Break Open a Crystal Geode, Mine for Gems & Meet Real Dinosaurs at the NJ Gem Show
Visit the DINOSAURS ROCK booth for a hands-on fossil dig, a rushing-water gem mining sluice, crack-your-own geodes and a traveling museum of giant skulls, mastodon bones and sea-life fossils.
Four Hands-On Adventures Under One Roof
The NJ Gem Show is one of the largest gem and mineral shows on the East Coast, and our booth is where kids get their hands dirty. Here is everything waiting for your family.
Break Your Own Geode
Pick a plain-looking rock and we crack it open in front of you. Sparkling quartz or amethyst crystals inside, and you keep both halves.
Geode sizes & pricesGemstone Mining Sluice
Pour your mining bag into the flowing water and watch the rough gems appear: amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, pyrite and more.
How the sluice worksFossil Dig
Young paleontologists brush through the sand to uncover shark teeth, ammonites and other genuine fossils, just like a real excavation.
Identify your findsTraveling Museum Exhibit
See a Spinosaurus skull, a 7-foot crocodile, a 9-foot mastodon leg, a T. rex footprint and a wall of sea-life fossils up close.
Tour the exhibitBreak Your Own Crystal-Filled Geode
From the outside a geode looks like an ordinary round rock. Crack it open and a hidden cave of sparkling crystals appears, formed over millions of years. Choose your geode, watch it split, and take both halves home.
Small
Medium
Large
How does a geode form?
Mineral-rich water seeps into a hollow pocket in rock. Over thousands to millions of years, the minerals slowly grow into crystals that line the inside walls.
Strike It Rich at the Big Gem Mining Sluice
Fresh water rushes down a long wooden trough. Pour in your bag of mining rough, rinse it in the current and watch real gemstones shine through the mud.
Grab a mining bag
Each bag is packed with sand, gravel and hidden rough gemstones from around the world.
Rinse it in the sluice
Scoop the rough into a screen and swish it in the rushing water. The mud washes away and the gems start to sparkle.
Name your treasure
Match each stone to our gem chart: amethyst, rose quartz, citrine, pyrite, agate and more. Every gem goes home with you.
A Traveling Dinosaur Museum on the Show Floor
For 27 years DINOSAURS ROCK has brought the museum to schools, parties and events across the region. At the NJ Gem Show you can walk right up to it.
Museum-Quality Fossils at Show Prices
Take home a centerpiece. These specimens are offered at special NJ Gem Show pricing while supplies last.
Xiphactinus Fish
- Scientific name: Xiphactinus audax
- Location: Kansas, USA · Niobrara Formation
- Age: Late Cretaceous, 80 million years
- Size: 29.5 in long × 27 in high
Large Ammonite
- A spiral-shelled relative of the squid that swam in prehistoric seas. A stunning display piece.
Giant Paradoxides Trilobite
- One of the largest trilobites ever found, from the Cambrian period over 500 million years ago.
See DINOSAURS ROCK in Action
Real geodes, real fossils and real excitement, straight from our programs and the families and schools who book us.
How to crack open a geode, with Prof. Dave
A GEMS ROCK® testimonial
Principals & teachers on DINOSAURS ROCK
What Families & Teachers Are Saying
The programs offered are absolutely OUTSTANDING. The kids were engaged, enthused, and totally engrossed in an educational experience. One of the BEST PROGRAMS we’ve ever had!School administrator · School assembly
Over the course of the past 11 years I have worked with DINOSAURS ROCK repeatedly. We are hopeful to have DINOSAURS ROCK back every year.Kate · Willard School, Ridgewood NJ
The best party we have ever had. BEST MONEY SPENT!! Our friends still talk about our DINOSAURS ROCK party from 2 years ago.Birthday party parents · EXTREME party
Find Us at the NJ Convention & Expo Center
Show dates
Wednesday, May 5 – Sunday, May 9, 2027
Address
New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center
97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837
Free parking on site
Show hours & tickets
Daily hours and admission are set by the show producer, Hart Events. Check NJGem.Show for tickets and times.
Questions for DINOSAURS ROCK?
Call 917-375-4248 or email dinosaursrock2@gmail.com
NJ Gem Show FAQ
When is the 2027 NJ Gem Show?
Wednesday, May 5 through Sunday, May 9, 2027 at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, NJ.
How much does it cost to break open a geode?
Geodes come in three sizes: Small $10, Medium $15 and Large $20. We crack it open for you and you keep both crystal-filled halves.
Is the fossil really free?
Yes. Stop by the DINOSAURS ROCK display and every child gets a free genuine fossil to keep and take home.
What age is the gem mining sluice best for?
Kids of all ages love it. Little ones mine with a parent, and older kids can identify every stone with our gem chart.
Can DINOSAURS ROCK come to my school, library or party?
Yes. We bring a traveling museum with real fossils and gems to birthday parties, school assemblies, libraries and camps across NJ, NY, CT and PA.
Bring the Museum to You
The same real fossils, geodes and gem mining from the show, delivered to your party, school, library or camp.
dinosaursrock2@gmail.com · Serving NJ, NY, CT & PA since 1999
