#Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

[geologyin-blog]

Natural Wood Opal Fossil - Split Pair, Australia

Photo: Prestige Opals/ Wild Opals

[ickaimp]

Don’t currently have wifi or phone data, sneaking some from the local library to show off fossils from the Tucson Gem and Mineral show.

[exception-witch-proves-the-rule]

I was lucky enough to be able to go to Tucson, Az for the annual Gem and Mineral Show! 💎 I’ll have pictures up of my haul at the end of the trip

Nearly blew through my entire budget on my first day but we still have some left for my final day (tomorrow) 😅

[nysocboy]

Let the Gems Begin

Tony and Annie at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show

[distilled-prose]

From LinkedIn - Rui Galopim de Carvalho

Moonstone is the collective name for the iridescent varieties of a selected group of feldspars, namely adularia (orthoclase) and iridescent peristerite (albite-oligoclase) and, also, anorthoclase and antiperthite that may also show similar optical effects and may also be classified as moonstone in the trade. The term has also been used to describe colourless iridescent (labradorescent) andesine-labradorite feldspar known in the trade as "rainbow moonstone". The amount of above-mentioned complex mineral names and concepts prove that commercial names are indeed very practical when communicating gem products outside the academic and science worlds. The most common variety as a gemstone is adularia moonstone, typically colourless to white coloured, sometimes yellow or grey, that is most prized when exhibiting adularescence (or peristerescence), the so-called schiller effect. This optical effect is caused by a combination of light scattering from very tiny particles (the so-called tyndall effect) and iridescence caused by thin film interference in twinning planes. Historically known in Austria, it is found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Tanzania, India, Madagascar and USA (New Mexico). In the photos, the iconic Luminosity Cuff by Assael featuring moonstone, Tahitian cultured pearls, diamonds and spinels © Assael; the 'Thistle' pendant by René Lalique, ca. 1898-1900 © Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation; pair of earclips by JAR, set with diamonds, sapphires and fine-quality moonstone © FD Gallery hashtag#moonstone hashtag#jewelry hashtag#luxury hashtag#gemstones

Many years ago I attended the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. It is the largest gem show in the world and is actually a series of shows sponsored by various organizations. It lasts the month of February every year. Dealers come from all over the world. It's quite a feast for the mineral, gemstone, and fossil lover. You'll see things there you won't likely see anyplace else. The piece of jewelry that won first place in that year's competition was a rainbow moonstone necklace in gold. The moonstones were all pear shaped and graduated in size. The photos of it were amazing. But when I saw the actual piece in the AGTA showcase, it seemed to float in its display. I've never seen anything so remarkable.

[mybeingthere]

Ocean Jasper, a marketing term for a spherulitic orbicular jasper, a variety which contains coloured orbs or spherical inclusions or zones.

"This new rock has been found along the northwest coast of Madagascar after years of unsuccessful searching. The deposit formed as a rhyolite flow but has been completely silicified. The rhyolitic eyes or orbs come in an astonishing array of colors and color combinations. The background can be white, pink, green, red, or yellow. Botryoidal formations as well as white and deep green druzy are also common. The deposit has been discovered at the edge of the ocean. It can only be seen and collected at low tide. The area has no road so the material must be transported to civilization by boat." (The Lapidary Journal)

The existence of chalcedony deposits in the area was first written about in Alfred Lacroix's Minéralogie de Madagascar published in 1922. However orbicular material is not specifically mentioned. Dr. Klaus Thalheim has documented one of the earliest known examples of Ocean Jasper, a slab from Kabamby. It belonged to Richard Baldauf, an early 20th century German collector.

In 1977 a photo of Kabamby Ocean Jasper was included in Grund's Encyclopédie des Minéraux (Encyclopedia of Minerals), sparking interest in the stone. Ocean Jasper was rediscovered at the turn of the millennium by Paul Obeniche. Like many others, he first saw it in Grund's encyclopedia. Paul launched a series of excursions to locate it. Ocean Jasper was found again in October of 1999, on the shoreline outside the village of Marovato. The original Kabamby material was found nearby later.

