The Denver Gem & Mineral (Spring) Showcase is kicking off
another great year with two fantastic shows — the larger Colorado Mineral &
Fossil (Spring) Show held at a big hotel ballroom in Aurora on the east side of
Denver, and the smaller Colorado Independent Warehouse (Spring) Show in
Lakewood on the west side of town. Both shows are unique and you won’t want to
miss either one. We call this Denver Gem & Mineral Showcase the “spring”
showcase because a much larger and more famous Denver Gem &
Mineral Showcase is held each September with eleven
shows open over a ten-day period. And both of the shows that are in this Denver
Spring Showcase also have shows in the Denver Showcase in September.
Colorado Mineral
& Fossil (Spring) Show
The dates for CMFS are April 13-15, 2018, and it’s at the
Crowne Plaza DIA, 15500 E. 40th Ave., in Denver. The Crowne Plaza is
one of Colorado’s largest hotel/convention centers with approximately 88,000
square feet of convention/ballroom space and has over 1,000 free parking spaces.
There is also 24/7 free shuttle service to and from Denver International
Airport (DIA). The gem, mineral, meteorite, jewelry, and fossil communities have
embraced the new venue as their new home for many years to come.
The spring show in April features
approximately 80 retail/wholesale dealers from around the globe. Many collectors,
rock shop owners, and jewelry designers love to shop this show because of the
quality of the dealers and their wonderful products and, at the same time, they
can enjoy spring time in the Colorado Rockies. The spring show will also
feature an array of activities from free gold panning lessons for all ages,
facilitated by the Foothills Prospector’s Gold Club. In addition, there will be
a free rock dig and a $5.00 dinosaur dig for the kids. Also, this year by
popular demand we will be offering wire wrapping workshop classes for beginners
and advanced hobbyists. Classes will be taught by Susan Gardner, owner of
Perfectly Twisted.
Adding to all the fun events there
will be a fundraiser on Saturday evening April 14, 2018, at 6PM. The fundraiser
will benefit the Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum. This event is
sponsored by Rocky Mountain Gems and Minerals, The Friends of the Colorado
School of Mines Geology Museum, The Rock Warehouse, Denver Rock Boxes, Inc.,
Xpo Press, Inc., and all the generous mineral dealers from the show who have
donated mineral and fossil specimens for the verbal and silent auction. Please
join us for a great meal, lots of fun, and a bidding war. Hope to see you all
there! For more information log on to www.coloradomineralandfossilshows.com.
Colorado Independent
Warehouse (Spring) Show
Since 1989, Steve and Janet Applebaum of The Rock
Warehouse, owners of CIWS, have been dealers at the September Denver Gem &
Mineral Show under their old name, Desert Gems. In 2006, they moved to their
own warehouse at 810 Quail St., in Lakewood, and began promoting and operating
their own shows in both September and April. Both shows carry a large inventory
and have eliminated soaring show fees. They stock many items that buyers won't
often find at the larger shows. Making their inventory even larger and more
unique, Rock Warehouse has been joined by a new warehouse neighbor, Vicjon
Enterprises, the well-known Peruvian import company, and they’re open year-round.
Two years ago,
JK Stone joined the “warehouse team,” adding an even larger selection than
before, and Carl Scott's South Dakota Rose Quartz is another dealer who
displays at the warehouse shows. CIWS features a huge selection of amethyst — large
decorator pieces down to crystals — from Brazil and Uruguay. Other featured
minerals and products include: citrine, quartz and agate products, a wide
variety of tumbled stones, gemstone carvings, Palo Santo, polished spheres,
wands, points, hearts and eggs; Peruvian carved birds and framed butterfly
arrangements, pyrite, and meteorites; pyrite dollars, kyanite and a large
mineral selection including thumbnails, and rough rose quartz; top quality
fluorite and many polished shapes and carvings, polished petrified wood
bookends and other products from Cota Lapidary. The warehouse team can ship
pallet purchases from the warehouse.
