January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
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 Post subject: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:05 am 
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I think we should start a Tucson what did you get or see topic.

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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 11:34 am 
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I think we just did. :wink:


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 6:08 pm 
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I agree, though it might be better to put it in the Tucson section?

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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:35 pm 
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I moved it. :D


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:14 pm 
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One thing I found curious is the price on Russian demantoid. The common price was $6,000/carat on stones 1ct-2ct. both at AGTA and GJX. Wholesale shows. Yes, they were bright and ideally proportioned but I do not see any retail market for these stones, even at cost.

Also, I noticed alexandrite was everywhere! Mostly Brazilian although I am sure some was also from India and Russia. Expensive as well, but their is a solid demand for it.

Some very fair prices on A Type untreated Burmese jade, especially ice jade.

I couldn't help but notice the staggering amount of fine, large tanzanite available. $300-$400/carat. How many decades have we heard that it is almost mined out.

I sprung for some beads.
Ethiopian opals, Madagascar sapphire briolettes, faceted andesine beads from the Ponderosa in Oregon. That was it for me.


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Tue Feb 13, 2018 10:42 pm 
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For me it was about Tourmaline this year. I brought a 2 kilo lot from Africa that I received the week before the show to sell. All sold the first day, so the rest was just visiting with old friends and having fun with rocks.

The only things I bought/kept were, a few big Bi-Color tourmaline I kept from the big lot. A nice small parcel of rough paraiba type tourmaline for my personal collection. Thanks Alberto for confirming the copper and manganese for me with your wonderful machines. I also bought some really nice untreated Sleeping Beauty Turquoise also for my personal collection.

I saw some incredible Ethiopian Emerald cut stones, a very little rough of mixed quality. Gives me hope on my new prospect there that so far has produced only absolute junk.

So many fine stones of all types were displayed. It was such a joy just to be around them, and see them.


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 3:38 pm 
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I went a little nuts this year. Facet rough, slabs for cabbing, mineral specimens, fossils, you name it. My carry on bags weighed over 70 lbs on the way home. Some of my favorite purchases were Ethiopian opal rough, Namibian pietersite slabs, wooly mammoth tooth slabs, US turquoise nuggets, and Indonesian opalized wood fossils. Oh and a big fossil plate with Permian salamanders on it. Whew. Good show this year!

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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Wed Feb 14, 2018 10:13 pm 
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Bob, I'd love to see some pics. :smt049


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:33 pm 
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I went to Tucson this year with the intention of not spending much, as I already have way too much rough. This stones are worse than crack, and I ended up buying over 1500 carats of facet rough. I'll post some of the more interesting individual pictures later.

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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 4:46 pm 
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That looks like a nice assortment of rough Precision Gem. Some nice stone will come out of that purchase. Yes gems, especially rough are an addiction, and should be covered by medical insurance. I always have many times more rough than cut. I need a 12 step program.


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:16 pm 
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Here's some pictures of my haul, starting with rough:

Ethiopian opal. Prices were way down for nice material, but the really top-quality pieces were very hard to find and as expensive as usual. I stocked up on the cheap stuff.
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And splurged on some beauties.
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Several kilos of boulder opal to play with.
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Kilo of mixed stabilized turquoise nuggets, most with nice pyrite attached.
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Chrysoprase from Kazakhstan, sold as opal.
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Hyalite opal from Hungary, fluorescent under short wave UV. I bought a couple intending to facet them, but will probably just flip them to mineral collectors. The natural shapes are too cool, this one looks like a perched butterfly.
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Last edited by bobsiv on Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:22 pm 
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Next slabs:

I'm a sucker for pietersite. This material was expensive, and there were literally tons of high-quality rough to pick through. Could have spent all day...
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Indonesian fossilized coral.
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Indonesian blue opalized petrified wood. This is interesting stuff, I thought it was fake when I'd just seen pictures on Facebook from local dealers, but some of the pieces in Tucson were really spectacular. I ordered a lot more of this when I got home for about half of show prices.
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Lots more petrified wood. I love cabbing this stuff.
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One of my favorite finds, this slab of petrified wood was tucked away at a little roadside show.
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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:30 pm 
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Finally fossils and miscellany:

I collect fossils of Permian amphibians and always try to pick one up in Tucson. Here's this year's, it's an assemblage of little branchiosaurs:
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And the one I really wanted but couldn't afford. Look at the bones in the skulls!
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Stabilized slabs of mammoth tooth. This was an impulse buy that I have no idea what to do with. They seem too nice to cab.
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Otodus teeth. These are nice big teeth for cheap. I always pick up a bunch and give them to kids throughout the year.
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One of several specimens of mosasaur teeth I picked up. This one has cool feed wear on the left tooth.
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And I didn't forget my loving wife, who stayed home with the kids. She collects owls, this goofball is carved from moose horn.
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Last edited by bobsiv on Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:59 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:47 pm 
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Some outstanding hauls here!
Did you get the fossilized coral from Tarak?


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 Post subject: Re: Tucson 2018 - what did you get or see
PostPosted: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:48 pm 
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Thanks! I don't recall the vendor's name, but I think it started with an "H". He had the big logs of opal petrified wood out front at the Pueblo show.

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