TUCSON 24 MAIN SHOW

 

Pegmatites—Crystals Big and Beautiful

Well, the big day finally arrived on February 8^th at the Tucson Convention Center—the largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show in the world. The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show has enjoyed international status since the 1970s and was the first gem and mineral show to bring the hobby enthusiast, the public, and the curator/professional together for discovery and discussion. Thousands of spectators ranging from local school attendees to international visitors line up each day to get their ”ticket punched” ($13) and head inside. The first day there is always a rush to get down the stairs and push into the main showroom. Perhaps they want to visit a special dealer—I don’t know; however, I try and stay out of their way! I was able to count around 200 vendors, most in the main ballroom upstairs, but a few gem merchants were in a small ballroom upstairs. food trucks were lined up outside in a private area and the nearby outside lots charged $10 to park. These nearby lots could not handle all of the visitors.

The theme for the 69^th show was “Pegmatites—Crystals Big and Beautiful” and allowed a large slate of symposium speakers throughout the four days of the Show. I was able to listen, off and on, to speakers throughout the Show but was very interested in the Saturday Symposium sponsored by the organization Friends of Mineralogy (of which I am a member). I learned much! 

 

It is always nice to see a Joe Dorris amazonite from their Smoky Hawk Claim.

 

I am always amazed at the carving skills 0f a few artistic rockhounds.

In fact, I thought the 2024 symposia were more interesting than displays on the main floor (my humble opinion only). It seems that many/several dealers of high end/fine minerals have left the main show and settled in Mineral City and/or Westward Look, and/or the Tucson Fine Minerals Gallery on St. Marys Road. Their fantastic displays of past years are no longer around downtown. I suppose that the driving force is economics—Tucson Fine Minerals, with its 20 or so dealers, is open year round and offers newsletters and special shows and speakers. For example, Collectors Edge of the Denver area has pulled out of the Main Show and is now at Tucson Fine Minerals. Arkenstone has a permanent type of structure at Mineral City as well as a giant presence on the internet. And so it goes, economics drive the market.

And the show does have many, many dealers displaying mineral and jewelry.

And never forget the sunsets of Arizona.