February 2 & 3, 2002

Today was a bit cloudy and cool.  Crazy weather here in Tucson...

I went first to the La Quinta Inn as I knew the Sprungers were set up and they ALWAYS have some outstanding specimens of bixbyite and topaz available from the Thomas Range in Juab County, Utah.  No disappointment today! I found some striking specimens of bixbyite.  That is Mike Sprunger in the center and Sandra Sprunger just behind the light.  The image on the right is just one of the typical specimens that they have available.
 

Later at the same place I spotted Chris Korpi who was, on a lark as he put it, set up to unload specimens that he no longer wanted.  I found some very fine specimens of montgomeryite from the Tip Top mine and sincosite from the Ross Hannibal Mine - both located in South Dakota.  Picture below is a specimen of montgomeryite from the Tip Top Mine.
 
 

I then next went to the Pueblo Inn and Days Inn.  There is not a lot there to see in the way of minerals.  Not a lot at all.  I did pick up a few tanzanite crystals however and then decided to head back to the promised land of the Inn Suites and Executive Inn shows.

At the Inn suites I stopped off at Kristalle to see what there was in the way of Gold.  Wayne and Dona always have some nice pieces from Placer County, California.  I found several well crystallized pieces that were too good to pass up on.  Down the hall Collector's Edge had a new find of green sphalerite with chalcopyrite and/or galena.  I select about 15 specimens plus a few fine rhodochrosite specimens and moved on.  Below are images of a 7 inch gold specimen and a 9 inch specimen of fluoirte on celestite from Coahuila, Mexico.  They were both in the cases.   The prices were commensurate with the quality of the pieces.
 
 

 

In the lobby of the Inn Suites artist Frederick Wilda's works were on display and for sale of course.  He specializes in "creating" ideal specimens from studying small crystals at great length, then more or less dreaming up the rock.  Ihad no touble zeroing in on the benitoite drawing. Mercy!

Fred's contact information is:

Frederick Wilda 31 Huntington Rd. Hadley, MA. 01035 413-584-4647 har@uhs.umass.edu

Below is a shot of Frederick and a sample of his work.
 
 

  In my dreams!!

You know, there are always only a few people who make these shows as pleasant an experience as they are and two of the best and hardest working folks at the Inn Suites show are Laura Delano and her daughter Gretchen.  Laura is on the right in the photo below.  You can see more of Ferderick's work in the background.
 

The show below is of Alessandro Genazzani talking to John Seibel about the big dummy who left his check book on the dump at the Himalaya Mine.  John is doing his best to contain his composure...And not doing all the well at all really...sheesh.
 

Over at the Executive Inn Jaroslav Hyrsl had some exceptionally dark red colored rhodochrosite specimens from Peru.  This color is reminiscent of the N'Chwaning material of a few years ago.  The specimen below has not only rhodo crystals but also a couple of tangles of silver wires.
 

Top Gem and Tyson's Fine Minerals have a new warehouse for their merchandise now.  It is only a stones throw away from the Executive Inn.  A lot safer to walk to as you don't have to cross Granada Avenue any longer to get there.
Below are couple of shots showing the exterior and the interior.   Below is the tent that is put up for additional display of minerals.
 

 

Rod & Helen Tyson were set up also in the new warehouse and had a nice selection of interesting minerals from Canada.  They had a very fine group of violet idocrase specimens and also specimens from an old and now defunct locality of Suolunite - a very rare hydrated calcium silicate - from the Black Lake Mine, Thetford, Quebec.  This locality produced the world's finest known specimens about 15-20 years ago and Rod coaxed these out of the mine manager who was smart enough to preserve them.   Below is a shot of Helen and Rod and a shot of the table of specimens in the warehouse.  Below them are two pictures: one is a shot of one of the four specimens of suolunite that I obtained and also one of the typical idocrase specimens that I found there.  These will all be posted shortly.  If you want to hear Rod and Helen say hello click here.   (special note: the director of this short mpg is a disgrace to the motion picture industry...)
 
 

 
 

More in a couple of days!

John

ps - still can't believe that New England won!  They owe it to instant replay...