Category Archives: Tucson Rock & Gem Shows

Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Shows-The Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show

45-50 Sunny (The natives wearing Winter Parkas, me OK in a sweatshirt.

Shiva Lingams’ outside front entrance

Waiting by one of the orange trees for one to drop off (or ready to leap for one)

The day was spent roaming and exploring The Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show at the Hotel Tucson City Center.

Another little Bastard wiring by the pool. I suspect it is easier to eat people without so many clothes on, or not wearing Parkas.

The rooms are filled with vendors, as is the upper lobby and Ballroom. I love this show for its wide selection and variety of things. I got there early so I could get parking. You can park elsewhere and ride a shuttle if you can’t arrive until later in the day.

Before you enter the hotel, you can view Shiva Lingam from India, which are considered to increase fertility. The big ones are in the five foot range. Most of these are worked into perfect melon shapes using lapidary methods.

Upper lobby area dealer rooms

Many rooms feature meteorites, mineral specimens, jewels, slabs, cabs, and mine finds from around the world. The ballroom always features fine fossils and beautiful ammonites abound. The hotel rooms both upper and lower levels are filled with more rocks, minerals, fossils brought and sold by foreign dealers. United States miners, and collectors are also in abundance. I saw the Dorris family from the Weather Channel’s Prospectors show, selling Colorado treasures in two rooms, and the Meteorite Men were selling their finds in another room.

Horrendous carnage in the courtyard.

Ken Flood-Keweenaw Gems & Gifts

This show is fun because of the fiberglass dinosaurs scattered around the grounds. I saw a raptor waiting for an orange to fall, baby dinosaurs, and a horrendous fight where two raptors were ripping pieces of meat out of a large beast. Very gory. A couple reproduction t-rex heads were lying in the courtyard as well as a raptor waiting for fresh meat to emerge from the swimming pool.

By exploring other dealers in a couple larger tents in the rear of the hotel, I saw a beautiful display of back-lit onyx and agate. I chatted with Ken Flood, a friend who sells Keweenaw materials, speciallizing in copper items. He said he was having a good show.

This one was sold

This was like a coffin for the person that has everything

This one $500,000

Inside the giant Geode

Even further behind the hotel I discovered Aurora Minerals in a more permanent building (called the Granada Avenue Mineral Show) featuring shockingly large amethyst cathedrals. One was sixteen feet long (that’s a stretch Limo!), possibly the largest ever found in Uruguay. I’ve never seen the likes of this. The pictures of this give you an idea of how nice it is–the cathedral was filled with gem grade amethyst. It had a long journey by train, ship, and truck. It can be yours for $500,000, if you are inclined. If I’d won that Lotto, I could have had a petrified wood table, a triceratops, AND a prize amethyst cathedral. I might even let my Facebook friends in to see them for free.

These Ammonites are always the most colorful things at the show

Backlit agate and onyx

I guess that giant Amethyst being sold by Aurora Minerals was really todays highlight. It ofter pays to have a look out back in these shows. A couple years ago I found A T-Rex loitering way out back in this same show.

Tucson Gem Shows-The REALLY Big Show

76 Sunny Windy

Our day started off with the same question we ask every morning in Tucson; ” Where are we going today?” We look at the Showbook and today we decided on the largest combined shows at one location, The Holidome Marketplace and the Holidome Pavillions as well as a quick stop at Intergem which is in the Clarion (used to be Holiday Inn). The Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers (GL&W) is also on the grounds and is comprised of another two enormous hard-sided tents. These are wholesale shows.

So you have 4 giant hard-sided tents, so large it is impossible to fathom, sort off in a circular formation, like spokes, with an end of each tent tied into a central outside courtyard where assorted food is prepared and sold.

The Intergem Show is quite small consisting of dealers inside the hotel, both in the ballroom and halls as well as in a tent next to the Hotel. Bonnie found some very fine beads, and I mostly just sat in the lobby and waited. I liked the strands of faceted Unakite beads that we had not seen in other shows, as well as Tigereye. Sodalite, and banded Agate.

