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Tucson Rock & Gem Shows-The Miner’s Co-op Grew

Sunny and 83

The Miner’s Co-op is a real Rockhound’s treat

A return to the remote Miners Co-op show brought a real surprise. There were three times the vendors than two weeks ago. This show seems more like Quartzsite than Tucson with all the tailgating and rocks, slabs, and cabs on tables right out in an open lot. I love this format.

Bonnie and I found treasures at bargain prices everywhere. I bought cabs, and Bonnie was hauling around a five pound Chrysocolla rock she liked the looks of. I have learned to keep quiet, even though I have a good supply at home already. Good Chrysocolla seems to be in short supply in Tucson this year.

I found a few pieces of quality Dino Bone at one vendor, picked a few slabs at another vendor, and just chatted with the vendors. I love to pick the brains of other Rockhounds and harvest any trivial knowledge they possess.

You can tell when it is warm in Tucson when water in slab tubs is replaced by mister-sprayers. The water actually can get so hot it burns the hands.

This blog actually involves several days and a couple trips to the Co-op. The last tme I was there, I found a fellow Wingate Pass Agate Lover. This stuff is very rare and Kevin cuts a few pieces each year for Tucson Customers.

The main event show started on the 11th, and we attended and will show you tomorrow. I tell you this because one of the rock-related book dealers had a wonderful book I was perusing called, Collecting Agates and Jaspers of North America by Patti Polk. I mentioned to Bonnie this would be a great gift for me sometime. I swear this is a true Kharma story. I saw the same book in a booth at the co-op; the very booth Kevin was in, and there sat Patti Polk, the author. I bought an autographed copy on the spot. I could not believe this coincidence; or was it? (Twilight Zone Music Playing). Get yourself a copy. It’s a wonderful book, and for those that cannot read, there are lots of fine pictures.

Kevin had some Pietersite from Namibia, I had not seen, that was black with yellow in it. I bought rough and will show you when I cut it. The name is “Golden Sky” var. Pietersite. There is a good supply of rough at this booth. It’s very cool stuff.

Patti Polk & Kevin Kessler

If you are a real Rockhound, and not a Bead Lady or jewelry buyer, this is the show for you.

Tucson Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Showcase-Return to the Arizona Mineral and Fossil Show

Sunny and 83 (Al Roker said Traverse City Michigan is expecting 10 inches of snow).We interpret this to mean 14-16 inches of snow in our driveway back home. Smile.

Pyrite Crystals from Navajun, Spain. There was a whole room full.

Canadian Ammonites. These are always $5,000 ++.

Today we made a return trip to the Arizona Mineral and Fossil show at the Hotel Tucson City Center. Bonnie had not seen the world record Uruguay amethyst or anything else at this show. The show is coming to an end and many vendors were starting to pack up,.

Moroccan Crocodiles abound in Tucson

Bonnie bought some new display items for our booth, and I enjoyed looking at ammonites. We enjoyed talking with the guys at Agates by Rock of Ages and we rummaged through their extensive bins with many types of agate slabs.. The agates keep drawing us in.

A fine Meteorite mount. I did not get the source.

Mastodon Leg just standing outside a room

I observed a full mastodon leg that still had some skin and hair on it. Check out the picture, if you don’t believe me.

The fiberglass dinosaurs were still fighting in the courtyard, and it looked like those raptors were not making much headway.

Old Collection, unknown what mine in the Keweenaw

I talked to Ken Flood from Keweenaw Gem and Gift, and he showed me a beautiful copper crystal specimen that has been featured in his booth.

Bonnie loves the colors of Australia’s Queensland Agate, or Agate Creek agates. She found some agate treasures there that we will have at the Agate Expo this summer, agate stretch bracelets and cute little rain forest jasper frogs. They look like they would be well camouflaged in a real rain forest.

Sea life at the rock show

We were happy to return to our RV and I even cut some of those agate slabs on my saw, getting ready for the next step on the grinder.