Ocean Jasper was introduced to the general public at the Tucson gem show in January of 2000. It was named there by Paul Obeniche and Eugene Mueller. They called it Ocean Jasper because it resembles the waves and ripples of water and the mine was first discovered along the shoreline, originally accessible only at low tide.

[ace-apple]

hi im gonna just. dump a bunch of my fan-kenopsia stuff cuz i am. hyperfixated to hell and back (everythings under the cut cuz itll be. a LOT)

first are my silly billy stars below rp characters!! from top left -> bottom right: lepa, leeya, helga, vega

helga is also the tether to my crystal vani valunealex but in the rp version of her character she is. not that. (all of these characters go by she/her)

little fun facts abt these guys:

lepa and leeya are sisters!

helga is a minerologist

vega is transfem!

only helga has a story not related to the RP

lepa's definitely in the worst mental state out of these gals lmao, she has BEEN THROUGH SOME SHIT

fuckin. vani time.

this is the previously mentioned crystal vani valunealex. they/them, originally working in mining, now they attack the tucson gem and mineral show by creating crystal specimens to sell, that will make crystals grow in the buyers body. helga works as quality control on these created specimens, and remains willingly as she pretty much doesnt care as long as she gets to work with rocks.

[ekorian]

the flesh vani tarneliax and her tether ramie! ramie is extremely Normal(tm) and definitely not a mad scientist for fun that really enjoys performing some good ol' body horror flavored medical malpractice. a propane tank exploded severely injuring ramie, to which tarneliax tore off some of her own skin to make a skin graft for them. (tarnlieax she/her, ramie they/them)

[beltasian]

the ink and slime vani respectively, payauneren (left) and seruneren (right) (both she/her). sisters that run an art gallery in iceland... but in reality the pieces are seruneren's slimes disguised with payauneren's ink magic, waiting to attack the unsuspecting visitors

[beltasians]

their tethers are saida (left) and karimah (right), who are both living regular lives in baghdad. they are unaware of their status as tethers, and payau and seru do not know who their tethers are.

redakalen is HUGE at 40 ft 6 in, but has defected from the mercy mission and hides from his teammates in earth's oceans (he/him) alarm sembla (mainly based off sonar and the "bloop")

[krianian]

then theres tsumetalai, the thread vani that is very much self indulgence in my decora interest. based off worms on a string and axolotls, she makes well, decora fashion! however the garmets will begin to sew themselves into the wearer and fill them with thread! she actually used to date valunealex before the brandshock, but neither of them remember this. (she/her)

[ekorian]

ermm anyways sorry for mine infodump i just. love them theyre my little guys

[dailyunsolvedmysteries]

Charles Lynn Simmons

In January of 2004, fifty two year old Charles Lynn Simmons had a lot to look forward to- he was actively saving up money to open his own gem and mineral shop, something he was deeply passionate about, and to top it off, the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show was only a few days away (The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is the largest, and oldest, gem and mineral show in the world.) Charles was enthralled with gems, and made a lot of friends within the network he was so passionate about. A childhood friend of over forty years, said this about Charles-

”Chuck almost had a sickness about rocks. Maybe that's not the right word--more like a passion. But he loved his rocks."

Charles was also described as very trusting and old fashioned- he didn’t use the internet or own a cell phone- but this unconditional trust in others often led him to loaning out money, or gems, to those within the community. A lot of people owed Charles Simmons a lot of money, but according to Patterson, these mounting debts didn’t seem to bother him too much. However, one particular associate of Charles owed him over $400,000 dollars in 2004, and Charles had sought legal council in order to be paid back.

Charles co-owned a mine in Morenci, Arizona, which took him away from home for weeks at a time in order to mine it. On January 14th, Charles had only been home for a few days time after returning from Morenci- all that is publicly known about his day was that he spoke to his girlfriend on the phone. After that, Charles vanished. When no one could get in touch with him again, his friends were confused- they knew that Charles was extremely excited about the upcoming Gem and Mineral show, and they knew he wouldn’t leave town without contacting anyone, first. He was reported missing two days later, after contacting a distance cousin in Phoenix to submit a report on their behalf.