Bonnie selects stones for earrings

Our car was left in the Clarion where you can take the free shuttle to most other Gem Shows around town.

Inside a giant tent

You have heard me expound on my love (NOT) for bead ladies with big suitcases in crowded aisles where they run into your ankles and block traffic. You may have doubted me, but here you can see a vendor offering “Free Parking” for the suitcases while the Bead Ladies pick out their treasures. I talked to one Bead Lady who said she had a small suitcase, but I told her she was not a true Bead Lady.

The Holidome tents are maybe 60% finished jewelry, mostly imported from Asia, which is not of interest to us. Beads at the shows also tend to be from China or India, and the sellers are of these nationalities. We see quite a few foreign buyers at the shows, but not as many as there used to be, due to similar shows overseas. While Bonnie was looking at beads, I found faceted bicolor Lemon/Smokey Quartz with a phantom smokey crystal in it. I will be making this into jewelry soon.

Here are a few chic beads we found today.

Faceted Unakite

Sodalite, Tigereye

Ocean Jasper

Together we selected several pairs of matched cabochon beads for earrings. It was fun sorting through a large assortment of these.

We only went through the Holidome tents today. We have two more (bigger) tents left at this site!

Tucson Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase-Miner’s Co-Op Rock Show and Kino and Kino

Miner’s Co-Op/Rock Show

A small outside show may be a hidden gem on the West side of town at the Mike Jacobs Sports Park. This show reminds me of Quartzite with dealers tailgating from RVs. The former Rock Show (RV Show), used to be next to the Electric Park Show. The Electric Park Show is now the Kino Show and the old Rock show property changed hands and dealers at that location were ousted. Some of these dealers moved to the Jacobs Sports Park.

Searching the Creed Siver Ore slabs.

I did find one…

The Rock Show was always one of our favorites with much rough rock and good conversation. These outdoor venues often become a real mess in rainy weather, and rain is predicted next week. Rain is good for choosing rough rock, but red, sticky mud is not the best. We decided to travel out North of town to near Marana, and check out this show. It has never failed to provide a hidden treasure or three.

I found very little, but did see some silver ore from Creed, Colorado. I bought some a couple year ago from the same vendor, but he’s down to his last stash.

The Bosom Fountain would cover my septic cover.

More bosoms

Cats in China are weird!

We traveled to the Kino Show. This show is always surprising. Next to the Quartzite flea markets, the Kino Show sports loads of unusual things. When the first thing you see upon walking into the yard, is a Bosom Fountain, that about sums up the surprising nature of the place. Bonnie thought this must have been modeled on a Harem fountain, or a men’s Roman bath, something like that. I thought this would look spectacular put in the middle of our front yard, covering the green plastic septic tank cover. We spotted some other Bosom carvings in the area too. Some carved pagodas and Chinese characters are entertaining, as was a Chinese cat-type animal amongst the other large rock statuary which is always in that area at the Kino show. Outdoor vendors in tents, plus indoor vendors in bigger tents sell both imported and not many handmade items.

Spheres

Rose Quartz

Trilobites, big ones. Real or not?

Pagota-land

One the whole, the best designed table in the place. Any time you see a gator skull covered in Turquoise in a good time.

Outside is where you find rough rock, lapidary equipment, animal pelts and buffalo skulls. We did not get through the entire show and will return another day, as hunger and tiredness overtook us. Enjoy the selection of pictures from the Coop Show and Kino. We’re not done with Kino. We have to finish exploration, trying to see more bosoms as we do.

The Tucson Shows are Open

The bead ladies busy at the JOGS Show.

January 28th, 2016 low 70’s and sunny.

Piles of gemstones

The 2016 Tucson Rock, Mineral and Fossil Shows have started. We found ourselves today at the JOGS Show and the 22nd Street Show.