PS-The Internet at the RV Park has been so sporadic it’s difficult to do a whole blog without some sort of getting knocked off, losing data, or not being able to sign on; so frusrating to get a blog done, and have to start all over. I’ve foiled this, what I believe to be a communist plot, by doing the blog at 3am. So I’ve corrected this blog this morning. I know you guys have been checking out this blog, and I really appreciate it after all the effort.

Tucson Gem Shows-Westward Look-Part 2

82 sunny

Today I continue on part 2 of our visit to the Westward Look Resort for their specimen show. The most prestigious dealers in the world come there every year to sell what arguably are the finest specimens in the world. I hope my information and spellings are correct on the pictures. I took a lot of time trying to get them correct.

Tourmaline and Lepidolite-Minas Gerais

Sugalite-South Africa ($7500)

Rutile with Hematite-Brazil ($13,500)

From right-Spodomene (Minas Gerais), Aqua with Albite and Mucovite (Pakistan), Halite & Selenite (Thuringia, Germany)-$10,000

From right clockwise: Dioptase -Namibia, Crocoite-Austrailia, Plumbogummite & Pyromorphite-China $85,000

Amethyst with Calcite-China ($12,500)

Aquamarine & Flourite-Pakistan

Stibnite-China (I wondered how the hell this did not break)

Flourite-China

Rhodocrosite-Sweet Home Mine, Colorado

Gelena & Marcasite (Reynolds Co., Missouri)

Tourmaline on Quartz-Minas Gerais

Plumbogummite (Pyromorphite)-China ($85,000)

Bonnie says this is a fine show for several reasons. 1. Amazing specimens, 2. Free parking, 3. We spent no money (because we could not afford anything), 4.The scenic views as we walked out of the rooms and 5. It kept us out of other shows (Where we spend money)

Datolite from Russia

I could have taken a thousand pictures at this show, but I’m just baiting you. Come to Tucson and look for yourself. Tucson should be on every Rockhound’s bucket list.

Tomorrow we return to the Miners Co-Op show and are stunned to see 3 times the vendors that were there a week ago.

Tucson Rock, Mineral, & Fossil Showcase-Westward Look

Sunny and 80!

Tourmaline-Minas Gerais. About 1 foot long. $75,000

smokey:aqua and?, aqua and morganite-pakistan

From top clockwise-Smokey Quartz, Tourmaline, Aqua and Morganite

Azurite/Malichite

From right-Tourmaline, Morganite, Liddicoatite( ($54000), Tourmaline, Topaz (Myanmar)

Flourite, Calcite, Pyrite (Peru) $14,000

Guindel Quartz (Switzerland)

Since I am not a specimen collector, I tend to avoid shows that specialize in them, and have not ever taken Bonnie to the Westward Look Resort in the foothills north of town where the classiest specimens can be found. I have been there in the past and enjoyed it, so today that is where we went to look at the eye candy.

Emerald (Beryl), Laguna Beach, California

Rutile with Hematite and Quartz (Brazil) $10,000

Native Copper (Surprise-it’s from New Mexico)

Westward look at the Westward Look Resort

Both foreign and domestic dealers are represented at this show. They advertise 40 dealers, many selling to museums and discriminating collectors worldwide. Each dealer has a room at the Resort and it looked at though purchases were being made, where we saw gaps in the cases and saw many conversations going on between knowledgeable people. We wandered from room to room looking at their beautiful specimen displays. The cases are illuminated professionally, with special true-color LED lights. Due to the number of photographs, I will divide this and give you more photos tomorrow. Each specimen is museum quality, and it was hard to choose favorites to take pictures of, with thousands of premiere specimens to see. I did not note who each of the owners were, but hope you enjoy seeing the photos.

Tucson Gem Shows-JGX

75 and gusty

Steam-punked Water Buffalo was very bizarre.

