Minerals.net

On Thursday, February 8, I went to the main show. This show is the original show that made Tucson a famous mineral destination. It's the biggest show in town and has almost all of the well-known dealers exhibiting here. I was at the show a few minutes after opening at 10:00, and the line behind me was out the door. Due to time constraints, I only got to spend one day at the big show, but I tried packing in as much as I could during that one day. Here are a few sample photos of the event:

Long line for registration to get into the show at the opening.

Looking into the show from the top pavillion.

Another view looking down.

Natural Gold from the Olinghouse Mine, Washoe Co., Nevada.
Miner's Lunchbox Display Specimen.

Deep hot orange Wulfenite from the Red Cloud Mine, La Paz Co., Arizona.
Les Presmyck Donation Display Specimen.

Amazonite from Konso, Ethiopia.
This material is very similar and almost as outstanding as Colorado Amazonite.

Rare Anorthoclase Feldspar from
Mt. Eberus, Ross Island, Antarctica.

Tabular Wulfenite crystals with a bright orange color.
From the Old Yuma Mine, near Tucson, Arizona.
Dick Morris Display Specimen

Botryoidal Malachite mass, from the Czar Mine, Bisbee, Arizona.

Dark Lustrous Azurite Crystal Group.
Daniel Trincillo Display Specimen.

Bisbee Display Case

Bisbee Display Case

More Display Cases

Amethyst scepters from the Fat Jack Mine, Bradshaw Mountains, Arizona.

Wulfenite from the Glove Mine, near Amado, Arizona.

More Wulfenite from the Red Cloud Mine, Arizona.
Lyda Hill Display Specimen.

Huge Sulfur Crystals from Sicily, Italy.

Wulfenite Crystal Plates from the Defiance Mine, near Gleeson, Arizona.

Square Tabular Wulfenite from the Rowley Mine, near Theba, Arizona.

Huge Rhodochrosite rhomb from the Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado.

Display case that contained the above Rhodochrosite.

On Wednesday, February 7, I returned again to the InnSuites. I had a better chance to visit more dealers and take some more good photos.

Slice of polished Larimar (blue Pectolite) from the Domican Republic.
Mountain-Mark Trading Co., Ltd

Amazing Siderite pseudomorph after Calcite, from Satu Mare, Romania
North Star Minerals

Red Quartz with Hematite inclusions from the Orange River, South Africa
Donald K. Olson

Natural Yellow Citrine find in Mansa Luapula, Zambia.
Natural Citrine is very rare.
Crystal Habit, Peter Beckwith

Perfect Pyrite cubes in matrix from Navajun, Spain.
This is a very dense and amazing specimen.
Pyritas De Navajun, S.L.

Faceted Red Beryl from the Wah Wah Mountains of Utah.
1.36 carats.
Red Beryl Mine, collected by Gary Harris

Large Calcite scalenohedron with sparkling Pyrite and Marcasite
from the Conco Mine, North Aurora, Illinois.
Saga Minerals

Azurite Sun in Kaolinite, from the Malbunka Copper Mine, Australia

Occupy Tucson.
I saw this on my way back to the hotel at the corner of Speedway and Stone.

On Tuesday, February 6, I also made a visit to the Pueblo Show, at the Riverside Hotel. This has become an important show, though I noticed many more beads and tumbled material rather than minerals this year over previous years. It's still a great show though and is definitley worth the visit.

In the evening I returned for a presentation by Jolyon Ralph, founder of Mindat, and Tomasz Praskier, Spirifer Minerals.

A Giant Amethyst Geode from Artigas, Uruguay.
The size of these never cease to amaze me,
and they seem to get larger and larger every year.
Steven Bookbinder

The same Amethyst Geode with me Posing in front of it.
The photographer I asked didn't do a good job and cut off the entire top!
Steven Bookbinder

Here is one more fascination Amethyst Geode.
Has a large hexagonal Calcite Crystal Inside.
Steven Bookbinder

Excellent Wulfenite with classic dipyramidal habit and butterscotch color.
From the new finds at Mapimi, Durango, Mexico.
This piece was very reasonably priced at only $7,
so I purchased it, and it is now in my collection.
Shannon and Sons Minerals

Fluorescent Balls of Red-Glowing Calcite and Green-Glowing Willemite
C B Ward Fluorescent Minerals, Hershel Ward

Jolyon Ralph's Presentation at the Pueblo Show
Visit the Pueblo Gem Show Website

There will be a delay in my posting of the rest of the Tucson mineral show updates. I have some important matters to take care of this week, but will continue posting the following week.

On Tuesday, February 6, I visited the InnSuites, now called the "Hotel Tucson". (The name change hasn't really stuck and everyone still calls this the InnSuites show.) Outside of the main show, this is the best show in Tucson. Its a large and sprawling, two floor hotel with outdoor rooms and there is just an abundance of fine mineral dealers and specimens to be found at this show. Many of the most recognized dealers have a room here.

I only had a limited amount of time on Tuesday at this show and had returned on the following day to visit more dealers and take more photos. Below are my first set of photos from the InnSuites show from Tuesday.

The World's Largest Amethyst from the Anahi Mine in Bolivia.
At the entrance of the InnSuites.
Crystal Springs Mining & Jewelry, Thomas Nagin

A Mammoth-sized Amethyst Geode from Artigas, Uruguay.
Also at the Entrance of the InnSuites.
From Uruguay

Another Giant Amethyst Geode at the entrance,
in an Egg-Shaped Formation, from Artigas.
From Uruguay

One of the Largest Vivianite Crystal Clusters I Have Ever Seen!
From Huanani, Bolivia. Has Excellent Color and Transparency.
Crystal Springs Mining & Jewelry, Thomas Nagin

The rare cobalt carbonate, Sphaerocobaltite from Kolwezi, Congo.
One often encounters cobalt-rick Calcite or Dolomite,
but Sphaerocobaltite is very hard to come across.
Ausrox

Amazonite with an intense bluish-green color.
Last Chance Pocket in the Smoky Hawk Mine, Florissant, Colorado.
Pinnacle 5 Minerals, Joseph and Susan Dorris

Double Cristobalite Pocket (With Several Smaller Pockets) in Obsidian
With Tiny Transparent Fayalite Crystals.
Cougar Butte, Siskiyou, California.

I found this specimen fascinating and purchsed it for my own collection.
Bruce Wood Minerals, Bruce and Paula Wood.