TGMS
Tucson Convention Center
February 9-12

Colloquially called "the Main Show," this is actually a club show -- their 68th!  It is graced by exhibits from all around the world, many of which are focused on the featured rock or mineral.  This year that focus is Silica -- Agates and Opals and Quartz.  We were thrilled with the amazing exhibits of our favorite mineral -- quartz -- and its many varieties of agate, petrified wood, and jasper.  Of  particular interest to us was the presence of a slab of petrified wood, Quercinium pliocaenicum​ presented by the Royal Ontario Museum.  If you have read any of the articles listed on our "About Us" page above, you will recognize the locality of this wood, Clover Creek, Idaho, as the subject of three of the articles we have written (and a fourth is currently being reviewed for possible publication).   

But there was plenty more to see as well.  We are sorry we cannot include pictures of the nearly 125 cases - nearly every one of them devoted to the silica theme in a multitude of different ways.  Some of them were simply amazing specimens - the best of the best; some of them were absorbingly instructional and educational; some of them dealt wonderfully with the history of mining, collecting and caring for silicates; while others displayed incredible lapidary creations done in silicates.  There were new finds, one-of-a kind and now depleted finds, classics by the dozens, as well as giant pseudomorphs (check out that Yale Peabody specimen with my finger for scale in the upper left corner of the photo (and know that I have big hands...).  How about the mysterious old teapot studded with quartz crystals?  And who could not smile at the pairs of agate tube eyes in some smaller Brazilian agate spheres?

And that only covers the exhibit cases.  Several hundred dealers offered the best silicates imaginable while the seminars had something for everyone interested in the mineralogy of silicates.  There is simply nothing else like the Tucson Show and it should be on the bucket list of every rock, mineral, fossil, and gemstone enthusiast.  There is always something to see and hear, learn and enjoy, and there are many opportunities to meet old and new friends who have the same interest in geology.
The Tucson Mineral Symposium

This year, the symposium's emphasis was on the theme Silica and it became a special part of our visit.  Pegmatites, agates, thundereggs, chalcedony, Herkimer diamonds (New York state quartz crystals) were topics leading the way.

Our very good friend Brad Cross (author of the book Agates of Northern Mexico) gave an outstanding overview of the places and people that have produced those incredible agates during the past 75 years.  David London explained the distinctive mineralogy of pegmatites that also are famed for the production of tourmaline, beryl, kunzite and other associated gemstones. 

Peter Heaney (Penn State geology professor) gave one of the most succinct explanations of the mineralogy of color in agate and irising in agate that I have ever encountered ("The Many Colors of Agate: A Comparison of Pigmented and Iris Banding").  And, those were just the morning presentations.  Afternoon sessions went all the way until after 5:00 with more incisive and thought-provoking topics relative to silicon dioxide (the quartz family).   

​It was a privilege to be present for the seminars this year.  
Peter J Heaney presented an outstanding talk entitled 
​"The Many Colors of Agate: A Comparison of Pigmented and Iris Banding"
Friends

We close our "blog" of the Tucson show with what might just be our favorite part of any gem and mineral show -- the opportunity to meet friends and fellow collectors at the shows we are lucky enough to attend.  Some are dealers/vendors, some are collectors, but all share this passion of rocks in their varied forms.  We felt fortunate to spend some time in 2023 with each of the friends below (and many others that we admittedly failed to photograph).

Top Row, left to right:
Chris Driesbach, collector, digger, researcher - California
Aaron Miller:  Owner/founder of Ancient Earth Trading, Import/export dealer since 2004, California
William Rose: Owner of Ginkgo Gem Shop, Vantage, Washington 

Bottom Row, left to right:
Steven Wolfe, Wolfe Gems and Jewelry, California
Tommy Dominy, collector extraordinaire of petrified wood, Texas
Brad Cross, author and agate collector, Texas