phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

#tfw you realize how big these Amethyst geodes really are! 🤯 One of the craziest, coolest things we saw in Tucson this year!

[phenomenalgems]

🌌✨ Part 2 of our adventure collecting at Rowley Mine, AZ: going underground to explore Job’s Stope, a kickass area of Rowley! This section had tons of beautiful wulfenite, mimetite, chrysocolla, and more…and, oh yeah, walls of gorgeous UV reactive and phosphorescent rocks! Many thanks to Ed and the Rowley crew for taking us underground and showing us around!! #rowleymine #rockhounding #jobstope #uvminerals #blacklight #rocksandminerals #wulfenite #mimetite #chrysocolla #orangeandblue #arizona #tucson #underground #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

🍊🦋 Living the dream collecting at Rowley Mine, near Gila Bend, AZ!

This famous Arizona mine has a long legacy of producing gorgeous tangerine wulfenite, vibrant chrysocolla, sunny mimetite, and many rarities!! We also love the Rowley mine family so much…thanks for welcoming us and allowing us to have this experience. ❤️

Part 2 as we got to visit the wild underground world of Rowley…

[phenomenalgems]

💙 💜 Macro Monday, and a mineral mystery! Unknown blue acicular mineral intergrown with Chrysocolla, fluorite, and amethyst from Maricopa County, Arizona—similar material collected from mines including Prism and Spectrum mines. Thanks for the cool specimen, Julie! 💙 #mineralmystery #macromonday #amethyst #fluorite #unknown #maricopacounty #arizona #mineralsofarizona #americanminerals #microminerals #macrophotography #phenomenalgems #tucsongemshow

[phenomenalgems]

😍 New mural at Mineral City! This year’s mural is composed of multiple tiles to build the image of this legendary blue cap tourmaline cluster. What a neat addition to the mural wall, and you know you’re officially at the shows when you see it! #mineralcity #rocksandminerals #crystals #bluecap #tourmaline #tucsongemshows #tucson #visittucson #weouthere #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

🌵 Final Day to Save 25% on Phenomenal Gems Etsy Shop! No code required and your order includes US shipping—save 25% to help us make room for more inventory from Tucson! The Etsy shop will be going on vacay mode to focus on the show soon, so don’t wait to adopt something new or reach out with questions! Link in bio, or visit PhenomenalGems.Etsy.com.

#tucsongemshows #etsyshop #etsy #gemshows #bigsale #adoptacrystal #rocks #minerals #crystals #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

🌵 Tucson Natural Sights ⛰️…

If you’ve never been, do yourself a favor and make the trip to the Tucson gem showcase! Tucson is one of the most beautiful places, with mountains, saguaro cacti, petroglyphs, and desert life. It’s also home to the largest gem show in the world, and it’s about to begin.

Come visit us at the Miners Co-op show—we will be set up with a collection of natural beauties of our own, from Jan. 31-Feb 16 at Sports Park Tucson. It’s right near Saguaro National Park West and the petroglyphs shown here, so it’s a perfect place to sneak a side quest in to your gem show visit! 🌵

[phenomenalgems]

🏰🐊 This dreamy Smoky Quartz Elestial cluster (aka Jacare, or Alligator Quartz) has been in our personal collection for awhile now…we’d like it to find a new home where it gets the love and attention it deserves! $350 pre-show special (plus shipping if applicable), a striking and heavy cluster that comes with custom fit iron stand. In-person pickup available at Miners Co-op in Tucson!

[phenomenalgems]

❤️ Happy heavenly birthday, Mom! I love this pic because it really captures the joy and love Christine had for her sons (plus Keith is the world’s cutest baby). We love and miss you, and think about you often, Mom. ❤️

[phenomenalgems]

🌍 Absolutely beautiful Labradorite sphere we saw last year at the Tucson Shows! We’re getting SO excited to see you all there very soon!! 🤩

[phenomenalgems]

💜💛 One of our favorite fluorites of any year!! This Illinois stunner really stands out; the color contrast is so unusual, and the cubic structure is a total dream. Nfs, seen several years back at the Tucson Gem Shows.