JOGS is a fairly large show selling both Wholesale and Retail. To purchase Wholesale requires business credentials. The JOGS show has large selections in many categories, beads, gemstones, cabochons, finished jewelry, stone carvings, and display items, and other miscellaneous items. Photography is prohibited, but I did snap a couple shots, with hopes that the photography police would not arrest me. Bonnie and a friend went in search of beads, and found lots. This is the show where I buy the treated druzy quartz that are so popular. Outside the JOGS building we saw a large Madagascar petrified wood log carved into a bathtub shape. Or it could be a boat, or a beer cooler. It was big, and would hold a lot of beer; that’s all we know. There must have been some use for it; that’s a lot of work for a Superbowl kegger. When we go back to the JOGS Show, I’ll ask.

Fossils Galore.

Sweet Home Rhodocrosite.

Dwayne Hall

After lunch we went to the 22nd Street Show. We have enjoyed this show ever since they opened a few years back. We always ask if we can take pictures. A highlights of the show are the big dinosaur fossils, the chance to visit with the vendors, as well as seeing some of the stars from the Weather Channel Show the Prospectors.

Amanda makes me look bad, but that’s all right.

She looks best in her booth at the show selling tha good Colorado treasure.

She looks best in her booth at the show selling those beautiful Colorado treasure.

Amanda Anderson is our favorite, (and the best looking Prospector). She had some wonderful finds from her adventures including some great smokey quartz which you can see in the picture. We are so happy she did not get buried in that hole this year. You had to have seen that particular show on the Weather Channel.

Dwayne really looks like a Prospector, and we chatted about a crystal rhodochrosite specimen from the Sweet Home Mine. A beautiful gemmy piece, it was in the $6000 range. To be honest, that’s a bargain price. I’d buy it in a heartbeat if I collected specimens.

Canadian Pliosaur

RUN, FORREST, RUN!

Abertasaurus Sarcophagus

Triebold Paleontology had a few dinosaur specimens, a small Tyranosaurus, and a hungry water creature posed ready to eat a turtle. Many other fossils were on display, small as well as large–fossil fish, cephalopods, trilobites, megaladon teeth.

Enchodus petrosus

A little polished Rose Quartz

Iguana

We enjoyed talking with Robert Stratton who had Damascus steel knives with gemstone handles and knife sheaves made from elephant skin, ostrich legs, caiman skin, and many other creatures. The dinosaur bone and mastadon teeth stones in his handles caught my eye and we enjoyed hearing his story of how he got started.

I didn’t buy much, but Bonnie got some geodes, fossils, and crystals for upcoming projects.

Tucson Rock Mineral and Fossil Showcase-Tables From Madagascar

We took a little sneak peek at what may be in the Norcross-Madigascar Minerals Tent–we scoped out their warehouse today. Norcross usually has a large display at the Kino Show. Business ID is required to go to the warehouse, but you can see the same stuff at their Kino location.

In particular, I was impressed by their composite coffee tables made from mostly Madigascar Minerals (of course). You buy the table top and can basically support them with any base, although they have bases also. The tops sell for around $6,000 +/-. Not all the stone tables they sell were at the warehouse, so I assume they were moved to their Gem Show Location.

Desert Agate is a Polychrome Agate from Madigascar. It is striking pastels in the pink range. I really liked the look of these.

Another table top was Labradorite. This table top looked more like Larvakite, but whatever. It obviously consisted of Labrdorite.

I really liked a table that looked like it was made from Banded Agate.

Desert Agate slabs were also available and I have to go get a few, as I have regret now that I did not get any. I think this could make nice jewelry.

We also saw another table made from Madagascar Petrified Wood. An amazing look. The fitting on all these tables of the slabs was amazingly tight, and obviously took substantial time to do.

A giant Labradorite Orb with a fine Brazillian Agate Table.