On January 17, 2004, Charle’s Ford F-150 was located, sitting in a parking lot on the corners of North Stone and East Toole avenues, in Tucson. Strangely, his truck was parked across the street from a warehouse called Zee’s Gallery and Warehouse, owned by Zee Haag, a business associate of Charles. Zee is the man who owed Charles $400,000, whom Charles was seeking legal advice about. When inspecting the truck, police noted that the state of the truck was normal- nothing out of the ordinary. Charles girlfriend, Franny Young, spoke to 13 news about the truck, saying-

”It was unlike him to leave his truck there. It didn't look like anything was wrong with it, it was just there."

Police learned that when Charles disappeared, Zee rented a van, which he immediately drove to California. They were able to access the van, and found a dried liquid on the panel- police also found DNA that likely belonged to Charles. Despite these findings, without a body or concrete proof of foul play, the case went cold.

Police spoke to people in Southern California, considering that Charles may have been buried somewhere in the desert between Tucson and Southern California, but things only continued to grow colder in their investigation. The case hit a standstill until January 2015, when police got information that they deemed credible from an unknown source. This tip led them to an abandoned mine shaft deep within the Saguaro National Park, on the northwest end. Investigators extensively searched the abandoned mine, and the area surrounding it, but came up empty handed. After this, they felt like they were back to square one- downtown Tucson, focusing on the gem and mineral show, specifically. A detective on the case stated that he still felt like the tip about the mine shaft held some weight, however.

Police continue to monitor the gem and mineral show in Tucson every year, in hopes that someone may came forward with information, or that someone may “slip up” and say something. With lack of concrete evidence, no one has been named a suspect or person of interest in the disappearance of Charles Lynn Simmons, but they do say that no one has been cleared of any wrong doing, either.

Charles friends and long time girlfriend hope to bring him home one day, with Scott Patterson stating that all of Charles friends are dedicated to his memory, and will “pull out all the stops” in order to find him.

When last seen, Charles was described as standing at 6’1”, weighing 180 pounds, with brown hair and grey eyes, and a mustache. He also goes by the name Chuck. There has been no financial activity on Charles’ records since he disappeared.

[xtruss]

This Carving from Dinosaur Bone, priced at almost $50,000, was part of a recent seizure of thousands of pounds of fossils that had been illegally excavated from Federal and State Lands in Utah. Photograph By Bureau of Land Management

U.S. Charges Poaching Ring Allegedly Involved in Massive Utah Dinosaur Bone Heist

After Being Excavated and Fashioned into Dinosaur Dig Kits, Carved Figurines, Jewelry, and More for Sale, "Tens of Thousands of Pounds of Dinosaur Bones have Lost Virtually all Scientific Value.”

— By Dina Fine Maron | October 19, 2023

Federal prosecutors today announced charges against four people allegedly involved in a massive dinosaur bone smuggling scheme. Thousands of pounds of dinosaurs and other fossils were secretly excavated from government lands in Utah, according to court documents. Some were sold at gem shows, and others were shipped to China after being mislabeled as construction materials or gems. The poaching and subterfuge, court documents allege, lasted at least from March 2018 to earlier this year.

“By removing and processing these dinosaur bones to make consumer products for profit, tens of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones have lost virtually all scientific value, leaving future generations unable to experience the science and wonder of these bones,” United States Attorney Trina Higgins said in a press statement.

"It’s certainly a significant volume of dinosaur bones," says David Evans, a paleontologist at the Royal Ontario Museum who’s not involved in the case. He adds that it’s unusual for so much material to be removed from government lands, and that many people likely aren’t aware of the scale of the black market on U.S. dinosaur specimens.

Officials tested more than 1,000 dinosaur bones seized from the residence of Vint and Donna Wade in Utah to determine if they were illegally dug up from Federal Lands. Photograph By Bureau of Land Management

Some of the dinosaur bones were fashioned into commercial products, including dinosaur dig kits, carved figurines, knives, jewelry, and polished bowling ball-like spheres, according to court documents.

