Tucsonans can strike gold soon. And silver and rubies and a whole load of other gems and minerals, too.
You’ll find them at the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. In a few days, thousands of people from across the world and across the street will converge on the Tucson Convention Center and 44 scattered locations for the massive event.
The so-called World’s Greatest Treasure Hunt — now in its 63rd year — will run for two weeks, Jan. 28 through Feb. 12.
When the event started in 1955, the Gem and Mineral Show only hosted about 15 vendors, according to Gloria Quigg of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society. Now, the Gem and Mineral Show is an anchor event within the showcase hosting 244 gem, mineral, fossil and jewelry dealers.
“This two-week event that has grown up around us, at times, totally overshadows us,” Quigg said. “You know, you just drive around town and it seems like every hotel and every parking lot has somebody selling something. That has grown up serendipitously and not by any prodding by us.”
The showcase is an umbrella term for all 45 individually promoted shows. This year, 80 percent of the shows are open to the public, including the original event, the Gem and Mineral Show, organized by the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society, said Jane Roxbury of Visit Tucson.
That show, Feb. 9-12 at the Tucson Convention Center, is a mix of retail shopping destination and a museum, said Quigg. In keeping with this year’s theme, “Mineral Treasures of the Midwest,” 40 display cases of minerals will line the rows of booths. The Smithsonian Institute and the Gemological Institute of America will also be bringing special exhibits.
Among the highlights:
- A 100-ounce gold crystal provided by Kristalle.
- The Alma Rose, a giant rhodochrosite crystal from the Sweet Home Mine near Alma, Colorado.
- Skulls and skeletons of three baby dinosaur fossils from the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota and Montana.
“We can bring exhibits of minerals and jewelry and gemstones from all over the world and put them in one building for four days creating a very unique, one-of-a-kind show,” Quigg said. “The displays are always different and they are always great.”
