Minerals.net

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.

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.

The East Coast Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show (or more commonly known as the Springfield show) is the most significant mineral event on the East Coast. It occurs during the second weekend in August in the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, Massachusetts. In addition to having many of the prominent domestic mineral dealers, there is also a phenomenal public display exhibit every year, often highlighting the minerals of a significant collector or collection.

After last year's hiatus due to Covid, the show this year was in full swing with a very strong attendance. All the dealers I expected to see were there, and they all told me how good the show was. I was impressed by the volume of foot traffic and the amount of business going on. It was great to see those in the mineral community after such a long time, since many of the big shows had been cancelled over the past year and a half. This was my first major show in that amount of time, and my first opportunity to see many friends and acquaintances after such a long time. 

The special exhibit featured Fluorite from the collection of Dr. James Gebel. Jim Gebel, as he is more popularly known, lives in the Cleveland area, and is Chairman of Neurology at Akron General Medical Center. He is an expert in the mineral Fluorite, and has an outstanding collection of this mineral from all different locations domestic and worldwide.

Jim was supposed to display his Fluorite collection at the 2020 Springfield show, but the show was canceled and his exhibit postponed to this year. It was truly amazing seeing his impressive fluorite collection, and I was able to photograph each case and highlight individual minerals in each case. The most impressive cases and minerals are featured here, with the first post on the mineral cases, and the second post on some of the individual minerals in the cases.

Our second post of the East Coast Gem, Mineral & Fossil Show (AKA the Springfield show) highlights some of the individual display minerals in the public exhibit of renowned Fluorite collector Dr. James Gebel. The displays featured outstanding Fluorite in labelled cases from all parts of the world, with special attention given to the southern Illinois Fluorite district. Below are photos taken by Hershel Friedman of his favorite and most photogenic specimens in the displays.

When I was at the Mineral City show in Tucson, I met Italian fine mineral dealer Frederico Barlocher at the room of Lithos Minerals. Lithos had some very interesting new mineral finds, and I was chatting with Frederico about them. He then invited me outside to the parking lot to show me some amazing specimens for our blog, that he had in his car. I was blown away by the quality of these specimens, and included these minerals as an individual news post.

Alex Amiel of Crystallize had some fascinating, newly-released Fluorite, Selenite, Celestine, Sphalerite, and other minerals from the Dolomite quarries of Western New York. Exceptional Fluorite has been sporadically mined from the Penfield and Walworth Quarries near Rochester, with blue and purple being the best known. Alex recently acquired an old collection from Bob Hiler, a native of the Rochester area who spent many years collecting fine minerals at these quarries.

Bob recently dispersed his collection, and Alex acquired a dazzling array of minerals, including many from the Penfield Quarry. I was blown away at the quality and quantity of what Alex had shown me at the Tucson Mineral City Show, and the highlights are presented below.