Federal agents seized one shipment of dinosaur bones bound for China in December 2022 in Long Beach, California. The 17,000 pounds of fossil material had been mislabeled as industrial stone.

Dinosaur bones shipped to China were allegedly mislabeled as industrial stone or other substances. Photograph By Bureau of Land Management

The items were also sometimes polished and fashioned into dinosaur bone jewelry. Photograph By Bureau of Land Management

Before now, one of the biggest known dinosaur fossil busts occurred in 2006, when 8,000 pounds of fossils—including thousands of dinosaur eggs, petrified pine cones, and prehistoric crabs—were seized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents at a gem and mineral show in Tucson, Arizona. Those items had been illegally taken from Argentina.

In Utah, dinosaur bones found on private lands may be legally excavated and sold, but it is a crime to dig up and sell fossils discovered on federal or state lands. Charges against the four Utah defendants, who are scheduled to have their initial court appearance later today in Salt Lake City, include conspiracy against the U.S., false labeling, theft of U.S. property, money laundering, and attempted smuggling of goods, among others.

A Dino 🦕 Trafficking Scheme

Beneath Utah’s surface, there’s a rich cache of dinosaur fossils, revealing details about prehistoric animals such as carnivorous allosauruses and spine-backed stegosauruses. Almost three-quarters of the state consists of public lands managed by federal or state agencies, and recent fossil finds there include a huge collection of Utahraptors and an entirely new species, a big-nosed distant relative of Triceratops.

Court documents describing the years-long Utah poaching operation allege that Vint and Donna Wade purchased illegally obtained bones and other fossils to sell at U.S. gem and mineral shows and also to ship to China, and that Jordan Willing and his father Steve Willing trafficked dinosaur bones to China using their company JMW Sales. The documents also allege that two unnamed and unindicted coconspirators illegally excavated fossils from federal lands and sold them off to the Wades.

In total, the Wades sold over $1 million in paleontological material to the Willings, according to the court documents, which were filed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Utah.

The fossil heist also led to $3 million in damages, the federal government claims, including large restoration and repair expenses and the costs of losses to science.

During the years of the alleged smuggling activity, the fossil shipments did sometimes run into problems. One shipment of dinosaur bones that was sent from Scottsdale, Arizona, to China in March 2019 was falsely labeled as items including jasper and wood, but the cargo was ultimately held up in China “due to high radiation levels,” court documents state. The fossilized materials had apparently picked up natural radioactive material over time. (Investigators can sometimes discover the origin of fossils based on radioactive signatures in the specimens that provide clues about where they were buried.)

A scientist tests a dinosaur bone for radiation to help determine its origin. Over time, fossils may pick up naturally occurring radiation from their environment which can help investigators determine where they'd been buried. Photograph By Bureau of Land Management

Each radiation-tested bone was labeled with a unique identifier, and a circle was added to mark where it had been sampled. This fossil had been priced at $4,500. Photograph By Bureau of Land Management

Paleontologists typically remove dinosaur bones using a methodological process designed to limit damage and preserve evidence found in the fossils and their surroundings—information about when dinosaurs lived, what species they were, and sometimes even how they behaved.

Amateur diggers hunting for recognizable body parts to sell, however, generally do not take such care. Federal prosecutors claim that the loss to science from this poaching ring is largely incalculable.

[bekkathyst]

All mineral lots and other open orders now have tracking numbers sent out! Though they'll be dropped off at the post office on Friday- tomorrow we're leaving before the post office opens and we'll be back after they close.

Tomorrow we're going to a wholesale warehouse here in Austria (though it's almost a 3-hour drive)

I'm not 100% sure what materials we'll be able to find there, but if you have any requests for any stones you've been looking for, let me know! There will be a sale with whatever we find this weekend.

