DENVER GEM & MINERAL SHOW
SEPT 12 - 15 2024
THE WESTIN WESTMINSTER
Denver's Original Gem & Mineral Show
The Greater Denver Area Gem & Mineral Council is pleased to announce that it will again be hosting the 56th Annual 2024 Denver Gem & Mineral Show in conjunction with the Hardrock Summit, to be held at the The Westin Westminster, Thursday thru Sunday:
See You
September 12-15, 2024
The theme of the 2024 Show is Mineral Oddities.
The 2024 Denver Gem & Mineral Show (DGMS) in conjunction with the Hardrock Summit will be held at a new location this year at the Westin Westminster Hotel from September 12-15, 2024. The address for the hotel is 10600 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CO 80020.
The DGMS will have a separate area at the hotel that includes dealers, fluorescent room, special exhibits, education displays, gold planning, and grab bags.
Hours for the Show are Thursday through Saturday 10:00am to 6:00 pm and Sunday 10:00am to 3:00pm. Admission and parking for Hardrock Summit and DGMS will be FREE.
Denver Gem and Mineral Show theme: Mineral Oddities
Mineral oddities are those specimens that have characteristics that are different – that sets a particular mineral specimen apart from those that are just beautiful, although oddities can be beautiful. Oddities though, have a strength of personality. This strength can result in a mineral display that is truly memorable.
Some examples of mineral oddities are all pseudomorphs (including encrustation pseudomorphs) such as quartz after anhydrite, calcite after ikaite (AKA glendonites), hematite after siderite, goethite after calcite or muscovite after schorl. Other pseudomorph oddities are fossils replaced by minerals such as pyritized snails or opalized belemites. Distorted crystals of all kinds are odd such as pseudocubic quartz crystals, quartz gwindels, faden quartz, flattened or elongated minerals such as pyrite bars and other crystals showing preferred directions of growth, scepter crystals of quartz, tourmaline or even phenakite and copper, gold and silver dendrites or wires. Also “odd” is the preferential, epitactic growth of one mineral on specific crystal parts of other minerals.
Twins are always unusual such as rutile or chrysoberyl sixlings, Japanese law quartz twins, feldspar twins, spinel twinning in galena, etc.
Minerals or rocks with anthropomorphic, zoomorphic or phytomorphic shapes will always be eye catching. Known mineral examples are the snail rhodochrosite from South Africa, the camel goethite from Crystal Peak, the seahorse and golden bear gold nuggets from California, and the owl image in agate from Mexico. Chinese viewstones (qishi [ 奇石 ]or literally strange stones) fall into this group. Humanoid shapes of questionable delicacy would also be odd and might attract unnecessary attention.
Mineral fakes are also odd; they should attract necessary attention for recognizing what not to fall victim to such as glued aquamarines in feldspar, cinnabar crystals glued on matrix, laboratory grown sulfur crystals, radiated smoky quartz crystals, carved quartz scepter crystals, or dyed zeolite crystals and geodes (agates).
About the Denver Gem & Mineral Show
In the 1950s, different gem and mineral clubs and societies put on their own Gem and Mineral show, but in the 1960s the Denver Gem and Mineral show was born when the organizations combined their small shows into one.
The Denver Gem and Mineral Show, which began in 1967, has grown over the years into the second largest show in the United States and has numerous satellite shows that have sprouted up around the area. Through the time the show has been developing, exhibits from a number of regional and national museums have remained key attractions along with other activities.
The Greater Denver Area Gem & Mineral Council is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation organized exclusively for charitable, educational, and scientific purposes.
Dealers
If you are interested in dealer space, please email us and the selection committee will send you an application. Please understand that we are in a much smaller space and it is unlikely that we will be able to accommodate every request. We value your support and appreciate your patience as we regain our footing and work toward a bigger and better Denver Gem & Mineral Show.