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Denver Show
September 11-12, 2002

The past couple days were better than the first two.   I spent the day of the 11th finishing up the sweep of rooms at the Hotel show.  When the availability of new material is scarce "ya gotta dig deeper".

Jeda Import Co had a very nice assortment of cavansite specimens.  Cavansite is, like vanadinite from Morocco, one of those eye appealling minerals with its neon blue color.   I found two specimens that I felt were very reasonably priced for the quality and size.  There were a lot more but the vast majority had sawn edges. I find that distracting and avoid getting specimens like that unless there is no other option.

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to see these specimens


This specimen on the left is 6.5 x 4.5 x 4.5 with a 4 cm mass of crystalline cavansite.
The specimen on the right is 5.5 x 4.5 x 3.5 with a 2.2 cm mass of crystalline cavansite.


In Dan Weinrich's room I found a nice assortment of Peruvian specimens of rhodochrosite and native silver.  These come from the Uchucchacua Mine in Oyon Province.

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to see these specimens


The specimen on the left is a rhodochrosite crystal 1.3 cm in length.
The specimen  on the right consists of silver wires on matrix.  The specimen is 6.5 x 6 x 5.5 cm





Early in the show I had heard that there was find of new cobaltoan calcite associated with pyrite from Bou Azzer, Morocco.  I missed out on them but Cal Graeber managed to get the last one and several others that were "just" the cobaltoan calcite.  I picked up the lot from Cal and moved on.

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to see these specimens


The specimen on the left has a darker colored calcite on pyrite.  The piece on the right is the "plain old" cobaltoan calcite.


Miao Yang of China Minerals & Gems from Temple City, California had some interesting tabular aquamarine specimens from Ping Wu.  These have a distinctive blue zoning around the perimeter of the crystals.  I made several selections and moved on down the hall.  I have heard from several people that these may be irradiated.  When I asked her she insisted that they were not.  You have to trust people at their word.

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to see these specimens


The specimen on the left has a 2.1 cm crystal.  The specimen on the right is 6 x 4.5 x 2 cm in size.


Moving on over to the main show during set up day I stopped by John Seibel's booth.  John operates out of Tehachapi, California and does a lot of his own collecting of specimens in the western United States.   John pointed out some brand new specimens of axinite that he obtained in the past several weeks from the New Melones Dam in Calaveras County, California.  Not surprisingly the construction of the dam is responsible for the discovery of this find about 30 years ago.  This locality is noted for producing some of the finest specimens of axinite in North America.  There is a dinstictive red hue and high luster found in the best specimens from this locality.  They are stronlgy dichroic with violet and brown hues visible depending on the orientation. These are true modern American classics.

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to see these specimens

 



This is a typical specimen from the group that I obtained from John Seibel.  This crystal is 1.3 cm across.


Also in the main show was Dudley Blauwat of Mountain Minerals.  Dudley had a flat of the new demantoid garnets that surfaced at the Sainte Marie aux-Mines Show this past June.  At that time there were a few specimens available and these were all that were here in Denver.  Dudley related a very interesting story about these.  He said that when the United States was actively dropping bombs to rid the countryside in Afghanistan of al-Qa'ida one of the "daisy cutters" resulted in a direct hit of this deposit.  I looked at him to see if there was a smile and he was dead serious.  He even passed the same story on to Tom Moore of the Mineralogical Record so I have to assume it is true.  Which means that this new Afghan find is attributable to the United States Air Force.  Good work boys!  I bought the entire lot from Dudley and consider this to be a good find of new material for the Denver Show.  Dudley had these analyzed to verify their identification as demantoid.  I am offering a few of them now but will be posting more after the show is over.

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to see these specimens

 



One of the specimens with gemmy crystals.  This one has crystals to 0.6 cm across.


Next I focused my attention on the goings on of Set Up day at the main show.  This is actually a very relaxed time for the most part with people working to get their displays and booths set up for the opening day.  It is a great time to visit with friends and exchange notes on what is new in the world of minerals.


The Denver Merchandise Mart is the home of the main show here.  It is about 1/2 the size of the main show at Tucson.

The center of the building is where people set up displays.  Dealer booths are visible to the sides of the booths and there are also areas off the main floor that are enclosed.   It is surprisingly larger than it would seem at first glance.


The shot on the left is of Dave Douglass working on his booth while French Dealer Gilbert Gauthier looks on. Dave is an avid participant in senior
olympics competing in running and long jump events.   He also recently returned from Brazil with some very nice and large quartz specimens.
The photo on the right is of the Western Minerals Booth with Jackie and Gene Schlepp.  These folks have some exceptionally fine specimens at
very reasonable prices.  Nothing but top shelf material in their booth!


I saw this persistent buzzing around a display case being set up by the Royal Ontario Museum.  Below will explain what the fuss was all about...


This specimen of grossular was UNBELIEVABLE!  Easily 3 cm across and pure gem.  The photo on the right is of the entire case.

Another display which left people's mouths open for minutes at a time was the one being put together by Bryan Lees of The Collector's Edge.  You may want to fast forward from this point as the display was enough to make one insane with jealousy.  Collector's Edge has been saving specimens for 12 years of all the different minerals and associations found at the Sweet Home Mine.   This case had total mass and was not to be gazed upon by the weak of heart!


Here's a shot of Bryan (center) working on the case.  The photo on the right is the end result.
 


The crystals on the left are 10+ cm across.  On the right we're talking red glass.


Not much I can say here that the pictures don't.


I think that the caption above says it all here too.


As I gathered myself after that I had this sense of triangular blue perfection somewhere in the buidling... I set out to find it.  I came upon noted Colorado collector Ralph Clark setting up his Thumbnail display.  Bingo there it was.


The picture on the left (I am getting close).  The picture on the right - (I am getting closer).


Bingo! Here it is!  Benitoite!

Ralph's collection consists of 100% best there is of various species.  His euclase thumbnail is nothing short of stunning.  But... the benitoite rules!

At this point it is time to note that this was the last show that the Rocksmith's of Tombstone, Arizona will ever have here at Denver.  They are seriously starting to wind down as the last few shows approach.  I felt compelled to capture this fine organization in operation.  You know a lot of people could have just given 50% for their last effort.  Not the Rocksmiths.  You would never know that this was not their first, 15th or 30th time doing this.  I hope the mineral collecting world realizes that an institution is about to pass on and what a hole they - Jay, Bill, Eldon, and Jean -  are going to leave behind...


Here are two shots of Jay and Bill Smith fretting over thumbnail specimens and getting final touches in place.


Here it is - the last set up by the Rocksmiths at Denver.

Well, that's it for me this year at Denver.  It was a show hampered by pouring rain showers and tough parking conditions at the Hotel show.  Still, there were a lot of great minerals at the show.  Not much in the way of truly new and captivating material but a great deal of new specimens to be had.

See you all next year!

John

Read Keith Hayes' reports on the Denver Show
Past Shows & Reports
PLEASE NOTE: The minerals that were offered on these pages are all sold
1999
Munich Show
2000
Sainte Marie Show
Munich Show
2001
Sainte Marie Show
Munich Show
2002
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2003
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2004
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2005
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2006
Tucson Show
Bologna Show
Sainte Marie Show
East Coast Show
Munich Show
2007
Tucson Show
Dallas Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2008
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show
2009
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show

2010
Tucson Show
San Francisco Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show

Munich Show

2011
Tucson Show
San Francisco Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show
Munich Show

2012
Tucson Show
West Coast Show
East Coast Show
Denver Show 
Munich Show

2013
Tucson Show
Sainte Marie Show
Crystal Days (Poland)
Munich Show  

 

 
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