I've done business with this company before in the US at the Tucson gem show, but I'm not sure if their inventory here differs at all. They previously had really nice quality European materials and also Madagascar materials mined in small batches by the owner himself & his small team. I really liked what they had before, so I'm hoping they have similar stuff at this warehouse! :)

[geologyin-blog]

Absolutely Gorgeous Amethyst Druzy with Calcite Gemination 'Tucson Gem & Fine Mineral Show 2024' Photo ©️ Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery

[secreteviltwin]

i know if i could go to the tucson gem and mineral show i would meet my true love. i feel like cinderella

[basicgeology]

I'm not a student anymore, didn't study geology in school, and have a full time job. Do you have any recommendations for getting started learning about geology? I'm a big fan of rocks, have a growing collection, and even attended the Tucson Gem and Mineral show for the first time this year, but I don't actually know much. Thanks!

It really depends on which aspects you are more interested in, since geology is a very eclectic and varied field.

Genuinely, if you're an extreme beginner I would just take a look at the wikipedia page for a field that you're interested in, read through it, get a look at the sources and start from there.

If you're interested in mineralogy and petrology specifically though, I would recommend "Earth Materials" by Klein and Philpotts and "Manual of Mineralogy" by Klein. They're pretty expensive though, so DM me so I can tell you where to find them for cheap, wink wink.

The first one I would say is easier to understand for beginners and it includes both petrography and mineralogy elements, as in it talks about how rocks form and the minerals that make them. The second one delves deeper in the mineralogy aspect and is more advanced. My disclaimer here is that I studied on the Italian translations of these books so I can't 100% guarantee that they'll be what I say they are.

Also, you can send me asks about anything and I'll try my best to answer them, though I am not an expert and might simply not know or know very little about certain things, but I might redirect you to a good article if you have a specific question in mind. Alternatively I can just give you a rundown of the main geological sciences and you can decide which one you would like to research more into.

Alternatively alternatively, start from the rocks you have! Do you know what rocks they are? Research those types of rocks, and then branch out. I hope this was helpful in any way, I only started learning about geology once I started studying it in university (I didn't even care about it beforehand I just stumbled upon it) so I'm not sure how a regular non-student could research geology.

[capriciouslyvexed]

To everyone who is just getting into collecting rocks and minerals and thinking about selling them, please be aware that you are not going to get rich. Is there some money in it? Sure. I own a Rock Shop, and it pays the bills. Realistically I don’t make much more than I did at my last wage job, and the pay there wasn’t great. I know you always hear about those guys in Colorado finding gems and cool crystals or whatever. Those TV shows are staged, and everyone in the industry knows it. I’ve met people who have found some cool stuff that was worth money, but it’s once in a lifetime; and if you average out the value of the thing they found over the time they spent looking for it they usually only make the equivalent of $8-$10 an hour. People scrape by collecting copper in Michigan and quartz in Arkansas or whatever. But it’s a hard living. The Big Fish dealers you see in Tucson are pretty entrenched, and they deal with stuff you can’t find any more; that’s why it’s valuable. They sell the rock equivalent of genuine Picasso paintings if you know what I mean. If anybody can go out and collect it, then it’s generally not valuable.  Don’t take this as “Don’t start collecting”! If you’re interested you absolutely should! It’s fun! Hell, maybe you will make a little money on the side! But it’s not treasuring hunting. You won’t get rich.

[lacewinglacey]

Where do I get my inspiration? Tons of places, but rocks and gems have a special place in my imagination. My father is a geologist, and every year since I was a kid we do the Tucson Rock and Gem Show together. There, you’ll find spectacular gems, crystals, minerals, and stones from all over the world. I get to see incredible opals from Africa, the “nectar” of an agate claim, and rare crystal formations that call to mind all sorts of patterns and realities. So when I think of magic, it’s no wonder that my mind goes here. My first series is all about jewel dragons, magical shifters whose powers are represented by the rare gems they wear. There are plenty of geological facts and references scattered throughout! 

Which one is your favorite? What stone do you want to see as a character in my next book?

[icka-the-goth]

Made this for A&S at an event I ended up not going to, and wearing it mundanely ever since.

Roman necklace, made with brass wire, pearls, aventurine, raw emeralds, and the large glass looking beads are aquamarine.

First time trying to do a double strand, which was a little tricker than I anticipated. Strands were also dictated by how many aquamarine I had, was using stones from when had access to the Tucson Gem and Mineral show.