It’s that time of year again, Tucson. The annual gem shows have begun, and people from all over the world are preparing to descend on the city to peruse the hundreds of shops and vendors selling glittering gems, unique jewelry, fossils, and much more.
The official Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase runs from Jan. 28 - Feb. 15, but some vendors are getting an early start on the season. If you’re looking to score the first finds, “mineral city” is the place to be this week.
Joannah Bartos sprays water onto slabs of rock to get a better look at their colors and patterns while visiting the Barlows Gems booth at the Rock Yard Tucson Gem Show, 615 W. Lester St. Rock Yard Tucson Gem Show is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday.
The first public show to kick off the lineup is Barlow’s Gem’s show at the Rock Yard, 615 W. Lester St., which runs daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It opened Jan. 14 and runs through Feb. 15.
Bruce Barlow, co-owner of Barlow’s Gems, said he has been doing business at the Tucson gem show for more than 40 years. He purchased the Rock Yard in town 10 years ago as a place to house and sell inventory.
“We sell large interior decor, museum grade specimens, we sell cabochons for jewelry, we have a lot of lapidary products, polished slabs, polished pieces in smaller sizes for trade, and then we have 160-180 tons of rough rock out in the yard,” Barlow said.
This year, the star of the show is a new stockpile of petrified wood, he said.
Shannon Weber looks through bins of Barlows Gems slabs during the Rock Yard Tucson Gem Show, 615 W. Lester St.
“We picked up a collection of petrified wood from the northwest United States, dating back from the mid '30s to the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s,” he said. “A lot of stuff that you just can't get anymore, or it's a protected area, or it's a national park now, so just a fabulous collection.”
(Arizona's Petrified Forest has been a national monument since 1906 and a national park since 1962; it has been illegal since 1896 to remove petrified wood from it, according to the National Park Service.)
The petrified wood Barlow’s Gems is selling comes from the personal collection of Sam and Ruth Kirkby, who founded the Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center in California in 1964. The center supported education in rocks, minerals, fossils and petrified wood, Barlow said.
“What we're going to do, is we'll introduce a section of it every year for the next three to four years,” he said.
Large geodes are for sale during the Rock Yard Tucson Gem Show, 615 W. Lester St.
In addition to the petrified wood, Barlow said customers can also find tree agates, moss agates, quartz, jaspers, fossils and a whole host of other crystals and minerals.
As a longtime seller, Barlow said he has seen the Tucson gem show evolve over the years from a smaller event at the Pima County Fairgrounds to the largest gem show in the country, which attracts buyers and sellers from all over the world.
The magnitude of business the yearly gem show brings, he said, is part of the reason the Rock Yard is starting its show before the official Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase.
“It gives us a little extra time, because it's going to get crazy here in a couple weeks. So the first two weeks, it's sort of a soft opening,” he said. “And it gives us time. We can actually tap talk with some of the regulars.”
After all this time, Barlow said he still loves what he does.
“We have a good time with it,” he said. “It’s a fun hobby, it's a fun business.”
MineraliA show
If you’re looking for home decor and crystals that will literally light up your space, check out MineraliA’s early show, at 1149 N Main Ave., which opened Jan. 16 and runs through Feb. 15, daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Owner Luis Haghenbeck said MineraliA started in Mexico City back in 1995, at a flea market. Over the years, it continued to grow until he got the opportunity to open the first store in Mexico City.
“In 2005, we opened our own factory south of Mexico City,” Haghenbeck said. “That factory is still open. Now we have 150 employees, making mostly home decor products, jewelry.”
Customers browse through a variety of gem stones for sale during the MineraliA Mineral Show, 1149 N. Main Ave. The Crystal Springs and MineraliA Show is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Feb. 15.
Four years ago, Haghenbeck opened a gallery in Tucson, at 1149 N Main Ave., which is open year-round and provides more space to display merchandise.
The gallery space is chic and modern, decorated with colorful, delicate onyx lampshades, elaborate carved bowls and carved crystal figurines, all available for purchase.
“Every single year, we always try to bring new, exciting products that keep our customers, he said. “This year is not going to be the exception. We will bring a lot of new chandeliers, and also a lot of carvings."
Haghenbeck said they will also be selling large gemstone bear sculptures, some of which weigh up to 500 pounds.
What draws people from all over the world to the gem show year after year, Haghenbeck said, is the diversity of gems on sale and the high concentration of sellers.
“Any gemstone that appears in any corner of the globe, you probably will find it right here,” he said.
Other shows coming up
MineraliA will also be selling at the Kino Gem & Mineral Show, 2500 E. Ajo Way, Jan. 21-Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If you want to make the most of the shows, here are others you can catch before the main events start on the 28th:
Jan. 22-Feb. 15, check out the Madagascar Import SEAM Gem Show, at 1201 N. Main Ave., open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
The Norcross Madagascar Minerals Gem Show will run from Jan. 22-Feb. 15, at 201 and 208 W. Lester St., from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
You can visit Jeanne's Rock Shop, 1920 N. Oracle Road, as part of the RMGM Mineral & Fossil Show, Jan. 23-Feb. 14.
The Tucson Showplace gem show at 1530 S. Freeway Ave. will be open to the public from Jan. 23-Feb. 14, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
For more information on upcoming events and the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, visit the event page at visittucson.org/tucson-gem-mineral-fossil-showcase.