Gem Mineral and Fossil Showcase-New Shows

AGTA

AGTA inside (No photos allowed on the floor)

To get you in the mood for this year’s Tucson blogs, I thought you would like a preview. The showcase has five added shows this year. Some small and at least one large. One new show is the International Gem & Jewelry Show (Intergem) where you should have 80-100 vendors, inside and outside the Clarion Hotel-Tucson Airport. I recall this show from several years ago at another locale. A big draw at Intergem will be jewelry owed by the Stars, featuring Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Elton John, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and the Duke of Windsor.

The hotels on the Stip will not look like this next week.

The Stip Shows always have a few of these.

Another new show will be mineral dealers at the Elks Lodge. I have little information on this, but have heard 6-8 dealers are involved. Sorry, details on this are sparse until the Showguides come out.

The three largest show in Tucson are the American Gem Trade Association’s (AGTA) show at the Tucson Convention Center (Business ID required for this show), and runs the first weekend of the Showcase the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show at the Convention Center (Fee charged for this show, but open to the public). This show is also referred to as the Main Event and features jewelry retailers, random wonders, and wonderful Displays. This show originally started the Tucson Showcase got, sponsored by the Tucson Rock & Mineral Club. It runs the last weekend of the Showcase and should not be missed. The third very large show is the Gem and Lapidary Wholesalers Show out near Kino (G&LW). This show also requires business ID.

Typical hotel courtyard on the Strip

Fish swimming at 22nd Street

Always seen on the Strip

Typical Hotel on the Strip.

Hotal Tucson City Center

The majority of the shows are open to the public, and careful negotiation will yield better bargains than most of the Wholesale Shows offer. We have enjoyed the 22nd Street Show, and it is bigger and better this year. From that show, you can walk under US10 and on the other side, explore the many shows in the Hotels there. Over the years, many of my best finds and bargains have come for these shows along the “Strip”.(Notice I did not say “Strip Shows”, but it is OK for you to call them that.

Kino Sports Complex

There are also many hidden treasures at the Kino Sports Complex, a mostly outside Flea Market type Show. there are several large “treasure tents” also at that location where you can get imported goods of all sorts, and not all rocks. I seldom buy this cheap buy/sell junk, but to each there own. I try to support American Businesses when I can, but often they are difficult to find in Tucson.

JOGS (at the Tucson Expo Center), used to be a more Wholesale show with ID required, but this year I’ve heard that it will be a Wholesale/Retail show with different ID for various classes of shoppers. I have also heard that if you are not a dealer, there will be an entry charge. Don’t hold me to this. I enjoy the JOGS show except it IS crowded, and maybe even more so if more people are let in. CAUTION: Watch for “Bead Laidies” at this show and others. They will tie up the aisles with large luggage in tow. I dislike this and am sometimes rude to them for blocking the narrow aisles. My wife has come to an acceptance that I will always insult “Bead Ladies”. How about carry on luggage and not giant trailers girls? So if you are a bead lady (you know who you are) and a grumpy guy insults you, just deal with it.

I hope you have lodging already or you may have to commute from way out, but sometimes I do see “vacancy signs” around town, so good luck. If you see us, say hello,; if you are a Bead lady, just get out of the way.

Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Shows-2014-Show Withdrawls

The courtyard at the Riverpark used to be heaped with rocks.

Packing it in

"Where did all the rocks go"?

I recall I could hardly walk down this row during the show. How depressing to not see piles of rocks narrowing the aisle.

Singing Bowls

The metaphysical people had a very impressive looking, bowl filled, tent.

We were down on the strip yesterday. The Rapa River Show was open for one final day. It’s a sad day when we see the shows shutting down, the lots are empty, and aisles that were crowded with rocks and gems, are empty. The beds have to be moved into the rooms so attendees of the Tucson Rodeo can have housing.

