The events at Tucson have arrived! The largest rock show in the world, the
official Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, opens on Thursday the 13 of February
and runs for four days at the downtown Convention Center. There are a gazillion rock, mineral, fossil,
and gem enthusiasts in town and the roads are crowded. I presume the event is a multimillion dollar event for the city as everyone is "talking rocks.".
Besides the official “Show” there are
satellite shows scattered across the city with thousands of dealers established
in individual tents, larger tents holding a couple of hundred dealers, motel
rooms, ballrooms, pickup beds, and card tables. So, I have spent the last
several days attending many of these events and even came home with a few
interesting specimens.
Last Sunday was a day for attending the “Wholesale
Show,” the Gem and Lapidary Wholesalers, centered at the Holiday Inn in south
Tucson. A friend of mine provided the
ticket passes needed for entrance to the Show.
My major complaint about this event is the $10 charge for parking
anywhere remotely close to the Holidome.
As usual, most specimen prices seemed somewhat high for the quality of many pieces
but perhaps I am just not interested in looking for small gems in a four figure range. The lesser priced pieces seemed to have been
doubled in price and then discounted by 50%!
But again, I was not interested in purchasing a flat of emeralds for
resale. I did come home with several
sterling silver chains priced at $1.39 gram---that seemed fair.
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The world of gem dealers. |
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Get your diamonds here. |
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Gemstone rings of any size. |
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Some nice stuff. |
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And then there are beads, and more beads. |
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Sapphire for $350 ct, |
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