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 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.