Crystals have held a fascinating hold on me since I was a young boy. My Mom and Grandmother took me rock collecting all over Northern California.  I guess I’ve always had some type of collecting mania for items of beauty my whole life. I thought I had this under control until this summer I passed a display window of a mineral gallery in Vail, Colorado. I had to stop in my tracks!  The specimen above almost called out to me as I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was! I asked the price and found out it was for sale for $125,000!!! For a brief moment I wanted to start the hunt for fantastic crystals again. Marla brought me back to my senses when she said,…“We have enough stuff already and we don’t have room for anything new!” I knew she was right, but a guy can dream!

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Denver Gem and Mineral show.  I came just to look and strolled around the exhibitors in the outside tents. I was impressed with the large assortment of beautiful crystals and minerals specimens.   

This exhibitor featured a fantastic assortment of very large specimens and drew quite a crowd!

They displayed 2 totally amazing benches made from agate! Each one had a list price of $35,000.

This incredible smoky quartz specimen was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen! The list price,...wait for it,….$150,000!!! Obviously, this is not going in our home!

Their assortment was fascinating!

Now,….If you REALLY love mineral specimens, gems, or jewelry, the very best place to go is the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. It takes place in January and February in many venues all over Tucson. I attended the show a few times with my daughter Stacy who was sourcing for her jewelry business at the time.  The Tucson show is the largest of it’s kind and features dealers from all over the world. I talked to suppliers from India, Brazil, Madagascar, Morocco, China, and more!

Stacy and Marla purchased agate slabs that year.

Ameythyst  cathedrals from Brazil.

We loved this exhibitor from China.

In Tucson many exhibitors simply work out of their hotel rooms or in the parking lots.

Crystal nirvana!

A few years ago Stacy and I made table lamps out of mineral specimens. We sourced nice agate slabs from Brazil and beautiful apophyllite crystals from India.  We found a lapidary shop to cut the bottoms flat. Next we used a special glue and an ultra violet lamp to bond the slabs to thick acrylic lamp bases. 

“Voila!”

We kept a few for ourselves and sold the rest!

I’m showing off a few beautiful specimens to the Boys! I can’t believe how much they have grown since then!

On buying trips to Bali Marla and I spent time sourcing polished petrified wood for side tables. We sold them in our Denver showroom and warehouse when we owned Wesco Fabrics. I’m sweating like a crazy person with the heat and humidity, but I was in nirvana at this supplier. They brought in a vast selection of petrified wood primarily from Sumatra and Kalimantan. 

Marla finalizes an order for large slabs.

Finished tables in our warehouse. We purchased two for our sunroom at home.

We sold small crystals for decorative accessories in the showroom. 

A few purchases from a buying trip at a mineral show.

A few of my crystal tchotchkes at home. 

Photos: Dick Gentry