We began today at an interesting smaller show, the Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Exposition (JGX in the tent you can see from the Interstate) on Simpson Street. Parking is good there, and the crowds are not as thick, there on the weekend, like some other shows. We recommend this show if you have walking issues or handicap issues and want to participate in the gem shows. They have a variety of products here, solid parking, a firm floor, smaller crowds, open to the public, and not such a huge venue.

Happy picking small cabs for earrings.

Good Chrysocolla seems to be in poor supply this year.

Pyrite crystals.

Atocha Treasures

A couple of dealers there always get some of our interest.

Very fine Yowah Opal.

Jeff and Kerry Chappell sell the most beautiful Yowah Opals which they mine and process in Australia. This booth is a marvel with purple, blue, green opal glistening up at you. He knows his work and is helpful and informative, and has lots of eye candy.

Bonnie made the rounds of the whole building, and then settled in with the first things we saw when we entered the tent! She proceeded to spend a long time choosing well-matched gemstone earring sets. Now she has plenty of work to do, but is excited to have such nice items to work with! I talked with a lot of vendors while she was there.

I discovered Lasco Diamond Products. They had a great selection of rotary tool bits. I purchased a couple of new slicer bits that just came out. I will definitely put these to use with my Dremel and Foredom when I get back to my shop. If you need a rotary tool bit, they will have what you need, and I found them to be very friendly and knowledgeable.

Feeding frenzy at one table.

A mechanical Gorilla swingnging a sighn in a circular motion. Hey it’s better and cheaper that a guy dancing in front of a pizza joint!

hese girls are so happy; “Look, we found seed beads”.

Turtle shells in a tub. I don’t explain em, I just sees em.

Bufallo skull pile is shrinking

The whole booth for sale.

My best find of the day was a coffee cup featuring Wingate Pass Agate. I was promised these would be available at the Tucson Gem Shows while at a street fair earlier in December.

We went back to the Kino show again, for some afternoon shopping adventures, with our daughter. Inside the tent, and outside in the vendor areas, we took another look at the normal quirky things there, including a reduced pile of buffalo heads from the last time we were there.

A large tent way in the back had vendors selling slabs of rare rocks. One vendor had slabs of Larimar. He had more Larimar than other vendors I have seen, and of good quality. He advised us that rough Larimar chunks are no longer coming out of the Dominican Republic, but only slabs are being shipped out. I picked out a special piece, and will likely go back to study his pieces further.

I bought a piece of Dinosaur Bone of an unknown color. I plan to cut it tomorrow and will show you the colors after I cut it. I love the gamble.

Ammonite Fossil Plate

A fine fossil plate containing ammonites, probably from Alberta Canada, as many of the fossils had an opalized exterior. I thought this would be a wonderful item to put bright lights on and trip over in your home.

Squid Tree

I saw a tree trunk carved into a giant squid, fish, and what not. I took a picture, since it is hard to explain.

Another quirky thing was a Steam-punked Water Buffalo skull, again hard to explain! We even saw a whole booth for sale for $1800. You could get right into business!

The weather returned to the mid 70s today, sunny, beautiful. It was a Saturday and very crowded and busy at Kino, so we decided to take off and return to shopping after the weekend is over. We like to shop, but not risk our lives doing it. We’ll take the day off tomorrow. We want to do a little work on some of those items we have acquired, so stay tuned!

Tucson Gem Shows-Beads and Bones

Miles of Beads at IGM

55 Rainy, snow sprinkles in the air (No kidding)

Three hours to just skim the surface here. The more we looked, the lighter our wallet.

Our day started earlier than usual at the International Gems & Minerals location at the Gem Mall. IGM is the largest bead dealer we’ve seen here in Tucson. Strictly a wholesale dealer, they open early, so they can sell to other vendors in town before they have to open at 10. It is really large, and not super well organized, so you might find something at one side, and they later find something similar that you like better several aisles over. And you have to ask for all prices (which is a pet peeve of Bonnie’s). But they had a large team and numerous people assisted us while we were there, and even though we are not a big buyer, they treated us very well.

