A New Denver, a New Dollar: Shows for a Lower Budget

I have been going to the Denver gem and mineral shows ever since my travel buddy Jochen Hintze from Jentsch Minerals invited me to come along back in 2017. For the outdoorsy type like me, Denver is a destination all on its own, but add a few gems and minerals to the mix, and I’m hooked.

For those gem buyers who are on a budget, the Denver shows are a great place. Less international and less busy than the Tucson and Las Vegas shows, Denver is a paradise for the bargain hunter. The Denver shows, while more spread out and taking place over 2-3 weeks, are far cheaper to vend at than the other two major US venues. Las Vegas especially has become ridiculously expensive for sellers and buyers alike. In Denver, there’s always some exhibitor space left at some of the shows and booking a table won’t bankrupt you. Consequently, a buyer can focus on sellers who will go unnoticed elsewhere.

If you plan to go just for fun, I recommend that you attend the Denver Gem and Mineral show, which is open to the public and has a new location at the Westin in Westminster, nearly half way between Denver and Boulder: https://www.denvermineralshow.com/. I am staying in Boulder this year, and plan to rent a car so I can do some light hiking as well – if you remember I broke my ankle back in March, and I will have to take it easy on hikes but I can do a limited amount on more even ground.

The second really interesting show that is also open to the public is the Denver Mineral, Fossil, Gem and Jewelry show at the National Western Complex: https://denver.show/. Aside from a great collection of minerals, this show definitely has a lot of junk but for funsies it also offers beads, clothing, and some other nicknacky stuff like Moroccan lamps, dinosaur bones, and sea shells. The food trucks are not the best except for the coffee guy, but there’s adequate parking and the show is free.

For me, the return to Denver is bittersweet this time around. Last year was the last time Jochen attended (he’s turning 80 this fall) and we were planning to have a great time together. I had intended on staying 12 days, but I had to go home after just four nights, and I went only to one show, buying nothing.

My close friend, coach and personal trainer Sebaj Adele had just been diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer and he was being hospitalized and in great pain. So, after an agonizing night feeling guilty over leaving Jochen on his own, I flew back the next afternoon. I went straight to the hospital from the airport, and never left Sebaj’s side for his remaining 70 days. I have no regrets, though. Once I decided to travel this road with Sebaj, knowing where it would go, there was no wavering. Those two months were among the most important of my entire life. Sebaj trained me for inner endurance and strength for a decade. And unexpectedly he became its beneficiary.

A positive about this year’s trip, not yet fully healed ankle notwithstanding, is that I actually have a budget to work with. My budget will be small, just like the Denver shows are, but it will stretch to make my thrice annual purchase of benitoite, which sells all the time. And it will cover a better size purchase with Dudley Blauwet, mostly for sapphires and spinel, which are my favorites and Dudley’s as well. I will also see my opal vendor and a few other smaller vendors for opals and faceted gems.

This year I will be staying in a cabin outside of Boulder, hoping to escape the memories that will invariably come. But looking at gems is my happy place – it is pretty much the only time that I forget the passage of time.

Therefore:

If there are any requests for new acquisitions or suggestions for specific things you’d like me to find, please contact us! I will only be there for six days but the shows themselves are more relaxed and less packed, and I have a lot fewer aisles to work through to make sure I cover all of my regular suppliers. That means I can spend a little more time looking for things both you and I don’t really need, lol.