TUCSON 2019 GEM SHOW PICTURES

March 15, 2019

Can't believe it, but another Tucson gem show has passed. As per many of your requests, we decided to do a review composed of pictures, so please enjoy!

Starting off the show, its always difficult to pick a starting point, so lots of lots of walking is needed to cover more ground

Very cute Fluorite octahedrons from the Chinese dealers

One of the early finds, a collection of Boleite crystals sorter in order of size from a private collection from the early 1970s

Wonderful Imperial Topaz crystals, look at the intensity of the colors. As you can imagine this is not the cheap batch

Beautiful Tourmaline slices

Newly found Hemimorphites from China

Mike and Valeri analyzing some quality specimens. Here looking at a Vivianite, which we ended up passing up on due to a hefty price tag. But the Sperrylite, Phenakite, Rutile and Pyromorphite standing on the table came home to Canada

Beautiful Arizona sunsets, time for dinner!

Back at it, Valeri picking out some gemstones from a Pakistani dealer

Turquoise anyone? I would like 2 pounds of ham and 3 pounds of that blue stuff

Remember that A grade stuff from above? Well this is the B grade, which is much cheaper, but no color, not terminated and not gem quality...

Elena soaking in the sun with a refreshing lemonade beside some Malachites...is there a better way to spend a Tuesday afternoon in the middle of winter?

Russian Emeralds. Since production restarted in 2017, there has been a fair amount of Emeralds coming from Malishevo in the Urals (80km from where we are from), but not the tag "only a lot". This little tray was being sold for $80,000USD

HELLOOOOOO OVER THEREEE

A perfect Alexandrite sixling from Zimbabwe

Beautiful Seraphinite from our Russian friends

Valeri considering a new tooth implant, you think it will suit him?

Enjoying a beer with our friend Ken Dordano from Canada over some steaks

Rocks beyond horizon

Aquamarine necklace? Would you say this can be worn on an every-day basis?

Moldavite YUM YUM YUM

Tanzanite YUM YUM YUM

Our friends the Sprichts, all the way from South Africa

Wow, no words, this is insane!

Is this beautiful or what?

Every year, we have to stop by the westward show to look at the best of the best, the mineral dealers have brought to Tucson. Never dissapoints, so many beautiful specimens!

And no trip is complete without an evening visit to the top of the A Mountain to watch the sunset over the mountains

Picking out the Megalodon teeth

Burmese jade

Checkout that Malachite stalactite sliced like bread, amazing!

Black Tourmalines

Massive Chinese Hemimimorphites

Mike and Valeri looking at a flat of Chinese minerals

Cut Zincite? That's odd, never seen one like this before.

Elena with an incredible Bolivian Amethyst cluster

I guess we have an obsession with Imperial Topaz, but extremely rare to find one this clean on a matrix

Beautiful Malachite vases

Elena with our friend Djujitsa from Canada

Shiva lingams? From pocket size to ones that would take up your whole living room

Taking a stroll through the Westward look resort show

Incredible color on this Brandberg Amethyst

I made a new friend

Mike and Elena at one of the shows

Enjoying a coffee beside the orange trees before another day of hunting

Tsavorites, Tanzanites, Rhodolite garnets - all beautiful gems of Tanzania

Valeri checking his texts before heading out

Admiring a case of rare gemstones

Thumbs up!!

Amazing size for this beautiful Benitoite, state gemstone of California

Meteorites

Hanging out with some Rhodonite

Mike picking through Bixbites (Red Beryls from Utah)

Incredible piece of Sapphire from Miass in Urals. I was actually at this mine when I was 6 years old, one of the first memories I had of digging for minerals. Still have some beautiful Sapphires in my collection from those days