We noticed that our metaphysical friends were still at work with singing bowls and performing other treatments on patients. There were some type of mobiles hanging down, and I wondered what that was about, but not curious enough to take my shoes off. For the second time in the show I did not feel any different from the residual power emitted from this tent. Perhaps I should have tried a treatment so I could be more knowledgeable.

I saw a set of Crystal Bowls, the three smaller ones as a set were on sale for $555 (I assume this is a mystical number).

We are suffering withdrawl right now. Every day we woke up and decided what show(s) to attend. Today we are looking at all the new rocks we discovered. You’ll have to wait until I get home, and in my lapidary shop, to see what I hand-crafted jewelry I can make from them.

This is the last Tucson blog. If you have faithfully read the daily blogs, you may also miss them. I post blogs one or two times a month on the Snob Blog on my .com site. You are welcome to check in occasionally. I will be posting up what I do with all the stuff we obtained in Tucson, so you will want to see it. I have far more things than I was able to post, so they will be good fodder for future blogs. Stay tuned.

Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Shows-2014-Francisco Sotomayor

As I first saw "American Woman" at the Tucson Gem Show 2009

As I first saw "American Woman" at the Tucson Gem Show 2010 It was for sale on E-Bay for $5,000,000. I do not know if it was sold.

Francisco Sotomayor is famous as one of the best stone carvers. I have been a fan since admiring his carving, “American Woman”, a full sized woman reclined on a full sized grand piano. I saw it in person at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in 2010. The piece started with a 21 ton piece of Colorado white marble, and took two years to carve. The detail was like a Michaelangelo, right down to hair on the eyelids. There are videos on FB of him harvesting the marble and carving this piece.

"Thinking Frog" 2013 Sonoran Sunrise from Mexico

"Frog and Ball" 2013 Sonoran Sunrise-Mexico

"Skull Wearing Sunglasses" 2009 Colorado Yule Marble -the same stone "American Woman" was made from.

"Scorpion and the 44 Magnum" 2014 Obsidian-Mexico

"Scorpion #2-2013 Rowley Chrysocolla-Arizona

Scorpion and the Clovis-2013 Obsidian-Colorado It is interesting what Fransisco says about this piece: "This sculpture was a difficult test, to develop ancient skills of knapping, to modern day diamond carving. The Clovis is a knapped replica of the Rutz Clovis, the largest known Clovis found in North America. Both the Clovis and Scorpion are one piece of obsidian".

Sotomayor is a Colorado native. Not only is he a master carver, many of his works are quite whimsical. This year at the show, some of his whimsical pieces were on display.

His leg(s) are on the trigger..

Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Shows-2014-Big Fossils in Smaller Venues

Triceratops at the Co-op

A few blocks north of downtown are several smaller shows, including 1820 Oracle Wholesale Show, Norcross-Madagascar Gallery, Mineral and Fossil Co-op, and Mineral and Fossil Marketplace, and the Main Avenue Mineral and Fossil Show.These shows are often in parking lots and kind of run together in my mind. We saw several tents selling the same north African fossils, not really of interest to me as a jewelry maker. There were lots of septarian nodules, real fossils and fake fossils (hard for me to tell the difference sometimes) and large fossil plates of trilobites and cephalopods, ammonites, and lots of mineral specimens. These are not my favorite things, so I move pretty quickly through these shows.

Nice security barriers.

Are they real or are they fake..DUH! Bandit Show

I guess it's in the eye of beholder. We did not buy this.

Buy Dino crap by the tray. Co-op

I noticed this T-Rex was posed EXACTLY like the one attacking the vehicle in Jurassic Park. Co-Op

Mammoth at the Co-op

Shelves at the Mineral & Fossil Co-Op bulging with Fossils.

More fossils at the Co-Op, Left front is a wine holder.

You do not realize just how big a Megalodon was until you see a recreated mouth. Co-Op

These were just abnormal, but Funny. Arizona Mineral & Fossil Marketplace.

