Photos from the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show

An amazing ammonite fossil by Canada Fossils of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Specimen is about 14 inches across.

Fossil turtle, Prionochelys, by Triebold Paleontology of Woodland Park, Colorado.

A photo from one of the fluorescent mineral dark rooms that you could visit during the show. This exhibit was by Anderson's Fluorescent Minerals of San Diego, California.

A small portion of Collector's Edge Minerals display area at the Tucson Convention Center. Hundreds of wholesale and retail vendors had booths at the convention center.

If you really like petrified wood you can buy a coffee or dining room table made from a complete log slice. Tables are made from Arizona petrified wood by Philippe-Goldstein.

A large slab of fossil fish by Ulrich's Fossil Gallery. This slab is about four feet across and contains over 100 fish.

Fossil Stegosaurus armatus by Black Hills Institute of Geological Research. A visit to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show can be just like a trip to a natural history museum.

Fossil fish slab mounted in a frame by Ulrich's Fossil Gallery. Slab is approximately 12 inches across.

Lots of vendors are offer a variety of different minerals. If you are a mineral collector you should be able to find many specimens to add to your collection. These specimens offered by Fender Natural Resources of Richardson, Texas..

We have seen lots of flats of minerals. You can probably find almost anything and buy them one specimen at a time, an entire flat (as seen above) or dozens of flats. Pictured above is a nice flat of cerussite on barite with galena and calcite from Mexico offered by Bruce Wood Minerals.

Here's the best roadside advertising that I have seen that is directly targeted at geologists and rockhounds. Steve Bookbinder, a dealer in large and interesting quartz crystals, placed a ten-foot tall quartz crystal and a four foot diameter quartz sphere in front of the River Park Inn to call attention to the mineral exhibits. He has them backlit with emergency lamps for high visibility after dark.

Giant amethyst and citrine geodes from Brazil, prepared for decorative use by Aurora Mineral Corporation of Freeport New York. If you think about the effort required to produce these geodes (often weighing well over 100 pounds) from the earth in Brazil, manufacture them into a display quality item and transport them to the show, you will understand why they are not being sold for $79.00.

Spectacular aquamarine crystals and muscovite from Pakistan by Khyber Gem Stones of Pakistan.

An amazing assortment of gemstone beads by Cherry Tree Beads of Evinston, Florida. Shown here are malachite, Botswana agate and lapis lazuli.