In the Los Angeles area they have a shop and warehouse, with bead cutters and lapidarists that they employ worldwide. I chatted with Abdel Khattab, the owner of IGM, who has been in business for over 40 years. Bonnie shopped while I discussed products with him. It’s amazing the things you can learn by picking the brain of a someone that is a pioneer in the gem trade.

Bonnie loves her new “Bead Lady” Cart

You recall me speaking “lovingly” of Bead Ladies toting van-sized suitcases so they may deposit all their beads. Because we were such good customers today, IGM gave Bonnie a pull-behind two-wheel cart of her very own. Now she has a small cart like a Bead Lady wanna-be.

After lunch we had time for a quick stop at the Grand Luxe. This has some rocks, but mostly ethnic products, dresses, antiques, dragon sculptures, etc. Dan Lopacki has bead relics as well as hand crafted cabochons. We have often talked Victoria Stone over the years, and he has a pretty selection of them.

This show was so busy that I observed one vendor asleep in his room, apparently equally as excited about this show as we were. With cool temperatures, Bonnie was the only shopper in the courtyard.

Fine Amethyst in one gallery

Pictures for the wall

A 20′ Kings’ Table of Arizona Petrified Wood.

Coloroful Coffee Tables

Wall Decorations

Spheres anyone?

Bob

The worlds largest Mammoth Tusks

Around 1.3 million will put this in your home or office.

This Mamouth looks alive (at least one of them does)

From left: Baby Mammoth, Wooly Rhino, Mammoth

We left that excitement, and afterward stopped at the Mineral and Fossil Co-op. We read in the Arizona Daily Star about a rare Triceratops skeleton nicknamed Bob. One of the largest Triceratops skeletons ever assembled with original bones, this is 65% original bones, and was found on private property in North Dakota. It was found, and excavated from 2003-2014, when it went on display at the Barnes County Historical Society in North Dakota. A decline in oil revenue resulted in Bob being put up for sale. Everyone involved hopes Bob can continue to live in the US. It is for sale at GeoDecor inside the Mineral and Fossil Co-op. If you have a spare million plus, please buy him so he can continue his life in the Americas.

Here’s the Rhino sans fur (Buck Naked)

Where’s my mama?

A randon Raptor

Even though this co-op is a wholesale venue, the public can still go in and look at the fossils, including Bob. Other highlights here were wooly mammoth and mastodon fossils, a baby mammoth, a wooly rhino. A wooly mammoth skeleton was rebuilt with added fur, resembling what he probably looked like, as well as a wooly Rhino and a baby Mammoth with fur.

The largest pair of Mammoth tusks ever found (around 250 pounds each) is here. They were found by gold miners north of Fairbanks, Alaska, and were carefully preserved over six years before being ready to be shown.

Down the hall is a gallery featuring petrified wood furniture and décor. Most impressive was a 20 feet x 4 feet table slab from the Arizona Petrified Forest. Wall hangings, bright colors, browns, cut table slabs, this place has some real eye candy.

Almost eaten by a Megalodon

A Megaladon Mouth reproduction with real teeth hangs in one gallery. The real teeth are attached in their respective locations. These teeth were collected over many years with the intent to build an authentic representation. The largest tooth is over 7 inches. Measure that out and be in awe! We have seen this “guy” several times over the last few years. Each time I am reminded of how fortunate we are not to have these fellows filling our seas today. They had a voracious appetite!

If you can, you should stop into this interesting place, and if you can, be sure to buy “Bob”!

Tucson Rock, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase-Kino and The Strip

77 and Sunny

Fossil Books (Literally they are made of fossils)

We had a short stop at Kino, took a few pictures, and covered a little more of that show. The treasures of the day were several small Lodelite Cabs, as well as discovering a very fine small, Star Rutilated Quartz in a $30 pile. This one was worth at least five times that. I’ll get some pictures of these fine gemstones later. Bonnie found some very fine Turquoise Beads and I picked out a strand of Dino Beads for a future project.

