From amateur enthusiasts to professional gemologists to school groups to lapidarists to jewelers, the city of Tucson is host to all things stones.
Attending the shows for the first time can be overwhelming. The Tucson Convention Center and surrounding streets are filled with booths and displays. Hotel rooms and lobbies across the city become showrooms. There are lectures, opportunities for children and places for serious enthusiasts and professionals to connect with experts and beautiful stones. While there is no way to see all the shows, planning ahead will help you make the most of the time you have.
Here are 12 tips to get you started...
#1 BOOK WELL IN ADVANCE
Hotels, motels, Airbnb and VRBO offerings as well as the guest rooms of friends and family will be quickly reserved for the weekend. Some have found bookings so limited that they’ve opted to stay up to two hours away in Phoenix. If you’ll need a rental car, book that early as well.
#2 DO YOUR HOMEWORK
If you are there on a mission to find a particular kind of gemstone, be prepared by understanding where the vendors of that type of stone will be. Take time to review the vendor list carefully. Map out where you’d like to go and who you want to meet with keeping your priorities in mind.
#3 USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM
Perhaps you know someone who has been to the shows before or who has a specialty you can learn more about. Ask if you might shadow them through the shows.
#4 HAVE A BUSINESS CARD
Be prepared to make connections. You never know who you might meet and what you might need in the future. Consider this a relationship-building opportunity. You may hit it off with a certain gem or stone vendor and want to stay in touch. Take the time to start building relationships that will support your hobby or budding business.
Esta historia es de la edición Rockhound Roadtrip 2024 de Rock&Gem Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición Rockhound Roadtrip 2024 de Rock&Gem Magazine.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands
A short ferry boat ride three miles from Ohio’s Lake Erie coastline is South Bass Island, better known as Put-in-Bay or the “Key West of the North.”
Iowa's Hidden Treasures
Exploring Keokuk Geodes: How They're Made & What's Inside
Agatized CORAL
Florida's Collectible State Stone
Rockhounding Florida's Beaches
Beachcombing serene stretches of Florida can reveal fascinating finds like fossilized shark teeth, sea glass, quartz, agate and even coral fragments.
Collecting Staurolite
Hot Spots In Virginia & Georgia
Pecos Valley Diamonds
New Mexico's Ancient Attraction
12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows
Tucson in February becomes the international hub for buying and selling colored gems, rocks, minerals and fossils.
Turquoise in the American Southwest
A Water & Sky Souvenir
Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT
It's a Showcase of Mining History & Minerals
Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks
Most of Colorado’s tourist trains today were originally constructed in the late 1800s to serve the state’s lucrative mining operations.