FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[bob kerr]

One of the major events to open the Tucson Show is the opening of Top Gem Minerals - this year was as good if not better that the past openings. Mike and Jason New had numerous tables of high quality Vera Cruz amethyst and many more tables of Milpillas azurites and pseudomorphs. When it comes to Mexican minerals, it's hard to beat Top Gem. Lots of other material spread out around their warehouse.

After the initial mineral feeding frenzy which lasted till noon - the food feeding frenzy followed with the usual Mexican lunch with Mariachi band providing the entertainment. The perfect sunny day caused us patrons to clean out the beer cooler. The food feeding frenzy was more civilized than the mineral frenzy.

Jason supervised the Milpillas tables and said that this may be the end as the mine has proceeded past the oxide zone and is in the sulfides. I think I heard that 3 years ago also.

more later,
bob

[Jordi Fabre]

[bob kerr]

the two lots specified by Jordi are (depending on who you believe) reserved for dealers. a few dealers told me about the vehicle tagging details - starting Saturday, dealer cars/trucks/vans parked around the HTCC must be removed to these lots first thing in the morning and they must have a tag (provided by the motel organization) to park in the lots.

a few heard that these are also to be used by the public and went ballistic.

this Saturday will be the true test of how thing work out. it should be interesting!

get there early and hope for the best.

bob

[vic rzonca]

So, is life not a quest to use our inherent abilities and enthusiasm to reach our goals in style and grace, so as to enhance our miserable existence? Let us endeavor to overcome the imagined, prejudicial and real obstacles to our enjoyment, and chill. I understand what’s at stake for dealers and collectors, and the only reason for my participation in this endeavor is to make it happen as best as I can, and my enthusiasm will not be dampened by a parking inconvenience and a change of what may be my comfort level around a mineral show. Come and enjoy what we have, or don’t. Good luck, bad luck, all the same. Life is change, so try to have fun and be of good cheer. Welcome to Tucson. It’s free parking, not unlimited parking, show me where unlimited parking exists and let’s have a mineral show there. It will be the best.Thanks for you tolerance and patience.

As was mentioned, dealer parking has and will be a primary focus in the satellite lots, but the mixing of dealer and customer parking in the past has been demarcated by caution tape so if there is a complaint of the mixing or co-use of the lots, it seems a bit picayune.

Dealers have already figured out how to beat the “honor system” and our attempts at regulation around no dealers parking on the grounds during the show, so tell me the solution to that. Then a complaint about lack of parking may be taken seriously.

[bob kerr]

I stuck my nose into Ross Lillie's room today to say hello and see what he had to offer. His room was practically totally devoid of specimens. I thought that maybe a shipment hadn't come in yet so I asked jokingly if he had sold out already and he matter of factly said YES! He was serious - he had indeed sold essentially everything he brought - three days before the show officially starts!!!

He further mentioned that this will be the last commercial show he will attend - after 35 years of mineral collecting and dealing.

It's a true end of an era - congrats to Ross.

bob

[Jordi Fabre]

[Jordi Fabre]

[Bob Harman]

HI JORDI !

Interesting observations, but not totally unexpected. Wherever there is a large and major mineral or fossil show, over time, there might be many additional small shows springing up.

Are the newer small shows having "dealers" selling all or part of their own (or a friend's) collection? Are the "dealers" buying stuff one day only to flip it at a higher price the next day (phenomenon that has gone on in some long standing venues for years)? Or are these "dealers" simply new ones and additional ones to the longer attending dealers that have populated the established Tucson Show venues for years? Or might they be newer younger dealers just starting out and trying to save a few dealership bucks until they get established?

Like you, I feel this trend certainly makes for an excessively long and widely spread out show. Do you think it negatively impacts all the other long standing venues?

Anyway, all interesting food for thoughts and discussions. BOB

[Jordi Fabre]

[Turbo]

I'll share photos of my experience when I arrive next week. I've just started a facebook group that serves this purpose as well. I'm hoping to get a large membership and lots of active contributors.

The group is called: "The Annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Showcase Report"

[Jean Sendero]

Getting there tomorrow on Jan 31.
Will do my best Jordi.
Cheers
Jean

[bob kerr]

A few observations:

- the HTCC parking "Armageddon" that I and others were concerned about did not materialize - at least not worse than previous years. The actions taken by the parking people - especially getting dealers to park away from the Hotel - made all the difference. Glad to see that the dealers cooperated.

- the number of mineral dealers is down and the number of people attending is way down - both of which contributed to the parking success - but the people who did attend were more buyers than "lookers" so most dealers I talked with had reasonable sales.

- the development of numerous other mineral specific shows has clearly "spread things out" and almost without exception, dealers who departed from the 2-3 week HTCC show were VERY happy with their new digs and also happy about the shorter duration.

- in my opinion, there is again nothing new that gets people fired up (4th year in a row). there's always lots of new minor items around (carrolites, axinites from Peru, Himalayan quartz from India, gemmy purple/blue Chinese fluorites, others) but none of these are big and good enough to "fire up the crowd". I ask again - is the "Golden Age of minerals" over?

- to follow-up on Jordi's observation - the HTCC show seems to be moving to a new normal - not good or bad, just different. It seems to be more heavily represented by international dealers - something I welcome heartily as the international flavor is key to success of the show. Most all domestic dealers have or are moving to the other shorter term shows. This makes sense as folks who travel overseas or internationally don't want to just buy/sell for a week.

bob

[John S. White]

[Jim Robison]

[John S. White]

New spectacular quartz from Northern India! Collected between 9,000 and 13,400 ft. In the Himalayas, Kullu district, Himachal Pradesh, these quartzes are wrested from pockets and veins with hand tools by 3 teams of 4-5 men and boys, then transported down in large buckets on cables suspended high over the mountains.
The Alpine-like veins and pockets can be huge. Some of the crystals are too large to currently be mined. Associated minerals include small anatases over faces of most crystals, rutile in and outside of the quartz and chlorite in and outside of the crystals. The crystals are being offered here in Tucson by Fassi & Sami Makki. Really great stuff!