Nice thick Tiger Eye at Wades (Kino)

Guards outside Kino Show

Smokey Quartz

Lights are great behind Quartz.

Gibeon Meteoite skull. Really amazing and a foot tall

Somebody placed little skulls in the eye sockets of this big skull.

Ruby in Zoisite

The largest quartz sphere we’ve seen (Riverpark Inn)

New parking lot next to the Pueblo Show. $10 all day. There is cheaper, but it is handy.

Front of Riverpark

Notice the Lapis Table

Green on Red

Purple Passion Agate

Jeff Anderson showing his agates.

Hotel Courtyard

Sphalerite/Gelena

Orange happend when Amethyst is heated up.

Close on the Citrine

Pyrite shining in the sun.

After a break, we spent the rest of the day searching through the shows at the strip. Yes, we found many treasures at these Hotel Shows. I bought some Sphalerite/Galenite; this stuff is very cool. I just skimmed the surface of these Hotel Shows. For those never having attended these shows, all the hotel rooms and the courtyards are filled with rocks, gems, and fossils. I also found an Owyhee Agate Cab that looks exactly like Sleeping Bear Dunes.

The shows we attended were The Rapa River Show where our friend Jeff Anderson sells agates. He showed me a spectacular Purple Passion Agate. I bought some Blue Lace Druzy, and a couple of colorful agates from Patagonia (Not Condor). I hope you enjoy all the pictures from today.

A Combined Effort Produces a Fantastic Thomsonite Pendant

Sue, A longtime patron of our jewelry, brought me a Thomsonite brooch that had been in her collection for many years. She wondered if I could convert it to a pendant.

This was, arguably, the finest North Shore Thomsonite I’d ever seen. I thought I could just cut off the clip, wrap it with a prong set, and be done with it. The more I looked at the vintage brooch, the more I thought it demanded a rework by a goldsmith rather than a wire wrap by me. Sure, I could have wrapped it; took her money and ran; but I felt the character of the historic piece deserved a stately simple solution.

Fate showed itself at our next Rock Club meeting, when I won the door prize; a custom made pendant by one of the club’s master silversmith’s Ken Schug. I told Ken that I probably did not need one of his pendants (we laughed together over my win), but told him I had a project for him. He agreed to a pin removal from the brooch. I no longer have the delicate tools needed for this removal. Although I am a trained Silversmith myself, I gave it up for wire wrapping and sold my Silversmith tools years ago.

Let me talk about what I found out about the brooch. First it was 18kt gold and custom made. Unbelievably meticulous effort was used by the master Goldsmith that produced it (probably in the 60’s), used small grey seed pearls, that were prong set and glued surrounding the oval Thomsonite cabochon. Because of the pearls, we could not use a torch for soldering the piece. A Laser for soldering was required, as lasers produce little or no heat.

Rear view.

After Ken removed the pin and associated brackets from the brooch, I went to Korner Gem in Traverse City. Korner Gem is owned by my pal Kevin Gauthier. We refer customers to each other regularly. I traded the gold left over, for a new bail; soldered to the former Brooch Mike (one of the Goldsmiths’ at Korner Gem), soldered a bail on, using his laser. I payed for the time taken, and some laser time, but the price was much less than if I had not had a this trade of gold.

I took the pendant with me the next time I went to the Upper Peninsula, and Sue came and picked it up when I was doing jewelry demonstrations at Copper World in Calumet. She was very pleased.

The pendant turned out fantastic, and you could not tell that this was a conversion. I enjoy the camaraderie of jewelry making networks, rock club buddies, and appreciate skillful work from others. My customer was delighted, and even though I was only the director of this work, I too was very pleased. Because of good fortune, and having skillful friends, I was able to provide Sue with something new from her something old.

