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Montgomery County Gem & Mineral Show Highlights

by Ken Rock, MSDC Editor

Overview of the main sales floor upstairs at the show.

On Sunday, March 17th, I attended the The 58th Annual GLMSMC Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show, put on by the Gem, Lapidary, and Mineral Society of Montgomery County, MD. The show featured more than 40 exhibits, door prizes, demonstrations, free specimens for kids, food for sale, fluorescent minerals, free parking at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds, and dozens of dealers from around the country selling minerals, fossils, jewelry carvings, geodes, and more.

Although the show took place only over one weekend, a cursory glance revealed that considerable effort went into planning before the shop opened up on Saturday morning, setting up, staffing the various demonstration stations, cleaning up, and shutting down the show late Sunday afternoon. Hats off to the many GLMSMC members who donated many hours of their time to make it all happen.

Perhaps most impressive was the number of exhibits in which the sponsor set up and displayed minerals and related items of their choice. These items, which included more than two dozen cases from young people, included amethyst, "Bubbly Botryoidal" minerals, fossil fish, smithsonites in multiple colors, pyromorphite, "Slabs & Cabs," and several cases that showed various aspects of mining.

Lots of activities for kids!
A lovely case showing many colorful "Bubbly Botryoidal" minerals.
A beautiful case filled with some colorful "cabs & slabs."
Fossils from the Green River Formation, 56 to 34 million years old and more recent fossil literature.
Some exceptional specimens of barite on fluorite from Mount Laurel, New Jersey.
MSDC member and past president, Dave Hennessey, with a wide variety of minerals for sale.

Amethyst from the Reel Mine in North Carolina.

MSDC President Kenny Reynolds and Andy Dietz, old friends
MSDC President Kenny Reynolds and Eric Meier, old friends.
Tom Taaffe with petrified wood and fossils for sale at his table.
Closeup view of some petrified wood for sale from Tom Taaffe
An aesthetic specimen of from the Mibladen Mining District of Morocco.
"Ram's Horn" selenite from Morocco.
Fine quality opals from Ethiopia
A variety of okenite specimens from India.
MSDC member Andrea Lubawy and Tom Cummins, owner of the GTC Rock Shop in Frederick, MD. Tom is committed to getting people of all ages excited about science. In October 2023, he opened a new Science Education Center in his shop.
Plumbogummite pseudomorph, after pyromorphite from China.