About Us

The Fluorescent Mineral Society is an international organization of professional mineralogists, gemologists, amateur collectors, and others who study and collect fluorescent minerals. The society was founded in 1971, incorporated in 1993, and was registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2018. The FMS is managed and staffed entirely by volunteers from our worldwide membership of nearly 400 members.

The mission of the FMS is:

  • To share knowledge and experience gained from the study, identification, collection, and display of fluorescent minerals and minerals that exhibit related forms of luminescence, such as phosphorescence, tenebrescence, triboluminescence, and thermoluminescence.
  • To organize seminars, conduct research, promote displays and exchanges, and to disseminate information about luminescent minerals.
  • To encourage interest related to fluorescent minerals, such as the development of improved ultraviolet lighting systems, the photography of fluorescent minerals, the study of luminescent properties related to fluorescence, and exploration of the various applications of fluorescence.

Worldwide Membership

The FMS has about 400 members in 41 states of the USA and 14 other countries. The Society has chapters in the Northeast, Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Northwest, Northern California, and Southern California, regions of the United States plus an “at large” chapter that discusses topics of research interest to members. We also participate in Outreach programs offered to schools, local mineral clubs, local gem shows, and museums.

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    FMS Leadership

    Officiers President Philip Neuhoff
    Vice President Lee McIlvaine IV
    Secretary Melissa Applebee
    Treasurer Andrew Silver
    Directors George Adleman
    Daniel Moore
    Bruce Bannon
    Mike Crawford
    Doug Bank
    Stephanie Koles
    Chapters Southwest Rick Olson
    Rocky Mountain (RMC) Brian Walko
    Northwest (NWC) Jennifer Moore
    Southern California (SCC) David Stuck
    Northeast Region Fluresophiles (NERFs) Howie Green
    Northern California (NCC) Glenn Waychunas
    Midwest (MWC) Nicholas Viltrakis
    European Fluorescent Mineral Circle (EFMC)
    Facebook Mark Cole
    Research (Res) Philip Neuhoff

    FMS Constitution & By-Laws

    The first version of the FMS Constitution was written and approved in 1971, and was sent out to the FMS members with the December 1971 issue of UV Waves. At that time the FMS was only 9 months old and counted 45 members. The Constitution was then updated in 1989, to better reflect the status of the society. A second update was proposed in 2010 and approved at the 2011 FMS Annual Meeting in Tucson, Arizona. This was a major, 4-year long effort to develop a replacement for the previous constitution, which had in many ways become outdated. This is the current FMS Constitution. As of today, only one By-Laws has been approved by the FMS Board, regarding the Fluorescent Mineral Society Hall of Fame.

    FMS Presidents

    Don Newsome (#14) 1971 – 1975
    Ted Rutherford (#58) 1975 – 1977
    Jessie Chittenden (#347) 1978 – 1987
    Rodney Burroughs (#471) 1987 – 2006
    Jan Wittenberg (#718) 2006 – 2011
    Al Liebetrau (#594) 2012 – 2015
    Conrad North (#1904) 2015 – 2019
    Steve Hutchcraft (#1998) 2019
    Conrad North (#1904) 2020 – 2021
    Rhett Peterson (#2087) 2021 – 2022
    Lee McIlvaine IV (#801) 2022
    Philip Neuhoff (#2120) 2023 – Present