Photos: 2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Showcase
Vendors are prepping their booths as several gem shows, and the official Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase, are set to open this week.
Photos by Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Matthew Schmalz browses through polished agate geodes as he's framed by a slice of amethyst quartz in the Western Woods tent at the Riverpark Inn.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Scott Sprencz, right, and Ed Kloehn, haul in an onyx luminary for the "Art of Decor Onyx" booth at the Tucson 22nd Street Mineral and Fossil Show.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Dan Owens, left, and his dad Mike leaf unbox items for sale at the Madagascar Specimens booth.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Carlos Cantu, top, gets a boost from Xander Nakamoto as they team up to hang signage for the Mineralphil Madagascar booth.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Tanita Ross-Cody sets out druzy stones at the Stone Styles booth.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Trevor Tillung hauls in a hand truck full of Moroccan wares at the Tucson 22nd Street Mineral and Fossil Show.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Mike Pendle, from the United Kingdom, scrutinizes a quart point at the Tucson 22nd Street Mineral and Fossil Show.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Amethyst quartz crystals shine in the Western Woods tent at the Pueblo Gem and Mineral Show at the Riverpark Inn.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Connie Liu, from Los Angeles, hangs pearl necklaces at her Pearl Creations Trading booth at the Tucson 22nd Street Mineral and Fossil Show.
2018 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase
Skip Pedersen, of Cornish, N.H., examines a hunk of amethyst quartz at the Western Woods tent at the Pueblo Gem and Mineral Show at the Riverpark Inn.
Stolen art pieces from Tucson's gem and mineral show in 2013 were recently recovered, officials say.
The annual Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase happily overtakes Tucson about this time every year.
Food costs, wage hike make it hard to offer deals, owners say.
Tucson’s largest, oldest and most prestigious gem and mineral show — the one that set everything in motion — starts today, Thursday, Feb. 8, a…