Don’t forget to come and find us at the Tucson shows this year: Phenomenal Gems will be at Miners Co-op at Sports Park Tucson, from 1/31-2/16, 9 am-5 pm each day! I’ll also be doing some live shows throughout the show, so keep an eye out for those posts.

#fluorite #americanminerals #tucsongemshows #illinoisfluorite #visittucson #minersco-op #visitus #gemshow #rocks #minerals #rockhounding #mineralspecimens #crystals #crystalsofig #crystalsforadoption #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

🦋 💜 Mindblowing amethyst cathedral cut into butterfly wings that we and @kittyahtty saw a few years back at the Denver Gem Shows!

Don’t forget to come and find us at the Tucson Gem shows this year: Phenomenal Gems will be at Miners Co-op at Sports Park Tucson, from 1/31-2/16, 9 am-5 pm each day! I’ll also be doing some live shows throughout the show, so keep an eye out for those posts.

#butterfly #amethystcathedral #amethystgeode #tucsongemshows #visittucson #minersco-op #visitus #gemshow #rocks #minerals #rockhounding #mineralspecimens #crystals #crystalsofig #giantcrystals #crystalcave #dreamcrystals #crystalsforadoption #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

💚💖 One of the coolest tourmaline cross-sections slices I’ve ever seen!! The super high contrast banding and cool shape really gives this one the wow factor. Spotted at the Tucson Gem Shows a few years back…nfs but always in my heart.

Don’t forget to come and find us at the Tucson shows this year: Phenomenal Gems will be at Miners Co-op at Sports Park Tucson, from 1/31-2/16, 9 am-5 pm each day! I’ll also be doing some live shows throughout the show, so keep an eye out for those posts.

#tourmaline #liddicoatite #tucsongemshows #pinksandgreens #visittucson #minersco-op #visitus #gemshow #rocks #minerals #rockhounding #mineralspecimens #crystals #crystalsofig #crystalsforadoption #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

💕🧊 #Throwbackthursday: this unbelievable cluster has such a fresh, bright color palette! Rhodochrosite, Fluorite, & Quartz plate from Sweet Home Mine—spotted in 2018, at Leadville’s neatest rock shop, the Rock Hut. I haven’t been back for a bit so I don’t know if the cluster is still there, but it lives in my memory no matter where it resides today. 💕🧊 #tbt #nfs #memoriesssss #rhodochrosite #fluorite #crystals #rocks #minerals #sweethome #phenomenalgems

[phenomenalgems]

🌵 We’ll be in Tucson soon…help us make room for new treasures & save 25% off the entire Etsy shop! No exclusions, and no code required—shop until 1/20 to get this crazy deal on PhenomenalGems.Etsy.com. 🥰

[phenomenalgems]

🐬 Blue isn’t the most common color in minerals, and especially this shade of turquoise blue stands out. Blue Ajoite included Quartz with native copper, black tenorite, and colorless needles (could be colorless Ajoite). This crystal is from Messina Mine, late 1980s-early 1990s production. The cluster of needles in 3-5 colors is classic for Messina, and most crystals (like this one) had a thick crust that required polishing the faces. A fantastic collector’s piece that’s available! Dm for details.

[phenomenalgems]

🛸👽 Today’s #macromonday shot was taken at the Munich Gem Shows, where I took a closer look at this kickass Seymchan Nickel-Iron Meteorite sphere!

The macro shows a unique structure that can only form in meteoritic metal: Widmanstätten patterns, aka Thomson figures. This structure forms due to 2 alloys within the nickel-iron material, kamacite and taenite—as the meteor (often an asteroid fragment) is flying through space, it cools slowly, and the 2 alloys differentiate and form distinct crystals.

When the meteor impacts with earth (becoming a meteorite), it is cut and treated with acid. The acid etches the meteorite and reveals its interior lattice structure, and these fine patterns of crystallization we call Widmanstätten patterns. A super cool formation that teaches us more about meteorites and the universe around us!

🛸👽 #widmanstatten #thomsonfigures #meteorites #spacestuff #spacerocks #seymchan #meteors #macro #macrophotography #macroworld #minerals #rocks #munichgemshows #munich #phenomenalgems