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Apache Junction Rock and Gem Club

East Valley rock club since 1961, with its own lapidary shop in Apache Junction

Founded
1961; nonprofit since 1966
Members
More than 500
Meets
2nd Thursday of the month, 6 pm, September to May
Where
Club lapidary shop, 2151 W Superstition Blvd, Apache Junction
Lapidary shop
Open year-round, Monday to Saturday, for members
Field trips
October to April
Classes
Lapidary, silversmithing and more
Kids
Youth program

Club with field trips for members

Based in Apache Junction, Arizona.

ajrockclub.com ↗facebook.com ↗

Prospect on your own near Apache Junction

22 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.

Nearest open public land on our fossil and meteorite map: about 68 miles away.

There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.

Open the gem and mineral map around Apache Junction →See the nearest open land on the fossil and meteorite map →

Prospecting and collecting rules in Arizona →

About Apache Junction Rock and Gem Club

The Apache Junction Rock and Gem Club was started in 1961 by a small group whose main interest was field trips to collect rocks, and it became a nonprofit in January 1966. At the beginning members cut stone in their own home shops, so a club shop wasn't a priority. By 1981 the club had 90 members meeting in a church on Superstition Blvd; today it has more than 500.

Getting a home of its own took decades. From 1988 to 2000 the club ran a lapidary room and a silversmithing room at the local community college, with the college providing the rooms and the club the machines. In April 2012 it finally obtained its own building, at 2151 W Superstition Blvd, which now holds the lapidary shop and hosts the meetings. The shop is open all year, Monday to Saturday, and classes cover lapidary, silversmithing and more.

General meetings are on the second Thursday of the month at 6 pm, September to May, at the shop. They have educational talks and speakers, club news, a silent auction, a raffle and refreshments afterwards, and visitors are always welcome. In December the meeting becomes a potluck holiday dinner.

Field trips run from October to April, in the cool months, to collect material for the shop, and they include fossil hunting too: a 2026 trip went north-east of Payson for quartz crystals, geodes and fossils. The club's rules say every trip follows state and federal regulations.

The club puts on two rock shows, one at Apache Junction High School and one at Skyline High School in Mesa, and has funded scholarships for local students since 1983. It also has a youth program for junior rockhounds and donates earth science books to local libraries.

Other clubs and places nearby

Where to buy gear nearby

Sources