Alright, so I finally made it out to the Denver Gem Show this year. Heard about it for ages, figured it was time to see it myself. It’s not just one show, you know, it’s like a whole bunch of shows scattered around. Takes some planning, or maybe just diving in headfirst, which is kinda what I did.
Getting My Bearings
First off, finding the right spots took a minute. Lots of driving around, figuring out parking, which, let’s be honest, is never fun. Ended up at one of the bigger venues to start. Walked in, and wow. Just tables upon tables upon tables. Stretched as far as you could see. Felt a bit overwhelming right off the bat. You’ve got everything from giant museum-quality stuff to tiny little beads.
The sheer amount of stuff is hard to describe. You got your:
- Rough stones, straight out of the ground practically.
- Polished gems, all shiny and perfect.
- Fossils, big and small.
- Jewelry, tons of it.
- Weird carvings and decorative pieces.
Digging Through the Piles
I didn’t really have a shopping list. Mostly went to look, get some ideas, maybe find something unusual that caught my eye. Started just walking the aisles. Some vendors are super chatty, want to tell you the whole story behind every rock. Others just sit there, you know? You gotta dig through boxes sometimes. Found some really nice quartz crystals early on. Good clarity, nice points. Picked up a few smaller ones.
Then I got into the fossil section at one place. That was pretty cool. Saw some amazing ammonites, trilobites, even some fish fossils. Some of them were huge. Tempting, but you gotta think about where you’d even put something like that. And the prices on the really impressive pieces… yeah, definitely need deep pockets for some of this stuff.
Spent a good few hours just wandering on the first day. Feet were definitely feeling it by the end. It’s a lot of walking on concrete floors. Saw some incredible minerals, stuff with colors I hadn’t seen before. Some vendors had pieces from places you barely hear about. That’s the fun part, seeing the variety from all over the world packed into one place.
Sorting It Out
Went back for a bit on another day, hit a different venue. This one felt a bit more focused on finished jewelry and beads. Still, tons to see. Talked to a guy who cuts opals. Watching him explain the process, showing the fire in the stones, that was interesting. You learn stuff just by talking to people.
Overall? It’s an experience. Definitely a marathon, not a sprint. You see amazing things, you see some kinda junky things too. Prices are all over the map. Sometimes you feel like you found a deal, other times you wonder what they’re thinking. Came home with a few interesting rocks, nothing too crazy. Mostly just soaked it all in. Glad I went. It’s pretty wild to see that much rock and mineral wealth all gathered together. Pretty exhausting too, not gonna lie.
