1st Scottish Mineral, Fossil & Jewellery Show March 2020

On the 14th and 15th of March 2020 www.CaledonianRockShop.com hosted the “Scottish Mineral, Fossil and Jewellery Show” at Gallowgate in Glasgow, Scotland. This was the first show in Scotland of its kind for more than 20 year and was conceived and organised by Dagmara Lesiow.

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“This show is a result of pursuing my dream” says Dagmara owner of Caledonian Rock Shop. “I qualified with a Masters degree in Geology specializing in Mineralogy and Petrology in Poland and I have over 25 years experience collecting both minerals and fossils from all over Europe.  I have lived in Glasgow, Scotland for the past 12 years and I have had a unique opportunity to collect some amazing specimens in this geologically diverse, yet small and beautiful country. I came from a background where Mineral Shows are held a few times a year in most of the major cities in Poland. I always loved the atmosphere of them, so I decided to share it with others here in Scotland”.

There was a wide variety of Scottish exhibitors who were offering minerals, crystals, cut gems and jewellery for sale. Caledonian Rock Shop presented a wide selection of Scottish minerals and fossils, mostly self-collected. British and minerals from other parts of the world were also presented. A “Rock raffle” was organised and it proved very popular among the visitors with the chance to win quality specimens such as Blue John Fluorite.

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The Show had a few unique guests and exhibitors.

First of them was Mr Lee Palmer from Gold Publications UK. He has presented his new book “Gold Occurrences in the UK” (available to purchase: http://www.goldpublications.co.uk). In his book the discovery of a large Gold nugget was announced for the first time, it weighing 4.2oz (121.3g). The 22-carat lump of gold was found in a Scottish river by an unnamed gold panner. It is the biggest Gold nugget found in the UK to date. It was discovered in two pieces that surprisingly fit together perfectly, but leaving a small hole in the middle, earning it the name “The Reunion Nugget”. 

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The visitors had also a unique opportunity to admire Dr David Anderson’s exhibition of “Scottish Agates”. Dr Anderson is co-author of the iconic book “Scottish Agates” published in 2010 with Nick Crawford. David believes that Scottish agates, although fewer in number, are often second to none in their colour, pattern and beauty compared to agates from other parts of the World. If you missed the exhibition, you can visit David’s website: http://www.agatesofscotland.co.uk

David and Dagmara have also created a unique poster “Scottish Agates” which was revealed for a first time at the Show, now available to purchase at www.CaledonianRockShop.com

“I think the Show was a great success. We had visitors that had come specifically from abroad as well as from all over UK. There were many local people attending as well and they were amazed at what natural treasures can be found here in Scotland”.

“Scottish geology is very underestimated nowadays and we want to educate people in hope that a new generation of mineral and fossil collectors will arise. We have received a lot of positive feedback, so we are planning to organise another event in the near future” says Dagmara.

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Text: Dagmara Lesiow

Photos: Bart Jurkowski