This year at the Tucson gem shows you can see everything from a saber tooth tiger fossil, to large silver specimens on exhibit for the first time since 1947, to dazzling displays of red, white and blue rubies, sapphires and quartz crystals in celebration of America's 250th birthday year.
On top of all that, something new and trending is a showcase of gemstone-and-crystal art, says Visit Tucson's expert on the shows, Jane Roxbury.
Karyn Holyk uses pipestone to create a fresh batch of gemstone paint inside her Tucson home studio, Jan. 22, 2026.
Tucson watercolor artist Karyn Holyk, for example, explains that she felt called about six years ago to start rediscovering the basics of painting: pigments.
Specifically, she took an interest in the history and use of pigments such as lapis lazuli and malachite in painting.
“I began to explore ways that I could have gemstones ground into a fine enough powder that I could then put into a watercolor base,” Holyk said. “This is actually pulverized, dry pigment, aka gemstones, and I paint with about 35 different gemstones right now, ranging from amethyst all the way through to shungite.”
Karyn Holyk shows the assortment of finely-powdered gem stones she uses to create custom gemstone paints, Jan. 22, 2026.
Holyk said her paints are a combination of science, geology, and metaphysical intent with the stones.
Crystal paintings join the traditional treasure troves of rare fossils, curated gem and mineral exhibits and much more at the annual gem shows.
For the next three weeks, Tucson will play host to more than 50 gem and mineral shows across the city, bringing together a diversity of vendors and exhibitors from all over the world, selling rare and exotic specimens that can’t be found anywhere else.
This year promises to be one for the history books, with more shows on the books than ever before.
“We have 56 shows confirmed for next week, and that is another record breaker,” said Roxbury, senior director of gem shows and stakeholder engagement for Visit Tucson. “For the past couple of years, we have broken records. This is — in terms of economic impact — Tucson's largest event, bringing $283 million in direct spending into the economy and more than 113,000 people.”
Here's the low-down on four of the bigger shows happening in Tucson this gem show season:
The Kino Gem & Mineral Show
The Kino Gem & Mineral Show is again taking over Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way, starting Jan. 29. The show will run from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily, through Feb. 14, and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Feb. 15.
Here you’ll find everything from gemstones to fossils to jewelry, and the gemstone and crystal art.
Holyk will be one of several artists making a debut at the Kino Gem & Mineral Show this year, in partnership with Michal Mael, who is well-known for specializing in one-of-a-kind, custom geode designs, including for home decor.
Karyn Holyk uses gemstone paints to create watercolor artwork inside her home studio, Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 22, 2026.
“Michal Mael and I have done a variety of meditative paint journeys and workshops together, and she has invited me to curate the first art lounge of the Tucson gem show down at Kino,” Holyk said. “It's an incredible intersection, a natural extension of gemstone energy, and really the bigger themes of the gem show, and how they extend and are represented in fine art.”
In addition to selling her artworks and line of botanical oils infused with gemstones, Holyk will offer hands-on demonstrations for visitors, alongside UK author Philip Permutt, to promote their new series of gemstone paint duos, "The Crystal Healer's Collection.’
“We'll be having a conversation and a hands on demo on January 31,” Holyk said. “We're also putting together a class and workshop for the late afternoon of February 4.”
Custom gemstone paints made inside of Karyn Holyk’s home studio in Tucson, Ariz., Jan. 22, 2026.
Other artists joining the exhibition at the Kino Gem & Mineral Show include Stephen Bruce Studios, who specializes in acid etching on copper and brass; Mariana de la Vega, who paints textured acrylic art on canvas; Clair Sargenti, a photographer and mixed media artist; David Craig, a botanical desert sculpture artist; and Taly Bar, an oil and acrylic painter.
“The artists will be in residence during the show,” Holyk said, “And visitors can meet the artist to speak specifically to their work and their process.”
The 22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show
The 22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show is one of the larger public shows taking place in Tucson over the next few weeks, featuring more than 500 vendors, and everything from rare gems and minerals to a complete woolly rhino fossil.
The show is free to attend, and will run from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily from Jan. 29 through Feb. 15 at 993 S. Freeway.
