2/5/08 6:55 p.m.
Hi Gang,
Sorry, no report today, I've been sick all day.
2/10/08 6:05 p.m.
Hi Everyone,
It's been challenging these last few days and this report has unfortunately suffered as a result. This report is replacing another which I tried to send last night, I wrote for over an hour only to have the report disappear as I sent it into nothingness. ARRG! Since being sick, this is only the newest adventure I've had. I've also had a 6 day battle in the room with water problems. First the gasket on the drain of the tub failed, dumping water into the room to the point where two display cases have been ruined, their laminated paneling now peeling away from the swollen particle board. Thankfully, the cases are still sound and able to display our treasures! Next, the night before, I was awakened by the sound of cascading water as it overfilled the wash basin in the bathroom, pouring putrid water everywhere. This happened at 2 a.m. and for the next hour and a half, I was in a cleaning/salvage mode, working along side the maintenance guy who was on call. What a mess, and sleep, forget it!
Ah, the romantic life of a mineral dealer!
Aside from these hopefully put-behind-me scenarios, today is going to be another glorious day of temperatures in the 70's. It's going to be a terrific day!
For excitement, the Westward Look show opened two days ago (www.westwardminerals.com). This is the high-end show where the finest mineral specimens in Tucson are set out for our enjoyment and appreciation. I love visiting this show as there is always so very much to see! In attending (and participating), I've learned that the first day of the show is insane! Massive amounts of people flock to the show and as in years past, it was madness, pure madness! Most rooms were packed to the point that the displays couldn't even be seen. The dealers were all overwhelmed. Knowing this pattern, I visited in the morning of the show's second day and found the scene much more enjoyable. I had time to talk and visit with several friends. And the minerals, in a word... WOW!
One of the wild rumors circulating the show that had grabbed my attention regarded a new very limited find of scalenohedral twinned crystals of light purple calcite from China. Two lots of purples came to the show, but of the two, these twinned crystals were the finest. The rumors had it that they were glassy, sharp and fine, fine, fine. Nine specimens only were recovered and I heard the starting prices began at $50,000 and went up from there into the six figure range. Imagine, a hundred thousand dollar calcite if you can, I couldn't, and oh so very much wanted to see what these treasures looked like! The Westward Look show offered this opportunity and finally, I was able to see two of the nine specimens. They were impressive, and their memory still lingers fresh in my mind.
Complimenting this, there was a wonderland of exceptional things to be seen. Beautiful mirror bright diaspore V-twins and native silvers in artful arborescent flaring arrangements. Bright, shimmering golds and Brushy Creek Mine fish tail twinned calcite crystals from Missouri. Mushroom tourmalines from Viet Nam and a selection of the new morganite and aquamarine crystals from a terrific new find in California (www.palagems.com). There were splendid amethyst Japan law twin matrix plates from China and a massive foot tall and wide loose single Japan law twin from Brazil. There were sharp, prismatic tourmalines from Pakistan, Brazil and Russia, there were lustrous blackish-blue azurites from the U.S., from China, Mexico and Africa, fossils from all around the world and a wonderful selection of meteorites. This is a great show!
After visiting the dealers, I headed next to the Lobby of the Resort. Each year on the second day of the show, a major collector is invited to show their collection. This year Marshall and Charlotte Sussman were invited to display their incredible world-class Tsumeb collection. What a glorious display! As you can likely imagine, there was a stellar array of colored smithsonites, greens, pinks and blues. There were azurites and bright white and shiny tarnowitzites, sharp pseudomorphs and fantastic dioptases and wulfenites, and on and on. What a neat opportunity for the rest of us to see such fantastic specimens!
Afterwards, I headed back to my show at the Inn Suites. I haven't seen much since my last late night tour of the rooms. I've been thrilled when friends show up and share their Tucson adventures.
And so, here I am, it's a bit after 6:00 p.m. and tonight's the big dinner. A group of friends all get together each year for a big gab session. We're spread out all over town and this is the one time we can all get together. I'm really looking forward to it! All the very best gang, see ya!
2/12
Hi Everyone,
Another beautiful morning dawns in Tucson. Yesterday, the Westward Look show closed and another shift began in the mineral world. Some folks packed for home while others are re-grouping for another assault, this time gearing up for the big Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil show at the spacious Tucson Convention Center (www.tgms.org). This show begins on Thursday and runs through the weekend and is the big culminating event for this year's Tucson mineral shows.
