{"id":39525,"date":"2022-07-10T00:00:52","date_gmt":"2022-07-10T06:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/68th-annual-four-corners-gem-mineral-show-boasts-gems-geodes-fossils-and-more\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:50:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:50:32","slug":"68th-annual-four-corners-gem-mineral-show-boasts-gems-geodes-fossils-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/68th-annual-four-corners-gem-mineral-show-boasts-gems-geodes-fossils-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show boasts gems, geodes, fossils and more"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The Turquoise Mining Co. has been in the Ruvalcaba family business for about 30 years and has attended the Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show for about five or six years, said Dan Ruvalcaba, grandson of the founder.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The 68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show kicked off Friday with about 1,000 attendees gathered to see gems, geodes, fossils, meteorites, crystals, handcrafted jewelry and art showcased by 60 vendors at La Plata County Fairgrounds.<\/p>\n

Cindy Pugsley, the show chairwoman, said she anticipated another 2,000 attendees by the day\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

The vendors, ranging from Four Corners Gem & Mineral Club members to geology enthusiasts, traders and dealers from around the country, were spread across the fairgrounds with tents, booths and tables stacked with quartz, calcite, fluorite, hematite, ammonites, obsidian, moonstones, geodes and more.<\/p>\n

Pugsley said the vendors were treated to a full dinner catered by Elevated Eats on Friday night after the first day of the show.<\/p>\n

David Gonzales, Fort Lewis College professor of geosciences, geologist and president of the Gem & Mineral Club, is the go-to guy for anyone who finds a curious rock and needs help to identify it, Pugsley said.<\/p>\n

Gonzales was particularly excited on Saturday about a specimen another club member, Sky Roberts, was showcasing at his booth: a slab of rutile, which is an oxide mineral made of titanium dioxide.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn terms of rutile, usually you find rutile in quartz, like little hairs,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 A lot of people will cut it and polish it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Four
Four Corners Gem & Mineral Club member Sky Roberts\u2019 \u201cstunning\u201d rutile, a mineral used in many sunscreens to protect the skin from UV radiation as well as used in white paints. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Roberts\u2019 specimen, over half a foot long, glistened when held in the sunlight. Gonzales said it was a stunning and unique sample.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a lot of people don\u2019t realize is this mineral is used in most sunscreens to prevent UV radiation from getting to your skin. It\u2019s also used in white paint,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Coming upon items such as Roberts\u2019 rutile is what make the Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show so interesting, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go to a big show like Denver or Tucson, you get a huge selection of worldwide samples. But here, there\u2019s some real \u2018gems,\u2019\u201d he said, pun intended.<\/p>\n

When Gonzales buys something at the show, sometimes it\u2019s because it would make for a good sample for one of his geology lessons. But other times, he just wants to add it to his personal collection, he said.<\/p>\n

Vendors new and old<\/div>\n

\"Robert
Robert Head, owner of Perfect Point Crystal Co. in Kansas City, Missouri, said this is his second year in the minerals-dealing business. He collects and sells minerals from all over the world. His business model is wholesale to dealers and shops and he makes a lot of his revenues from selling bismuth, he said. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Robert
Robert Head, right, owner of Perfect Point Crystal Co., picks out some gems from his collection to show patrons to his booth Saturday at the 68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Some of the vendors at La Plata County Fairgrounds this weekend for the show have been participating for years. Others are still learning the ropes.<\/p>\n

Robert Head, owner of Perfect Point Crystal Co. in Kansas City, Missouri, said this is his second year in the minerals-dealing business. He quit his IT job to pursue a career selling bismuth, a naturally occurring mineral with crystal formations that can also be quickly \u201cgrown\u201d or \u201cguided,\u201d and other minerals.<\/p>\n

He said Gem & Mineral Show is the first show he has visited a second time since he began touring in the minerals market. He sells wholesale to dealers and shops and also makes his collections available at shows such as the one ongoing through Sunday in Durango.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, it was just a hobby,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was just going crystal hunting and digging up crystals. I didn\u2019t really know anything about it until a few years ago. I just found out about all of this, I was just like, \u2018Oh my gosh, this is so amazing, you know?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He said when one thinks about it, the entire western expansion of the United States is based on crystal hunting: Think of the gold rush. If someone is looking to get involved in the minerals trade, the best thing they can do is join a local club, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause there\u2019s going to be members that know about the local area and where you can go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

More experienced vendors have set up shop at the show this weekend, too.<\/p>\n

\"Just
Just a sample of Steve Haire\u2019s collection of various fossils on display at the 68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show on Saturday. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Steve Haire, Grand Junction resident and owner of Terrestrial Treasures, boasts a diverse collection of fossils from all over the world. For example, he has a fossilized mesosaur skeleton, the remnants of a small marine reptile that lived in prehistoric seas about 280 million years ago.<\/p>\n

The specimen he has on display originated in Brazil, although Brazil \u2013 and many other countries \u2013 don\u2019t allow fossils, gems and minerals to leave their country anymore if they can help it because they are seen as treasures of heritage, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to keep a variety in my booth so people can really get a feel for what is out there in the world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Haire has been in the fossil business for 35 years and has a degree in geology. He\u2019s been interested in paleontology since childhood thanks to his aunt who was a \u201clayman archaeologist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe had come out West in the \u201950s and collected fossils and artifacts and stuff like that,\u201d he said. \u201cSo when I was a little kid, I would go to my aunt\u2019s and she had the coolest stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A fossilized mesosaur (top left), megalodon tooth, shells and a dragonfly-like creature are on display at Steve Haire\u2019s Terrestrial Treasures booth at the 68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show on Saturday. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Steve
Steve Haire of Terrestrial Treasures shows off a 10- to 20-million-year-old fossilized megalodon tooth that came from a colossal aquatic creature that roamed ancient seas. The largest megalodon tooth Haire ever saw was over 7 inches long. It was found by a friend of his, who finally caved and sold the specimen to collectors for tens of thousands of dollars, he said. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Dinosaur gem bones \u2013 pieces of dinosaur bone exhibiting a nice polish and beautiful colors \u2013 were among Haire\u2019s favorites in his aunt\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n

When his aunt died at age 92, Haire inherited her collection. He was 13 years old then and still has the collection today.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of her artifacts that she had collected were really neat, unique artifacts,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 Now, (the collection is) a prize because of where it came from \u2013 from her. Some of the quality of the gem bone compared to what I have here, it\u2019s not that great necessarily, but it\u2019s just what turned me on to this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Haire said he wants Durangoans and visitors to visit the show this weekend. Even if someone doesn\u2019t have much or any money to spend, he wants people to see what the natural world has to offer \u2013 \u201cnot just fossils, but gems, minerals and cool, handmade jewelry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show will continue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.<\/p>\n

cburney@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"A
A piece by Johnny Krutzler, owner of Enhancing the Stone, is shown at his booth at the 68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show on Saturday. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
A slab of borite (center) sits before a wide selection of calcite, selenite, fluorite, quartz and other minerals at Perfect Point Crystal Co.\u2019s vendor booth at the 68th annual Four Corners Gem & Mineral Show at La Plata County Fairgrounds on Saturday. (Christian Burney\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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