Our Federations
The Tar Heel Gem & Mineral Club is part of a larger network of mineralogical societies — connections that bring our members insurance, education, and friends across the country.
Stronger together
Federation membership is more than a name on a list. It is what makes our annual show and field trips possible — and it opens the door to workshops, newsletters, and clubs well beyond North Carolina.
Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies
The Tar Heel Gem & Mineral Club is a member of the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. — an organization of gem and mineral clubs across the southeastern United States. The SFMS publishes the informative Lodestar newsletter and sponsors activities promoting geology, mineralogy, gemology, lapidary, and related fields.
Our membership in the Southeast Federation provides the insurance coverage for our annual gem & mineral show and for members on field trips — a prerequisite for access to many commercial quarries and mines. In return, your membership in our club satisfies a prerequisite for taking part in many SFMS activities, including the wonderful educational workshops held each year at Wildacres and at William Holland.
American Federation of Mineralogical Societies
The Southeast Federation is, in turn, a member of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies, Inc. — a meta-federation of gem and mineral club federations across the United States.
The AFMS website is well worth exploring. Its regional-federations directory lists all seven member federations, and each federation keeps its own roster of clubs — closest to home, the SFMS North Carolina clubs page is the best starting point for finding other gem and mineral clubs across the state.