You can see Thomsonites that I have wire wrapped by clicking here.

Petoskey Stone Hunting-Can It Get Any Better?

Bonnie hunting on the gravel pile they removed from where I hunted down below.

Under normal circumstances I would look out my window and see snow falling on the already snow-covered ground, and wind chills below zero. So what is the deal this year? December 27th; no snow on the ground and a foggy soupy look outside. It is 45 degrees. Let’s see; 45 degrees and fog means wet ground. Wet ground means the Petoskey Stones will turn from invisible to visible. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

Bonnie and I packed up the Broll, buckets, and Treasure Scoops threw them in the truck and off we went to one of the private gravel pits we hunt. We are not allowed to hunt when the pit is being worked, but they don’t work the pit in the winter. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

Dream hunting for the Petoskey hunters.

Even a blind squirrel could see this nut! I can get a pink one and another one in one scoop!

We know just before winter a pile of gravel was stockpiled for spring, and we know the pit will be wet where the gravel was removed down to near the water line. Petoskey Stone Hunting should be great. I have my waterproof insulated Gortex boots and Carhardt rain gear, just in case it rains. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN! It started raining!

Bonnie forgot her rain gear, but had a fairly waterproof winter coat over two sweatshirts. Yes this IS normal for this woman. I really don’t see much of her as we hunt different areas of the gravel pit. I know that we have many blog followers that have never hunted Petoskey Stones, so I decided to document this trip. Waterproof camera in hand so you can follow along.

I hunted down in a pit where a large amount of gravel was removed to create a giant pile of gravel. Bonnie, the more agile of us enjoys scurrying around on piles, while I enjoy wading, disregarding the cold water seeping through my boots. My goal today is to pick enough to fill a 4 gallon bucket. Bonnie’s goal is to search areas she knows I won’t go. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

betterday5

A perfect white Petoskey Stone.

I started hitting the mother lode immediately. Man those Petoskey’s stand out in the water. All sizes, shapes, and hues were being exhumed. I saw something very unusual. A perfect Petoskey Stone, pure white in color. It was so white, I could almost see a glowing aura surrounding it. I’ve got to get a picture. I think it would be cool to make a piece of jewelry and be able to track the pendant back to its origin. A special Petoskey for the bucket. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

Here's a pink one.

I’m finding two, three, five, and more Petoskeys’ within a foot of each other. I can scoop up two or three at a time. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

Can I find a big Pink Petoskey Stone? Yes I can; several in fact. Not all big, but very nice. I’m finding Favosites, Horn Coral, Crinoid Stems, and all forms of Devonian Soup. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

A nice big Petoskey.

Can I find a fist-sized Petoskey? Yes, almost immediately after the question forms. I love big, solid, Petoskey Stones. I’m hearing, off in the distance, the soothing sound of stones as they sort of thump and drum as they are thrown into a plastic pail. I know the Petoskey Queen is harvesting a good crop also, up above me. Can it get any better? YES IT CAN!

Why do you need extra weight in the Broll you might ask? Can I take this Garden Rock? Answer: If you want to haul it. What a gem of a woman...

I’m tiring fast. Bonnie is skirting the edges of the puddled area, while I continue to wade. Soon my Broll bucket is filled and Bonnie has half a bucket also. She already took a bunch to the truck, so we are golden. I am wasted, beat up, and my leg is killing me, but it’s amazing what you can overcome when greed sets in. Bonnie took the Broll up the road to meet me at the gate. I took all the other rocks, buckets and scoops and headed out, picking as I went back to the truck. Can it get any better? NOPE! what a day.

Angels all over the House

snob-appeal-jewelrysmallbeadskirt

I’ve been in an angel making flurry the past week. I’ve made many pendants and earrings to match in my bout of festivity. Bonnie has to re-order a bunch of beads, and I have had fun creating festive Christmas jewelry. here are a few of these angels for your enjoyment.

snob-appeal-jewelryangel