Denver gem show features the rarest of the rare

Whether it’s fossils found across the world, meteorites from the sky, rare gems or materials spanning millions of years – the Denver Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show has something for everyone.

In its 15th year, Denver’s gem show lasts until Sept. 15 at the National Western Complex where hundreds of vendors including paleontologists, gem collectors and avid researchers showcase and sell their products to wholesalers and individual buyers.

Some of the items include dinosaur bones, extinct animal skin and the rarest of bright crystalized gems.

The show is the best opportunity to buy gems, jewelry and other rare materials or fossil discoveries at their lowest price point, according to Denver gem show co-owner Missy Carhart.

“I've been doing this for 15 years, and my favorite part is my dealers,” she said. “Most of my dealers are in all my shows, and my shoppers, too. When I come to Denver, a lot of the shoppers come to the show every single year. So, you get to see the same people.”

One of those regulars is Rich Hagar, who with his wife traveled from St. Louis to Denver. He is selling a variety of items from meteorites to mammoth tusks.

“People see things that they'll never see again,” Hagar said. “I mean, I'm buying old collections almost every month. So we get a huge variety of stuff that, frankly, no one else has. So, we go all over the nation looking for somebody's treasure.”

Hagar owns everything from rare rocks to mammoth parts, gemstones, civil war artifacts and knives.

Finding treasure, Hagar said, is about making discoveries.

“It's an adrenaline rush.”

Russell Carhart, co-owner with his wife, said the show is “an excellent convergence of education, beauty, investment, economics and community. Just everything comes together all at once.”

Sandy Bleicher and Corine Fox traveled from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to buy rare gems from the Denver showcase for their jewelry store.

“It’s a second opportunity to shop and look for raw materials, and it’s accessible,” Bleicher said.

Corine added, “We can spend three days here because there is so much to see.”

Annually, the Denver gem show generates $20 million in economic impact and costs $1 million to put on, according to organizers.

The largest gem show, located in Tucson, generates roughly $130 million in economic impact.

With new National Western Stock Show buildings slated in the coming years, gem show organizers plan to combine shows into one entire large building.

“This is the primary show and will continue to become even more so,” said Kyle Russell, a spokesperson for the gem show.

Denver gem show organizers estimate they will fully transition into the new stockyard building in 2028.

“When the show moves over here, they're going to be able to accommodate much more,” Russell said.

One of the sellers is Colorado resident Brian Busse. He is commonly known as the “American Gemtracker” and star of the former reality TV show “Prospectors.”

He described the gem show as “the support system for the American jewelry market.”

“I think it's crucial to be able to network, and market with people from all over the world,” Busse said. “Buyers are very, very loyal to Tucson and Denver, so we have buyers here from all over the world.”

After 31 years of gem tracking and thousands of discoveries, Busse said it never gets old.

“I am going to be writing papers with the Smithsonian,” the Colorado-based gem tracker said. “The educational part was just as important to me as the discovery.”