Our annual show reports at Tucson start with the 2022 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. After a one-year hiatus due to Coronavirus, the activity and events in Tucson resumed in full this year.
The landscape of the Tucson mineral activity has entirely changed this year. The sprawling InnSuites show, which had been a center of activity in Tucson, was empty. Much of the hustle and bustle shifted north to the Mineral City Show, which housed an impressive number of buildings with modern rooms and the majority of well-known mineral dealers, as well as some satellite tents with additional dealers.
Near the location of the former InnSuites, a new Fine Mineral gallery was erected, housing some more dealers with a more permanent style gallery for Tucson for all year round.
At the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, traffic was strong on the day of my attendance. There were once again many fabulous exhibits and a great variety of dealers and their minerals. However, many of the prominent dealers were noticeably missing from this show, including Collectors Edge, the Arkenstone, and Kristalle. Each of these dealers had set up in other locations, and this did leave a significant void at the main show.
This first post introduces the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®. The theme of the show was the Apatite group of minerals, which includes not only Apatite but also Mimetite, Pyromorphite, and Vanadinite. There was an additional theme of fluorescent minerals, with a dark room on the side of the convention center full of glowing fluorescent minerals under ultraviolet light.
Another unexpected highlight of the show was the multiple exhibits dedicated to Richard W. “Dick” Graeme, a consummate Bisbee collector and foremost authority on Bisbee mineralogy and history. Dick passed away in 2021, and there were several exhibits dedicated to him, with the finest assembly of Bisbee minerals I have ever seen under one roof.
In addition to the main show, we will also create feature posts of the other Tucson shows. For the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, my posts will include exhibit cases, individual minerals, the Graeme Bisbee exhibits, fluorescent exhibits and minerals, and dealer minerals.
This page will also be an index for the posts created as I organize and publish my Tucson show reports. Stay tuned and check back for additional links added to this page.
Entering the Tucson Convention Center
Looking into the show floor at the Tucson Convention Center
Looking into the show floor at the Tucson Convention Center
Featured Show Poster on Display, with a Fluorapatite from Cerro Del Mercado, Mexico,
from the Lauren Megaw Collection
