
A: Download the membership form from the Membership page and return it with a check as the form describes. No form was submitted for this listing.