Rock Bass at Kino (Electric Park)

This is how Chrysoprase is found in Austrailia. Nice seams in matrix. Electric Park.

The Main Avenue Mineral and Fossil show had several major vendors from Australia, China, the US and some other countries. They all seemed to be packing up and were motivated to sell so they would not have to haul and store! There were quality specimens, cutting material, and lots of minerals and fossils. Vendors were a bit tired after 2 weeks of selling.

I expect this Hemimorphite will make great cabs.

I only bought one piece of hemimorphite from a Chinese vendor because I seemed to have a nice look to it.

The Mineral and Fossil Co-op is open year round in a permanent building full of showrooms and dealers of high quality. Many of them deal with museums and sell to discriminating fossil buyers. A few of the dealers are wholesale only. We visit this every year to see the great fossil specimens for sale. A few spare dollars will buy you an aggressive looking T-rex for your front yard, and a great petrified wood table for your living room, or a great fish or palm fossil plate for the front hall.

After a cooling break we returned to the Kino Sports Complex again to look for things we might have missed, or possible bargains. Today folks were very busy here with the local people out for weekend fun. Again we noticed that vendors were responding to the 85 degree temperatures, some liked it, but everyone is surprised by it. (Today was record setting high temperature, sorry for all you folks in the rest of the country). I bought one lone rock, talked to an equipment salesperson, and enjoyed seeing the small piles left at some tents. We also wilted after a bit and returned to our air conditioned RV.

Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Shows-2014-Part 3, The Final Chapter

View from the show. Check out the umbrellas overhead!

It is always disappointing when the Tucson Rock Shows come to an end. We loaded up with fantastic rocks, mineral, and fossils to make into fine new jewelry. In the near future you’ll see some of it on our www.snobappealjewelry.com site, also on the Facebook groups I belong to, (if you haven’t “Liked” us on FB, now would be a good time) and at shows we participate in.

I think I have taken many more photos then I ever have before, and hopefully excited you enough to get here next year. I thank you all for the positive feedback on the blogs. I’ve had record numbers of readers this year.

Here are the final group of photos from the Main Event. You must be here in person to fully appreciate what goes on here, but if you read the blogs you were imbued with some idea.

You may get a couple bonus blogs yet. Are you wanting more?

Some great Scottish Minerals especially for some great people we met from Scotland. They know who they are.

I just liked this a lot.

Wonderful.

Pyrite (Peru)

Pyrite (Peru)

What I think is the best of Tucson-Collectors Edge Display.

The Worlds' largest Matrix Opal-Andamooka 24#. This was treated with sugar water to bring out the colors. This treatment is the norm with this type of Opal.

Bonnie likes this Blue Quartz.

AMEN! A rare sign in Tucson.

Need any specimens? How's your credit card balance? Collector's Edge

A great case from the University of Arizona.

I appreciated the work involved in this map. This is the work of Rockhounds all over the U.S. The stones are not necessarily State Stones, but are stones from the individual states they represent. Alaska and Hawaii are, of course, not to scale. Assembled by Liz & Lou Porter from the Lake Havasu Gem & Mineral Society.Hallaelujah Quartz from the Scepter Mine in Washoe County, Nevada. These are sometimes referred to as elestial crystals. I call them Scepter Crystals, as do most.

Nice Fire Agate-Slaughter Mountain

Discussing rocks with Dave Wilbur. Dave is seen in the "What's Hot in Tucson" video series produced by Brian Swoboda every year. What's hot in Tucson this year. Dave said it was the Collector's Edge Display, and I agree.

Discussing rocks with Dave Wilbur. Dave stars in the "What's Hot in Tucson" video series produced by Bryan Swoboda (Blue Cap Productions) every year. What's hot in Tucson this year. Dave said it was the Collector's Edge Display, and I agree.

Recongnize this slab? It is the exact rock that is on Bonnie's new coffee cup. Sonoran Sunset.