I then moved to the main floor to view some of the fabulous displays of gold.  There is more here to see than a person can possibly absorb.  I tried to get some pictures of some of the more impressive specimens on display but I am sure that I missed more than just a few...

Sold Out -Sorry I visited with the people at Lapis who were set up at the Show.  Gloria Staebler mentioned that there were some copies of  the special English Lapis issue on Gold. This is destined to become a collector's classic much as the first special Gold Issue produced by the Mineralogical Record has become. I purchased 10 copies of this issue which is 112 pages of color photos and articles on many topics including: gold pseudomorphs, evaluation of gold specimens, the history of famous gold rushes, the mineralogy of gold and much more. The price for this issue is $28.50 plus shipping (depends on your shipping address from Tucson) To order a copy send me an email:           John@TrinityMinerals.Com Sold Out

 
The Houston Museum had a fine array of gold specimens including these large clunker nuggets.  There were also many fine crystallized specimens as well.

As I said there were a lot more displays with specimens than I could possible absorb but I think the above pictures provide you with a sense of what was here. 

There were other displays and specimens present that were not at all related to the Gold theme.  Below you will find some of them.

Phoenix collector Jim Robison had a very attractive display with many carbonate specimens.  Jim's collection is centered around carbonates - period.
I saw many worth photographing but these three were standouts.  The rosasite and smithsonite from Mexico and the calcite flower from Florida. 

California collector's Steve and Clara Smale had their Indian Zeolite collection on hand.   I found these
two calcite specimens of interest - the famous "Cricket Bat" and the gem calcite on the right.

Here's Rick Kennedy of San Jose, California holding two specimens.  The one in his right hand is of a specimen with benitoite crystals exposed from natrolite.
 In the other hand is a 5+ carat cut stone that he found on that rock.  Rick bought the specimen for about $15 from Steve Perry and me (John Veevaert) as a piece of uncleaned benitoite mine material.  His eyes popped when he found this cuttable piece of benitoite rough plus another cuttable piece that had a finished stone over 2 carats.  The pictured finished stone is among the 10 to 15 finest faceted benitoites in existence.   For Rick's $15 investment his realized profit will be about $34,000.  
To here Rick's comments about this turn of events click here.  The smile on Rick's face is understandable...

Christophe and Brice Gobin had several very fine specimens of Aquamarine available.  This 7 cm
crystal is a picture of perfection from Pakistan. They have this specimen available for $8,500.

I apologize for the text graphic but there was no other way to reproduce it for your reading enjoyment.  This was a display of
Marshal Sussman. Isasias Casanova had a lot to do with the procurement of this rare and desirous specimen with Cuban pedigree!!

A few days ago at the Inn Suites there were several special guests intrigued by the minerals on display. When asked what they thought
they said "we're just passing through"... These are javalinas which are indigenous to the Sonoran Desert.  Thanks to Christian Egeler 
for the use of his photographs and to Laura Delano for the suggestion!!

Before I go into my final thoughts on the show I always feel compelled to say this so I will do it again.  I am not, by any stretch, the final word on what is new in minerals or what all was here in Tucson.  This is a gigantic mineral event that no one single person can hope to cover completely.  There are a lot of people preparing show reports these days so I encourage everyone to read as many online reports as you can and magazines that cover this show to get the full breadth of material that was here this year in Tucson.  My efforts here, and at shows elsewhere in the world, center around finding out what is new in minerals, obtaining specimens from the new finds, and making them and everything else that I offer reasonable in terms of pricing and quality.

So, Tucson 2004.  There were a lot of people here and also a lot of people who weren't here. I received many emails from people in Europe who said that they did not come because of the way Customs is currently "working over" incoming items.  I heard many reports from foreign dealers of specimens mishandled and broken by Customs inspectors.  This is something that the show organizers can help with in the future I think otherwise many dealers will stay away in the future.  Many did this year.  Several foreign dealers said that they were holding a lot of new material back until they can show it in Europe at Ste Marie or Munich to avoid the problems posed by the US Customs.  This may explain the lack of significantly new material here at Tucson.  As I said earlier, there was not many specimens from new finds here and this, along with the current global economy, may help to explain why.  I believe that in time this will level out but for the short term it is a real issue and concern with foreign dealers.  For me the devaluation of the dollar relative to other currencies is a major issue that is going to wreak havoc on the mineral market for the short term.  These are not life changing problems but they are real issues which shape the market and pricing levels for minerals.

As with any show there are moments and specimens that stand out.  For me the best time was the day spent with Mike Groben and talking with some of the people who've been attending Tucson for 30-40 years. The best rock I saw here was that 5+ carat cut benitoite that Rick Kennedy had here.  I know it is a cut stone, and benitoite no less, but the magnitude of it is overwhelming.  You should see that rock in daylight! Wow! My biggest screw up (there is always one at every show) was actually a verification that my time has come to get glasses. I bought a Tsumeb mimetite specimen for "$35.00" along with many other selected specimens from a well known dealer. I wrote a check for the invoice without much regard and took them all back to my apartment.  Upon casually inspecting the invoice, I was surprised to see an item listed as "Mimetite - $350.00". Sure enough, looking a bit more carefully at the label, the price was in fact $350.00. What made this all a bit tougher to swallow was the fact that all of the labels that came with the specimen were still there. (That is actually kind of rare these days as most dealers try to conceal their sources.) To my shock, horror, surprise, delight(?), all of the above and more, was one of my old labels in the stack.  I had previously owned this specimen!!!  And, I had just bought it back for a prettier and shinier penny than I had the first time...What a maroon!  The people most missed at Tucson? The Rocksmiths.... The saddest news was that of the death of Dave Shannon.  He will be sorely missed....

Tomorrow most of the people will be packed up and headed to various points away from Tucson.  For the past three weeks it has been a lot of fun to see many familiar faces and enjoy the mineral community.  Experiencing Tucson vicariously through the Internet will always place a distant second to actually experiencing Tucson in person.  So many minerals from so many different places and so many people from so many different places. It really is quite a rewarding experience.

Colleen and I will be staying here in Tucson until the 26th working on getting all of the specimens purchased off of the website the past three weeks posted to you all. It is still winter back home in Trinity County, California so a couple more weeks in sunny Arizona suits us quite well.  

Our apartment immediately after the last box was packed for shipment Tucson 2003...

So, that will do it for Tucson 2004.  I will see you again here in Tucson in January, 2005.

Thanks for tuning in,

John Veevaert
Trinity Mineral Company
Weaverville, California.