TGS - Tucson Gem & Mineral Show "The Main Show"

Today was "Opening Day" for the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show - this show is billed as "The Main Show" - it is the show that started it all!!!

This is the annual Gem Show of the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society http://www.tgms.org/ - each year a new theme is chosen - this year it was "Mineral Oddities"!

"The acclaimed Tucson Gem and Mineral Show™ is held every year on the second full weekend of February. It has set the standard for gem and mineral shows around the world, and is now the largest gem and mineral show in the United States. The Show is open to the public and presents retail Dealers only." printed from the TG&MS website.

BTW - this is also a great site to check for the latest updates on the construction project along the I-10 Freeway!

This show is HUGE - it ulitizes the entire Tucson Convention Center with a seperate area for finished jewelry - a giant section of mineral dealers - offerings for the artistic and the good ole' rockhounds with rough, slabs & cabs!

As a side note - if you missed the show last year - the theme was American Mineral Treasures and the show featured "...close to 50 showcases of the best specimens from the greatest localities in the U.S., borrowed from museums and private collections across the country. There was an electricity and a feeling of excitement in the air that we had never felt before at any mineral show in the last 40 or 50 years. Showgoers passing before case after case of treasures were speechless. They couldn't round up enough superlatives to express their awe and excitement at what they were seeing. It was a show for the ages, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that will surely never be repeated." quote from http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-179677100.html

That show was made into a huge coffee table book - brimming with some of the most glorious photos and information from the exhibit! It is hard to find but well worth the effort! Photo from The Vug at http://www.the-vug.com/vug/article69.html

Plan to attend in 2010:

56th Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show™

February 11-14, 2010

"Gems & Gem Minerals"

So - next time - inside the show!!!!