Minerals.net

One of the most significant changes at the Tucson mineral scene in 2022 was the addition of the Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery. This new venue is a building adjacent to the Hotel Tucson, where the large InnSuites show was held up until recently. It housed some fine exhibit minerals from the Gail and Jim Spann collection, as well as some of the finest wire Silver and Silver crystals from the Spann Meieran collections. On display as well was a set of giant Amethyst geodes in the main entrance hallway.

The concept of this new venue is to provide a year-round location for several prominent dealers to maintain and display their inventory, and have a solid home for the yearly show. The dealers present at this facility include Crystal Classics, Collector's Edge, Graeber & Himes, Nicholas Stolowitz Fine Minerals, and The Focal Crystal. Also present are Dreher Carvings from Idar-Oberstein in Germany, MCP (Mineralogical Collection Professionals), and BlueCap Productions. The building also features an outdoor courtyard with a relaxed setting.

Below are some highlight pictures of the event. Stay tuned for additional pictures from individual dealer minerals at the Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery!

One of the featured dealers at the Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery is Collector's Edge. Collector's Edge is a prominent mineral dealer that featured the most eye-catching booth at past events of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. Their move away from that venue to the exclusive Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery was a big change in the 2022 Tucson atmosphere. They had a large room with some very memorable displays, as was expected of them.

Of particular interest was several fine examples of rare Paraiba Tourmaline - blue Tourmaline colored by copper inclusions - from an old stash that had resurfaced. They also had Imperial-type Topaz from a new location at the Solwezi District, North-western Province, Zambia. (Historically this habit of Topaz was only found in Brazil.) Another new interesting mineral they featured was deep blue Aragonite from Helmand Province, Afghanistan, as well some newly mined Rhodochrosite from their mining operation at the Detroit City Portal, Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado.

With the demise of the InnSuites show at the Hotel Tucson, the majority of mineral dealers in Tucson moved farther north to the Mineral City show. This is the newest and fastest growing area of mineral activity in Tucson. This relatively new show presents a more practical solution for dealers to rent their room for long term, and to use them for storage. This also allows a better system for shipping as well as for not having to deal with beds and furniture in the way, as the dealers did at the hotel shows.

There was much growth at the Mineral City show this year, with several new buildings and more satellite tents. The show had a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere where I was able to chat one on one with many of the dealers.

Here are some highlight minerals I noted at this year's Mineral City show.

With all the changes at the Tucson shows in 2022, the mineral scene was a vastly different landscape than it's been in previous years. Change was already in the air in 2020, and with the majority of the shows cancelled or scaled down in 2021, 2022 was a game changer.

The most noticeable change was the demise of the InnSuites show. This show, hosted in the hotel Tucson, was one of the most exciting mineral events in Tucson, with many recognized dealers setting up their wares in the rooms of this sprawling hotel that had a very chilled atmosphere. Most of the dealers and activity from this show shifted several blocks north to the Mineral City show and the surrounding area.

The Mineral City show was greatly expanded this year, with many more dealers setting up in this new complex of buildings built specifically for dealers to exhibit during their show and store their wares for longer term storage. Several other dealers had tents in the immediate vicinity of Mineral City, making this area a bustling destination area for mineral collectors and other dealers.

Even with the Hotel Tucson devoid of internal mineral activity, the neighborhood still retained the Fine Minerals International home with high-end minerals, and a new venue opened up in the same vicinity with several important dealers and a display gallery. This building also features more permanent-type of features for the dealers to have a year-round home. 

Clearly there has been a shift from dealers selling out of hotel rooms to instead have their own leased location where they can store minerals year round. This new format has been successful and has caused a noticeable decrease in dealers at the main show. Some of the mainstays of the main show from previous years were noticeably missing, and there was much more empty space than usual. Despite this, the show was still great, with great exhibits and a healthy showing of good dealers with interesting new material. I went around the show floor looking for interesting material to show for our show report, and these are the minerals, featured below.