This class introduces the theory and techniques of faceting gemstones. During the course, students will facet one or two gemstones with material and equipment provided by the Columbia Willamette Faceters’ Guild. Students will gain sufficient knowledge and techniques to continue faceting on their own.

Where: Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals, Faceting Lab, 26385 NW Groveland Drive, Hillsboro, OR 97124

Class Fees: $150.00 per person and advanced payment is required to reserve your spot.

When: Consists of four classes from 12:00 PM -5:00 PM for a total of 20 hours of instruction. Classes are either 4 weeks of all Saturdays or 2 weeks of 2 Saturdays/2 Sundays.

You can cut, polish, and keep your own gemstone. All equipment and materials are provided.

2018-2019 Class Schedule: 

First Session: September 15-16, 22-23, 2018- FULL
Second Session: October 3, 13, 20, & 27, 2018- FULL
Third Session: November 10-11, 17-28, 2018
Fourth Session: December 1-2, 8-9, 2018
Fifth Session: January 5, 12, 19, & 26, 2019
Sixth Session: February 16-17, 23-24, 2019
Seventh Session: March 9-10, 16-17, 2019
Eighth Session: March 30-31, April 6-7, 2019
Ninth Session: April 27, May 4, 11, & 18, 2019

Thinking of buying a membership to Rice NW Museum this year? We’re happy to once again offer reciprocal membership with our partners in the Portland Attractions Marketing Alliance! Buy a membership to the Rice NW Museum and you will get admission to eleven other great attractions and museums during the following months:

2018 Reciprocal Membership Calendar: 

January: Oregon Zoo
4001 SW Canyon Road
Portland, OR 97221
oregonzoo.org

February: Oregon Historical Society
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR 97205
ohs.org

March: Deepwood Museum & Gardens
1116 Mission Street SE
Salem, OR 97302
Parking on 12th & Lee
deepwoodmuseum.org

April: Lan Su Chinese Garden
239 NW Everett Street
Portland, OR 97209
lansugarden.org

May: Architectural Heritage Center
701 SE Grand Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
visitahc.org

June: Columbia River Maritime Museum
1792 Marine Drive
Astoria, OR 97103
crmm.org

July: World Forestry Center
4033 SW Canyon Road
Portland, OR 97221
worldforestry.org

August: Clark County Historical Museum
1511 Main Street
Vancouver, WA 98660
cchmuseum.org

September: Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals
26385 NW Groveland Drive
Hillsboro, OR 97124
ricenorthwestmuseum.org

October: Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum
500 NE Captain Michael King Smith Way
McMinnville, OR 97128
evergreenmuseum.org

November: Oregon Coast Aquarium
2820 SE Ferry Slip Road
Newport, OR 97365
aquarium.org

December: Washington County Museum
17677 NW Springville Road
Portland, OR 97229
washingtoncountymuseum.org

Rice NW Museum memberships are valid one calendar year from date of purchase and start at just $50. Visit our membership page or the museum store to join us today!

Members must present a valid membership card from one of the participating organizations to receive free admission. Free admission is valid for up to four  individuals, regardless of membership level.

The Rice Museum is more than a museum. It’s about making connections.

Bruce, Leslie, and Julian unpack the Alma Rose for the Westward Look Mineral Show in Tucson, AZ

Tens of thousands of visitors come each year to connect with their families and friends, our staff, and the splendors and complexities of our Earth. By building community and a sense of place on the geological time scale, we strive every day to engage, inspire, and educate these generations.

Think back to the best day that you’ve had at the museum. Who did you connect with?

Volunteers from the Northwest Mineral Prospector’s Club teach children to pan for gold at Summer Festival

In 2017, we broke records. Some were amazing, some were sad. We’ve been thrilled to welcome the most-ever visitors to the museum and to our events. Your support helped us win the most-ever accolades received in the Hillsboro community.  However, we’ve also suffered the most damage ever to our historic structures, and we’ve spent more money than ever responding to emergency repairs.

Will you help?

To continue to best serve you and all of our amazing connections, we need to reinforce our infrastructure. Your gift of any amount will allow us to continue to offer you the best museum experience. We need your help to upgrade our parking and internet technology in 2018 to best serve our community. Together we can strengthen our resources so that we can deepen our connection with you and your friends and family here at the Rice Museum.

Tree Damage repairs to the Northwest Gallery.

Please make your gift today.

Thank you for your support. We look forward to growing stronger together. You can make a tax-deductible donation online right now, by calling us at 503-647-2418, or directly at the museum.

Rice NW Museum will be open extra hours with extra programs over winter break! Join us Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 – 5:00, December 20-24 and December 27-31, 2017. We’ll even have extra programs! Join us for our new Museum Moments daily at 11:00 and Guided Tour at daily 2:00. We will return to normal operating hours on January 3, 2018.

Holiday Hours 2017:

Dec 18 – Closed
Dec 19 – Closed
Dec 20 – Open 10-5
Dec 21 – Open 10-5
Dec 22 – Open 10-5
Dec 23 – Open 10-5
Dec 24- Open 10-5

Dec 25 – Closed
Dec 26 – Closed
Dec 27 – Open 10-5
Dec 28 – Open 10-5
Dec 29 – Open 10-5
Dec 30 – Open 10-5
Dec 31 – Open 10-5

Jan 1 – Closed
Jan 2 – Closed
Jan 3 – Open 1-5
Jan 4 – Open 1-5
Jan 5 – Open 1-5
Jan 6 – Open 10-5
Jan 7 – Open 10-5

To honor those who have or are serving in our nation’s military, the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks an Minerals will admit all veterans and active military free of charge on Friday, November 10, 2017 and Saturday, November 11, 2017.  We thank all the brave men and women who serve our country to preserve the freedoms we enjoy.

The museum will be open to the public regular business hours, which are 1:00 to 5:00 PM on Friday and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturday.  Please remember to bring your military ID with you.