For the reason that first Tucson Gem and Mineral Present in 1955, placed on by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society, thousands and thousands of individuals from all over the world have flocked to the Outdated Pueblo to attend what has advanced into 34 totally different exhibits, often called the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase. 

Just like the foodies who come to city for the meals that assist outline us as a metropolis, guests to the Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase starvation for the issues that can tantalize their senses.

Most of the time, Tucson delivers a smorgasbord of choices, from stone meteorites to megalodon tooth to unique diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Lots of this yr’s exhibits begin this weekend, Thursday, Jan. 26, and run by Feb. 12.  

Regardless of your style, listed here are some selections for this yr’s showcase. 

Guests and locals alike can whet their appetites earlier than hitting the massive exhibits with a go to to the College of Arizona’s Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum on the Outdated Pima County Courthouse, 115 N. Church Ave.

The state-of-the-art museum opened in the summertime of 2021, and has greater than 3,000 specimens on show, together with one of many largest quartz clusters ever mined in Arkansas, located within the museum’s foyer. 

It’s open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays by Saturdays. Admission is $15 with reductions out there. gemandmineralmuseum.arizona.edu

Treasure hunters also can get a style of what is to come back on the Tanque Verde Swap Meet, 4100 S. Palo Verde Street. The swap on Tucson’s south aspect tends to draw out-of-town mineral sellers this time of yr who’ve gravitated over from the gem present in Quartzite, Arizona, as that present winds down.

Cease in towards the tip of the showcase, Feb. 10-12, and you’ll attend the grand opening weekend of Comida Park, the swap’s new meals truck park, located on the south finish of the property.

Tanque Verde Swap (tanqueverdeswap.com) is open from 3 to 11 p.m. Fridays, 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays and 2-10 p.m. Sundays. Admission to the swap is $1 per particular person on Fridays and Saturdays after 3 p.m. It’s free in the course of the day and on Sunday.

Comida Park can be open seven days per week and can be free besides throughout these occasions when the primary swap is charging for entry. Its common hours can be 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 8 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and eight a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays. Information: comidapark.com.

These on the lookout for extra formal retail environment can drive right down to Mineral Mile, a small strip of individually owned gem and mineral warehouses on North Fundamental Avenue between downtown and West Drachman Road, a few of that are open year-round and a few which might be solely open for the showcase.  

Excellent Minerals, at 1243 N. Fundamental Ave., is a year-round operation however is placing on an even bigger present, with hundreds of specimens on show throughout 12,000 sq. ft of house, for the upcoming showcase. 

The Pandey household has been operating Excellent Minerals, which makes a speciality of zeolite minerals from India, on North Fundamental since 2013, however they have been attending the showcase since 1994, son Kulin Pandey stated. 

“It’s the largest present on this planet,” Pandey stated. “Tucson is the place for rocks and minerals. It was a very good transfer for us.”

Pandey’s father first took up amassing minerals as a passion whereas serving within the army in India. 

“He realized it may very well be a very good enterprise for the household,” Pandey stated. 

Steadily, the Pandeys moved from promoting minerals to native sellers to attending gem and mineral exhibits all over the world, together with the one in Tucson. 

At the moment, Excellent Minerals is among the largest importers of zeolites on this planet, eye-pleasing minerals present in pockets of historic lava flows discovered within the quarries of the Indian state of Maharashtra.

Excellent Minerals’ specimens vary in dimension from zeolites that will match comfortably in your window sill to ginormous pockets of minerals greater than the loveseat in your front room. 

“These are museum items,” Pandey stated of the bigger shows. 

Costs vary from lots of of {dollars} to lots of of hundreds of {dollars}. 

“We wish extra folks to take pleasure in items like these,” Pandey stated. “Every bit is exclusive. It’s going to by no means be repeated. No two items look the identical.”

Pandey stated that their enterprise has shifted from 10% in on-line gross sales to a bit of greater than 80% because the pandemic, however they nonetheless encourage their prospects to come back to Tucson for the showcase. 

“It’s the expertise,” Padney stated. “Individuals from everywhere in the world come right here to purchase and promote. One minute you’re in Morocco. 5 minutes later, you’re in Brazil. You will notice items from in all places.”

For extra data on Excellent Minerals, go to superbminerals.us.

All one must do is cruise the frontage highway on both aspect of Interstate 10 close to downtown this week to appreciate {that a} gem, mineral and fossil feast is about to begin, with blocks of resort rooms transformed into showrooms alongside the west aspect and lengthy, white tents loading in crate after crate of valuable cargo alongside the east. 

That hall between West twenty second Road and West Broadway is the place the brunt of the motion takes place. 

It is there you could find smaller exhibits just like the African Artwork Village (tucne.ws/1met), close to the MSA Annex at 279 S. Linda Ave., with its number of masks, work, garments, beads, jewellery and extra from throughout the African continent. The Village affords free admission and is open from 8 a.m. to six p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, to Feb. 12. 