Our show here at the Inn Suites also runs into the weekend. I've been steadily plugging away and I must admit, since checking in on the 26th of last month, it's been a long run. Thank goodness for friends. I know, I know, I say it all the time, but it's so true!
... Last night, friends came by to see the room and to show off their newest treasure, a terrific chrome bright large group of flaring stibnite crystals from China. It was a sweeping piece of towering crystals, some showing distinct bends and all with sharp, clean terminations. We talked and then went out for a nice quiet dinner.
... Bernardo came by yesterday and presented me with a wonderful gift, a sphere of pyrite pseudomorphed to goethite. It's a rich brown color and is burred with a profusion of upraised crystal faces all surrounding (Thank you my friend!). Bernardo and his family were also featured on the upcoming, What's Hot In Tucson presentation (for more info., see ). Consider ordering a copy and tell me what you think, isn't Bernardo the best!
... and finally, sadly, so many friends have been and or are sick this year. The crud is running rampant around the shows and folks have been dropping like flies. Each year, this always seems to happen. People come from all around the world and converge here for this incredible mineral event and invariably, they bring their unique strains of flu and virus with them! Add to this the eerie ability of this dusty desert environment to wreck havoc on many visitors respiratory systems and it's a potent combination. Right now as I write, half a dozen friends are laid low and it's been a tough show.
2/14/08 1:34 p.m.
Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Today starts off sad, Gloria is on her way home. It was terrific having her here for a portion of the show, but now, she's on the plane and whisking back to Washington. We had a ton of fun and it just made everything perfect, having her here. While she hung pretty close helping in the room, Gloria did get out to visit two of the jewelry shows. While she mentioned having seen a lot of this and that, I was surprised that she never did come home with any treasure. Thankfully, she had a good time getting out.
The Main Show of the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society started today and currently as I write, things are pretty quiet here right now, later, folks will flock back here to the show and it'll get real busy come this afternoon and evening. I'll try to visit the show, likely on Sunday, as I'm on my way out of town. I can't wait!
Have a terrific Holiday and all the very best!
2/16/08 4:04 p.m.
Hi Everyone,
2/15
What a day! I'm still in awe! This is the one gang, this is the one you should be here to see! The minerals on display at this year's show, featuring American Mineral Treasures are so far beyond beyond that it's truly hard to explain the magnificence of the assembled specimens here on display!
You name it, it's here, examples: a 6 x 3 foot display case featuring over 20 blue cap tourmalines from California (www.mindat.org/article.php/277) or, how about "the" Pulsifer apatite, the glassy royal purple monster defining apatite for our country, how about not just one, but two gold cases, one featuring a mind boggling assortment of glittery golden splendor all surrounding the "Dragon" gold, recovered several years ago from California and now owned by the Houston Museum (www.mindat.org/article.php/261), how about an Elmwood Mine case filled with glittering gemmy orangy-gold calcites, many associated with spectacular purple cubic fluorites (www.the-vug.com/article65), what about the Red Cloud Mine wulfenites? There were easily half a dozen of the historic Ed Over specimens which had crystals up to and around 3 inches across! How about the Carnegie Museum case featuring an incredible Georgia rutile nearly a foot long and near 5 inches thick! There was a brightly colored large display of Bunker Hill pyromorphites (www.the-vug.com/article40) and another of Sweet Home rhodochrosites, everyone glowing spectacularly gorgeous, gorgeous red. The Alma Queen was there as were two dozen other exceptional specimens, some associated with fluorite and quartz, etc. There were stellar green amazonite and smoky quartz plates from Colorado (www.mindat.org/article.php/280) near a breath-taking case of Bisbee treasures (www.mindat.org/article.php/264), there were Himalaya Mine tourmalines by the dozens, Glove Mine wulfenites in plates up to a foot across (www.mindat.org/article.php/266), Upper Michigan Peninsula datolite, copper, silver, etc (www.the-vug.com/article66). Bright purple amethyst's from Georgia (www.the-vug.com/article51), Green Monster Mine epidotes from Alaska and incredible quartz's from Washington's Spruce and Denny Mountain localities (www.the-vug.com/article55).
Really, truly, this year's displays are incredible beyond words and every single person who had an interest in assembling this incredible gathering of treasures deserves my 100% heartfelt thanks for all their efforts!
