Hi Jim,
The Tuscon show is unbelieveable. I have been going for about 11 years now
and it justs gets bigger and bigger. Every hotel room in the city is filled
with dealers selling stuff. Each hotel specialized in an interest, ie…
fossils, minerals, cutting material…The Civic Center is the hub of the
show. The AGTA , BIG gemstones is there the week before and then the
Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show moves in the following week…The streets near the
Civic Center have huge tents put up with more dealers-- I don’t know where
people sleep- All the streets near the center have street people selling all
kinds of stuff - In the last year or two, the bead sellers have set up in
various hotels too - The place is NUTS for two weeks and you can really get
confuse and cranky if you are there too long. But it if great fun too-- in
short blasts.
Then there is a show two weeks before Tuscon in western Arizona, I am
blocking on the name, where all the trading starts- and also a small show in
Mesa both of which are in Jan. Arizona is nuts for rocks and minerals in
Jan and Feb and the weather is usually beautiful…
Also, I do most of my stone buying here. I have my favorite dealers, but am
always looking. You can get great deals,and really different stuff, but you
need to dig and pay attention. You can get your clocked cleaned really fast
too. Last year found some wonderfully carved onyx done in Germany - Stones
like I had never seen before and I have used some of them and amgetting some
great feedback. Will go there again - but the dealer had out all this
flowery carved S–T that I would have walked right by- but stopped and
looked and started talking and then the goodies came out.
Also, when I went to the SNAG conference some of the stones that I purchased
for $4 a carat were $12 — I know everyone has to make a profit, but…
Joan