It is also residence to greater exhibits, just like the twenty second Road Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewellery Present (22ndstreet.present), 600 W. twenty second St., a veritable buffet of minerals, gems, fossils, meteorites, jewellery, beads and artwork. The occasion is free, however anticipate to pay for parking: $5 on weekdays and $10 on the weekends between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26, to Feb. 12. 

One other standard vacation spot for most of the people is the Kino Gem and Mineral Present (as-shows.com) on the Kino Sports activities Advanced, 2500 E. Ajo Means. For those who take pleasure in lengthy leisurely walks whereas trying to find treasures, verify this free present out, with its lots of of sellers unfold over 30 acres. However put on smart sneakers. This present runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 26, by Feb. 12. 

Different specialty exhibits price a go to embody the Mineral and Fossil Market (mfmshow.com) at 1333 N. Oracle Street (open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, to Feb 11.); The Pueblo Gem & Mineral Present (pueblogemshow.com), 777 W. Cushing St. (10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, to Feb. 7); and the American Indian Arts Expo (tucne.ws/1meu), happening at 2830 S. Thrasher Ave. (10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 29, to Feb. 12.)

The unique Tucson Gem & Mineral Present, the filet mignon of gem exhibits, will happen on the Tucson Conference Heart, 260 S. Church Ave., from Feb. 9 to Feb. 12. The theme this yr is “SILICA – Agates and Opals and Quartz, Oh My!”

Peter Megaw, present co-chair and reveals chair, stated final yr’s present, the primary present again since COVID, exceeded expectations with about 85% of pre-COVID attendance returning. 

“There was loads of pent-up need to get out and revel in a very good mineral present,” Megaw stated through e mail.

Megaw stated that they’re anticipating one other sturdy exhibiting this yr, particularly now that lots of the gem and mineral present’s worldwide contributors are in a position to return once more after years of journey restrictions. 

Along with the themed reveals, Megaw stated, you may anticipate to see six to eight of their largest instances dedicated to “most likely the perfect reveals ever assembled wherever of single gem crystals.”

“Most crystals of this high quality are minimize up for gems,” he stated. “However these escaped the slicing wheels and survive as colourful clear crystals of extraordinary dimension and sweetness. Image your favourite gems as pure crystals the dimensions of a soda can or a jug of milk.”

The present costs for entry, $13 basic admission with kids 14 and youthful getting in totally free. For that value, you get to discover rows of high quality gem and mineral sellers, greater than 250 in all, attend instructional lectures and peruse by quite a lot of specimens on exhibition.

The present runs from 10 a.m. to six p.m. Feb. 9 and 10; 10 a.m.-6 p.m Feb. 11; and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Feb. 12. Go to tgms.org/present for extra data. 

Now that you’ve got crammed your suitcases (in case your visiting from out of city) and dwelling rooms (if you’re a neighborhood) with big geodes, dinosaur bones and valuable gems, it’s time to benefit from the candy extras that come together with attending the gem present in Tucson. 

One option to let your hair down is by attending Gem & Jam, the showcase-adjacent music and humanities pageant, set to happen on the Pima County Fairgrounds, Feb. 3 to Feb. 5.

Gem & Jam is packing greater than 40 acts into three days this yr, masking quite a few genres, together with rock, indie, bluegrass, funk and soul, trip-hop and dubstep. 

Longtime jam band The String Cheese Incident is about to headline the occasion.

Past that, the fest will function visible stimulation within the type of gentle exhibits, interactive artwork installations and gem and mineral-related gadgets for buy. 

Normal admission is $75 per day with reductions and packages out there. For a full schedule and extra data, go to gemandjamfestival.com.

When you are out and about in the course of the gem present, you may as effectively absorb the entire eating choices that town has to supply. Tucson is a UNESCO Metropolis of Gastronomy, in spite of everything. 

In case you are close to downtown, you may bounce round to among the newer eateries, locations corresponding to Nightjar (fb.com/CoronetTucson), an offshoot of The Coronet at 347 S. Meyer Ave.; The Monica (themonicatucson.com), a Flores Household idea; or Blue Entrance (fb.com/bluefronttucson), a brand new restaurant within the outdated Ten55 Brewing Co. location, 110 E. Congress, that serves a menu that features burgers, shakes, meatloaf and different consolation meals. 

The Foothills has its upscale fare; Wild Garlic Grill (wildgarlicgrill.com), 2870 E. Skyline Dr.; and Tavolino (tavolinoristorante.com), 2890 E. Skyline, amongst them. The south aspect has its conventional Mexican with Tacos Apson (tucne.ws/1mew), 3501 S. twelfth Ave.; Mi Nidito (miniditorestaurant.com), 1813 S. Fourth Ave., and an extended record of different institutions. 

If you end up in midtown, go to the newly opened Borderlands Brewing Sam Hughes (fb.com/borderlandsbrewing), 2500 E. Sixth St., for a fast pint and a tasty meal, with a menu from the thoughts of “Prime Chef” alumna and native movie star chef Maria Mazon.