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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. New this year! Session 5 (January) is a class of 4 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- FULL Fourth Session: December 1-2, 8-9, 2018- FULL Fifth Session: January 6, 13, 20, & 27, 2019- FULL Sixth Session: February 16-17, 23-24, 2019- GUILD MEMBERS ONLY Seventh Session: March 9-10, 16-17, 2019- FULL Eighth Session: March 30-31, April 6-7, 2019- FULL Ninth Session: April 27, May 4, 11, & 18, 2019- FULL

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. 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.

Local author Tonya Macalino will release her latest book at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals on October 7, 2017 from 2:00-4:00 PM. Executive Director Julian Gray, author Tonya Macalino, and representatives from the Hillsboro Historical Society will present connections to local history and special places in the third book of The Gates of Auròna children’s chapter book series and Tonya will be signing her book. The Rice Museum features as a major location for the young adventurers in Macalino’s new release The Gates of Auròna: Spinwatch, which is set in Hillsboro, Oregon. Many local personalities appear as character inspirations in the series, including Executive Director Julian Gray and Curator Leslie Moclock. “I had never seen dragons guarding the Alma Rose until Tonya brought them to us,” said Moclock, “It’s wonderful to imagine mythical beasts helping us guard our museum treasures!” The event will take place inside the Master Gallery of the museum, where the greatest treasures of the museum and the magic crystals of the book are located. Admission to the museum is included with purchase of the third book, The Gates of Auròna: Spinwatch. All three books in the series will be available for purchase in the museum store, inside at the event, and online through Amazon.com. Craft projects, prizes, and light refreshments will be available. Preregistration is requested at www.thegatesofauronabook3.eventbrite.com