In just a few days: Hotels will be full, restaurants loaded, and traffic jammed.
It’s all thanks to the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, which draws people from across Tucson and around the world hoping to buy, sell and see sparkling gems, fossils, and jewelry.
The annual event — Visit Tucson calls it the “world’s greatest treasure hunt” — officially kicks off Jan. 27 and continues through Feb. 11.
This year’s gem show consists of more than 47 shows and 4,000 vendors. They are strewn across Tucson and most are open to the public. That includes the Tucson Convention Center, Kino Sports Complex, and the fairgrounds. Many hotels also set up can’t-miss white tents that showcase even more goodies. Schedules and locations for each show are available online.
Whether you’re a professional jewelry artist, fossil collector, a gemstone enthusiast or an avid people watcher, the gem show has got it all.
Shoppers walk along one of the tents where items from the North Lake Trading Co are on display at the Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E Ajo Way during the 2013 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.
If you go
When: Saturday, Jan. 27—Sunday, Feb. 11. Individual shows have different dates and times. Find the full events calendar here.
Where: All over Tucson. Visit xpopress.com or visittucson.org for details.
Pro tip: Download the app, which includes parking info, guide and more: visittucson.org/gem-show-app
For more parking, routes and info, find a map here.
A piece of calcite stalactite was on display at last year’s Main Avenue Gem Show, at 1202 N Main Ave.
5 Fun Facts about the gem show (to get you excited!)
1. Just 15 vendors were at the first show in 1955. About 1,500 people attended.
2. This year, 50,000 people are expected to attend.
3. The Tucson Gem & Mineral Society started it all. Today, their show is just one component of the citywide showcase and is still ran by mostly volunteers.
4. The original show was housed in a local elementary school before moving to the Pima County Fair and Rodeo Grounds in 1956. TGMS’ show, the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, is now housed at the Tucson Convention Center.
5. Among the gems that have traveled to Tucson for attendees to gawk at: the Logan Sapphire — 423 carats, cut from a crystal in Sri Lanka, and one of the world’s largest blue sapphires; a 100-ounce gold crystal; a 390-carat Burmese ruby crystal, and a 13-foot amethyst cathedral geode.
A customer peruses a booth with boxes of stones during the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase at the Riverpark Inn in 2015.
5 must-see shows
1. Tucson’s New Mineral Show is said to be affordable for vendors and attendees alike. Organizer Marcus Origlieri told the Arizona Daily Star last year that if you can afford a cup of coffee, you can afford a rock at his show. TNMS runs from Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 at West Grant Road near North Flowing Flowing Wells Road.
2. The 22nd Street Mineral & Fossil Show welcomes more than 200 vendors and features incredible finds such as meteorites, dinosaur fossils, Himalayan jewelry, and minerals from Madagascar. The show begins a bit earlier than most, Jan. 25 and continues through Feb. 11. It's at West 22nd Street and I-10.
3. The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, the big event that closes out the showcase at the TCC, is a must-visit. This is the oldest of all the shows and runs from Feb. 8-11 and charges a $13 admission fee. The show is home to more than 250 dealers.
4. The Tucson Kino Gem Show hosts more than 230 vendors across the Kino Sports Complex on Ajo Way. Highlights include pearls from Hawaii, minerals and fossils from Morocco, rainbow-colored gemstones, and Native American drums. The show is Jan. 26 to Feb. 11.
5. The Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show also welcomes hundreds of vendors and has three locations: Hotel Tucson City Center downtown (Jan. 25—Feb. 7), the Ramada Limited Tucson West (Jan. 27—Feb. 10), and the Mineral & Fossil Marketplace on Oracle Road (Jan. 27—Feb. 10). Folks can find African art, minerals from Russia, gold nuggets, and beautiful stone creations.
Connor Dennett, 5, and his father, Dante, look at a urethane resin cast of a Daspletosaurus carrying a juvenile Ceratopsian in its mouth.
5 things kids will love
1. According to the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society website, approximately 3,000 elementary school students explore the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show each year.
The show features a Junior Education area where University of Arizona Society of Earth Science students teach the children and answer buzzing questions. This area offers fossil identification, a volcano experiment, an earthquake demonstration, and a mineral treasure hunt. When the kids leave, they get to take home an egg carton of minerals. The Junior Education area is Feb. 9-11 at the TCC. Times vary.
2. Dinosaur fossils are showcased at many of the shows. If your kiddo is a future paleontologist or a really big fan of Jurassic Park, the dinosaur fossils are a must-see.
3. You can even find fossilized dinosaur poop. Yes, you read that correctly. What more could a kid ask for? Visit the Kings Of Coprolite booth at the 22nd Street Mineral & Fossil Show.
4. Some vendors will let kids crack open a geode. Kids are bound to be amazed by the sparkling colors inside.
5. A few shows have vendors that feature meteorites. Use it as an opportunity to teach the kids about space.
Tucson's Gem and Jam Festival 2016.
5 things to do other than booth shop
1. The 12th Annual Gem & Jam Festival is at the Pima County Fairgrounds. The four-day festival features dozens of musicians and performers across four stages. Listen to music, attend workshops, and walk through art galleries. The festival IS Jan. 25-28. Ticket prices vary.
2. Attend the Sonoran Glass Flame Off on Feb. 2 at the Sonoran Glass School, 633 W. 18th Street. Eighteen glass artists compete to make a glass masterpiece. The event includes raffles and auctions, food trucks, and Thunder Canyon Brewery Beer. Tickets start at $20.
3. The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show offers free lectures and seminars Feb. 8-10. Experts will talk about everything from mineral photography to the history of gem stones.
4. Take a class. Many bead shows, including the JOGS show at the Expo Center and the To Bead True Blue: Colors of the Stone show at Casino Del Sol offers jewelry-making classes. Prices vary.
5. Support non-profit organizations. At the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, non-profit mineral and earth science organizations fill their own booths and meet with the public.
These petrified-wood faces were presented by Madagascar Minerals at the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase in 2016.
5 things that aren't gems or jewelry
1. New Mexico-based Sweet Medicine Drums is known for handcrafted Native American drums. The drums are said to have healing power and are common at weddings, births, and other ceremonies. Find them at the Tucson Kino Gem Show.
2. The American Indian Arts Exposition at the Flamingo Hotel on Stone Avenue features Native American arts and crafts including jewelry and handcrafted baskets.
3. Butterflies, scorpions and spiders. Not the live kind. These have died and been framed and are ready to grace your wall. You’ll find them at Butterflies by God at the 22nd Street Mineral and Fossil Show.
4. How about a rubber duck? You can get that, as well as crystals, minerals, knives and knickknacks at Blue Star Traders at the Rapa River Gem & Mineral Show.
5. Food! Many shows are in close proximity to local restaurants, but some shows will have entire food courts. Find our food picks here.