This year, the 22nd Street show has partnered with artist Angie Crabtree to bring the beauty of gems and crystals to life in a new way.
“She paints these larger than life size versions of diamonds and gems, specialty jewelry type things in their natural forms,” said Tristan Chan, a public relations spokesman for the show's organizers.
He said Crabtree’s work is meant to be a discussion on luxury and how that plays into our culture.
“It's really kind of a perfect crossover between the art world and the gem world,” Chan said.
Crabtree will be on site for live paintings throughout the show, and will also be part of a panel discussion on Sunday, Feb. 1 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
“That event is going to feature a discussion with Angie, talking about a retrospective of her career and works,” Chan said.
The panel discussion will also feature Violetta Wolf, museum director of the Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum and lapidarist and publisher Justin K Prim.
Another major draw, Chan said, is Hagar’s Fossils and Minerals’ woolly rhino fossil, which was discovered in Siberia and dates back to the Ice Age or Pleistocene period.
Families can also enjoy an interactive dig pit where little ones can excavate fossils, gems, and even plastic dinosaurs. There will be stations for children to create their own treasure chests to store the special gems, fossils, and sparkling minerals they find throughout the show.
“There's truly stuff that anyone and everyone can get excited about,” Chan said.
The Co-op Mineral & Fossil Galleries
If you’re on the hunt for fossils, the Co-op Mineral & Fossil Galleries is a place for you.
The Co-op, 1635 N. Oracle Road, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Its show will be open to the public from Jan. 30 through Feb. 15, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.
The show will feature minerals and gems from all over the world, with just a few of the locations listed as Madagascar, Mexico and Utah.
“We also have some more curated amethyst pieces and you can find a variety of curated minerals that are maybe a little more sculptural,” said marketing director Kira Florence.
As far as fossils, Florence said visitors can expect to see dinosaurs, complete skeletons of Ice Age animals, ammonites, petrified wood, and much more.
The crown jewels of the show are 13 rare and exceptional fossils, curated by Stefano Piccini, dubbed the Prestige Collection. The specimens were selected for the collection based on five criteria: rarity, preservation, preparation, provenance and aesthetic.
The collection includes a triceratops, a saber tooth tiger, a wooly rhinoceros from the permafrost deposits in Russia, and an Edmontosaurus from Montana, among others, mounted on rose gold.
Rosie the Woolly Mammoth will be on display at the Co-op Mineral & Fossil Galleries as part of the Prestige Collection.
“We have a wooly mammoth, also from the permafrost deposits in Russia,” Florence said. “They all have names, and Rosie is actually the first animal that was mounted on the rose gold, and so she kind of is the inspiration behind the collection.”
Even beyond the Prestige Collection, “There's some really special pieces here,” she said.
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show
Of course, you can’t talk about the Tucson shows without including the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
The origins of the Tucson gem showcase date back to the 1950s with the first show held by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society. That legacy continues today with the 71st annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
The show will close out the 2026 gem show season, and and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 12 - Feb. 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 15 at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Avenue.
Admission is $15; children 14 and under get in free with a paying adult.
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show draws international crowds, and Executive Manager Patricia McClain said visitors can find dozens of mineral dealers selling everything from retail gems to finished jewelry.
“I just think it's very exciting when you come down to the convention center and see such a large variety,” McClain said. “You'll see things that you probably won't see anywhere else in the world or any other time except in our show.”
In addition to shopping, there will also be family-oriented educational opportunities and activities at the junior education area, as well as exhibits displaying rare and precious gems and minerals.
“We're more family oriented than we are commercial oriented, and that's truly what makes this different and unique and very special,” McClain said. “The exhibits are going to be a lot of fun.”
One of the features on display will be a set of silver pieces known as the silver twins, McClain said.
“They’re really large silver specimens that are just wonderful. They haven't been out in the daylight so to speak, since 1947,” she said. “They are going to be absolutely spectacular.”
There will be volunteers on-site who can provide information on specific display cases on exhibit during the show.
This year’s theme is red, white and blue, so expect to see lots of rubies, sapphires and quartz crystals, McClain said.
“You can't go wrong with lots of reds, lots of whites and lots of blues,” McClain said. “You're not going to want to miss it.”
