Three Decades in the Making: Wendy's Minerals Honored as Featured Dealer... By Rachel Ford

Three Decades in the Making:
Wendy's Minerals Honored as Featured Dealer

By Rachel Ford

Many mineral businesses and collections start with a purchase. For Wendy Zhou, hers began with a childhood memory: standing in front of her father's mineral cabinet, fascinated by its contents. Wendy recalls, "As a kid, seeing my father's collection immediately drew me in — that's where my fascination with crystal forms and nature's craftsmanship began." Both of Wendy's parents are geologists, so her passion for mineral specimens ignited early, growing up "surrounded by minerals." She followed in her parents' footsteps and attended college, becoming a geologist herself. She stated, "You could say this passion was passed down through my family, and it's also a path I built for myself, step by step."

Wendy and John Zhou of Wendy's Minerals

Today, Wendy and her husband, John, run Wendy's Minerals, a highly regarded, family-run mineral dealership specializing in investment-grade and collector-level Chinese mineral specimens. Wendy's Minerals has specialized in fine Chinese minerals for over 30 years now and prides itself on being "a direct source from mine to market model — cutting out the middlemen to make sure every specimen has a clear, reliable provenance and guaranteed quality." Wendy's Minerals is well-known in the mineral industry, and the business is a trusted name for showcasing massive, museum-grade plates of multi-generational Chinese fluorite and other rare crystals that it hand-selects and imports from China.

​Wendy has her own mineral collection, a further testament to her passion for the hobby and industry. She explains, "I collect a bit of everything — as long as a specimen speaks to me, I don't limit myself to one particular mineral or locality." This year, the Zhous’ business is the featured dealer for the Colorado Mineral and Fossil Fall Show hosted by RMGM Promotions. The show will take place this year at the Delta Hotels Denver Thornton in Northglenn, Colorado, September 9 - 14, 2026.

Wendy sharing her passion and expertise with customers at her booth.

Wendy describes being named featured dealer as "an honor — the RMGM Colorado Mineral and Fossil Fall Show has been a fixture for collectors and dealers alike for years, and being chosen as the featured dealer means a great deal of trust from an organization with that kind of history." The Colorado Mineral and Fossil Fall Show has been a cornerstone of the Denver Gem and Mineral Fall Showcase from the early days when Marty Zinn ran the show to now, where it thrives in the capable hands of Sandra Gonzales of RMGM Promotions. For Wendy, the honor carries extra weight given her family's long history in the business. "Being the featured dealer this time feels like recognition for staying true to that approach all these years," she says. 

Attendees can look forward to some special statement pieces and newly mined material at their booth, C-27, in the lower level of the Convention Center at the show this year. The Zhous will be bringing several "standout specimens" to anchor their booth along with a group of newly discovered rhodochrosite specimens, a suite of gemmy sphalerites, cerussite specimens, and some stunning fluorites. Wendy describes, "Each group has its own character — the color of the rhodochrosite, the translucence of the sphalerite, and the crystal form of the cerussite are all worth a close look.” They aim to give each specimen the best possible showcase.

Some examples of the many carefully curated specimens Wendy's Minerals will have available at their booth at the Colorado Mineral & Fossil Fall Show this year.

Find Wendy's Minerals at Booth C-27 this September and experience three decades of generational knowledge, one specimen at a time.

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Additionally you can reach Wendy's Minerals directly:
@wendysminerals on Instagram
[email protected]
(909) 632-3608