Pueblo Gem and Mineral Show
777 W. Cushing Street
January 30 - February 11

  This show, while named for the original motel now long since demolished and replaced by a different motel, served as one of the original gathering places for mineral dealers during the Tucson Club show.  That club show was originally held in a school auditorium and eventually moved to the current downtown Convention Center.  So, while the motel names change as they often do in America when sold to different corporations, the rock shows continue along the freeway frontage road as they have for decades. 

From year to year we see dealers with a piece or two of petrified wood but we can always count on Sammy Cordova (Prime Cut Rocks) to have plenty of wood, much of it self-collected by her and her husband Ness.  While we did not see anything that fit into our inventory needs this year we, as always, enjoyed seeing and talking with Sammy, sharing experiences, talking about pet wood localities and just generally catching up.  (She has a fun sense of humor, which she demonstrated by donning Jim's hat for her photo!)  

​There is always something to catch the eye and imagination at the show; this year it was a gem tree at least ten feet tall and 5 feet in diameter.  There are numerous rockhounds that delight in making gem trees out of wire and (often) tumbled stones as table decorations but we have never seen one that is sized for placement in the lobby of a multi-story office building.  The theme was a tree in autumn color and the artist even included “leaves” of stone scattered around beneath the tree on the ground.  Even when closeup, it looked quite realistic!
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Fossil and Mineral Alley
Days Inn, 665 N. Freeway
January 31 - February 16

  A mainstay of the fossil selling world.  Dealers from all over the world bring incredibly prepped fossils (mostly vertebrate and invertebrate fauna, not botanicals) from far corners of the world.  Exciting to wander through but we came away without any wood although we did see one of the most amazing Monanthesia Cycadeoideae complete plant that we have ever seen.  Too expensive for Mills Geological unfortunately; perhaps it will be snapped up by some museum with a very wealthy patron.  No photos allowed so you will just have to Google some images and then use your imagination to try and picture something 100 times better than any image you find. 
Mineral and Fossil Marketplace
1333 N Oracle
February 1-16

  Great wood here from William Rose of the Ginkgo Gem Shop, just outside of the Ginkgo State Park in Vantage Washington. 

​Curiously, no wood from Washington here this year – only wood from Arizona.  Most of William’s slabs are in the 18 to 24 inch range – not the size we collect or sell but always breathtaking to see.
Smokey's Tucson Miners Co-op Rock Show
Mike Jacob Sports Park: 6901 N. Casa Grande Highway
January 31 - February 16
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​  "Home of the Diggers and Do-ers" they say.  A venue in the Mike Jacobs Sports Park with dealers selling off of tables set up outside their motorhomes or tents.  Low prices and not always the quality we seek but, there is always something new to see every year.  Dealers are low-key and approachable and many are bringing material that indeed, they dug themselves – right in line with the “Miners” in the show title.
Kino Gem and Mineral Show
2500 E. Ajo Way
January 16 – January 30

​This show continues to evolve from a small-booth, individually-owned business show, into a gathering of huge tents with acres of merchandise.  There are still some small dealers but many of the businesses are now corporate affairs. 

​Add to this change the observation that as years go by, there seems to be an increasing amount of non-rock related merchandise being offered.  The pictures will verify this :)  The rock-related items being offered are more commonly referred to as “product” whether they are tumbled stones, polished selenite objects, or similar finished materials.  Notwithstanding the trend, it is still the place for lapidary enthusiasts to look for rough – there are tons of it here, some of it labeled with fantastical new names originated especially for the show where it accompanies traditionally named agate, jasper and other workable stones.  As a measure of the sameness to be found in tent after tent, we noted it was difficult in the maze of tents to determine if we had already ventured down any particular row!  We came away empty-handed – we simply did not see anything that would satisfy the definition of being “collectible,” at least, by serious mineral or fossil collectors.  In summary, this is an extraordinarily popular show for public browsing and for rock shop owners buying inventory and for lapidaries seeking rough rock.  Each year it works less and less well for us but it never seems to be one of the top attractions for the general public.  And it has its fascination.