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 Gem Show
By SAM LOWE
TUCSON – Every year, when February
comes around, this city is hit with a peculiar fascination
for things dug from the earth. This has been going
on for more than a half-century because Tucson has
become a major destination for thousands of what
might be called rock fans. Although a declaration
of that type might conjure up images of long-haired
musicians, loud acoustics and screaming audiences,
that's not the case here. The fans in question are
interested in actual rocks.
Not just any old rocks, of course. These are special
rocks that have been inspected, sorted, cut, polished
and mounted with respect and great amounts of care.
It's the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and the accompanying
Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. They're
the top exhibitions of their type anywhere in the
nation, and they're so popular that they now draw
hundreds of thousands of fans every year. This phenomenon
has been going on since the mid-1950s, and it pumps
more than $150 million into the city's economy. And
it happens because a lot of people are interested
in buying, collecting, trading, touching or just
plain looking at items once buried beneath the Earth's
surface.
The 2008 Show is scheduled for Feb. 14-17 in the
Tucson Convention Center. It's the 54th annual event,
and more than 250 dealers will occupy space in the
hall, offering everything from diamonds and gold,
to emeralds and silver, to quartz and copper. Some
will feature jewelry made with precious and semi-precious
gems and minerals. Others will display fossils, lapidary
crafts and supplies, and related publications.
But the excitement begins as much as two weeks earlier,
when dealers not necessarily affiliated with the
show itself set up shop throughout the city as part
of the Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. So dozens
of smaller events take place at about 50 different
venues, including hotels, motels, resorts, exhibit
halls and huge white tents.
It's more than buying, selling and looking, however.
The Gem and Mineral Show also presents daily lectures
and seminars in the center's Crystal and Turquoise
ballrooms. Some of the 2008 topics include photography,
collecting, where to find emerald crystals in North
Carolina, what minerals are found in the Pacific
Northwest, micro minerals of New England, an historic
perspective of Bisbee, and petrified bones and teeth.
 Also on the agenda are silent and live auctions,
awards presentations and a closing banquet. And every
year, the sponsors invite about 3,000 school children
in grades 3 through 5, plus their teachers and chaperones,
to attend the show free of charge.
The event traces its history back to Dec. 3, 1946,
when a group of rock fanciers met in the Pima County
Justice of the Peace office and organized the Tucson
Gem and Mineral Society. They staged their first
show, a one-day affair, in 1954, then expanded to
the present format in 1958. The production has always
been run by volunteers, and today they number in
the hundreds.
The showcase came as a direct result of the original
show, and has been building over the years.
And now, some details:
The Convention Center is at 260 S. Church in downtown
Tucson. Admission is $9; children 14 and under are
free with one paid adult. On Military Appreciation
Day, Feb. 16, all active and retired military personnel
and dependents are free with presentation of a military
ID. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 14-16, and 10
a.m.to 5 p.m. Feb. 17.
Rock fans planning to attend should be aware that
due to a major construction project, all the exits
on I-10 as it goes through Tucson are closed from
Prince Road to I-19.
For more information on the show and associated events,
log on to www.tgms.org or www.visittucson.org or
call the show office at 520-322-5773.
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