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Since its foundation in 2022, the Tullahoma satellite chapter of Middle Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society (MTGMS) has provided classes and learning opportunities to teens and adults wanting to learn more about geology and jewelry-making.

Kenneth Swann founded the Tullahoma satellite chapter of MTGMS and the lapidary school it is centered on after his retirement from BellSouth at the request of then-society president Will Smith.

With the support of the Coffee County Senior Citizens Center, Swann and other members of the main Murfreesboro club set to work converting a storage shed behind that center into a school workshop. Since that time, the Tullahoma chapter has expanded to include two buildings that house the machines and materials necessary to cut, polish and make jewelry from found rock.

            The MTGMS offers silversmithing, wire-wrapping, bracelet and other jewelry-making classes, as well as grooving and faceting classes. These classes run over multiple sessions, with registered students paying a nominal fee for materials and compensation for the instructor, all of which goes to further the community education work that the society does.

Classes and meetings are held at the lapidary building behind the Coffee County Senior Center, located at 410 North Collins Street in Tullahoma.

The monthly MTGMS business meetings, which often include guest speakers and video programs, are held inside the center at 3 p.m. on the second Sunday of the month. Meetings are open to the public, and membership is available for individuals and families, at a rate of $15 for the first person and $2 for each additional family member in the same household, according to the society’s website.

New members are always welcome; but because of the nature of the machines, membership is limited to those age 18 and older. For information, visit online at www.mtgms.org or email at infomtgms.org.

Established in Murfreesboro in 1983, MTGMS is a non-profit educational society dedicated to the study and enjoyment of earth sciences and lapidary (stone cutting and polishing) arts. The society is a member of the Southeast Federation of Mineralogical Societies, which is a member of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies.

The group has grown over the years to include nearly 400 amateur geologists. The Mid-Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society is open to the public for the education of all who wish to attend.

The Mid-Tennessee Gem and Mineral Society has provided many past and current scholarships to students in the Geology/Earth Sciences, including: the David Shepard Scholarship, for Tennessee Technological Institute in Cookeville; Wilbur White Scholarship, for Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro; Owens Brothers Scholarship, for Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma; Vernon Meerdink Scholarship, for Austin Peay University in Clarksville; and others.