Thursday, February 19, 2015

TUCSON GEM SHOW: 2015 MAIN SHOW




Today, February 12, was the opening day of the 61st Tucson Gem & Mineral Show---the “main show”---held at the Tucson Convention Center.  The show theme for 2015, Minerals of Western Europe, brought a number of exhibitions featuring fine minerals from a variety of localities, as well as European dealers and their wares.  The following photos represent only a small portion of the many minerals in display exhibitions and dealer cases.


A Native American "Spirit Doll" with gemstone adornments.
Bowl: Brazilian agate, ca. 1970, Idar-Oberstein, Germany.
A great pyromorphite from the Las Ferges Mine, France.

A variety of specimens from localities in western Europe.
Great Norwegian silver from the famous Kongsburg District.

More silver from Kongsburg.
Mimetite from the Cumbria District, England.
Sulfur crystal from Sicily.

The star of the Show: topaz collected by Rich Fretterd (as seen on The Prospectors TV show) from pegmatites around Pike Peak.  The stone on the left is a piece of 1345.25 ct. billed as the largest faceted topaz from the USA.
More topaz from the Pikes Peak pegmatites.  For a great story, and many photos, of the topaz see www.spiriferminerals.com.
There is always gold at the Tucson Show.  This is the eight pound Thunderbolt collected from western Australia.
Beautiful rhodochrosite and fluorite from China.

Come to Arizona and see Bisbee azurite!
 


Brazilian amethyst and calcite in above three photos.  Spectacular.
The geode crackers are always popular.


I spent most of Thursday at the show and was simply overwhelmed, as usual, with the many cases and specimens.