Tucson gem show wisdom from those that have gone...........

[digdeep]

Just starting to look at the show schedule for 2019 and planning to attend. I'd like input from those that have gone before.........which shows did you go to? Where are the vendors on this forum most likely to be found? I've read there are Professional only area's but also access for general public to area's Pro's are in. I'm sure there is plenty of room to wander and peruse, but am seeking info from anyone who has gone to this show, found treasures and can share a framework to make sense of so much information..........I fear it is so big it will be easy to 'get lost'!

 

[elle_71125]

I love this idea. I know there are a couple ladies that have attended. I’d love to read more.

 

[suzanne2]

Hi DigDeep, You are way ahead of me on the planning. I went this year and yes, I got lost and overwhelmed immediately. The first thing to do is book a room, and book it now. The prices are insane but come show time, the entire city is full. Thanks for the reminder, I'll book next week.
There are a ton of shows, so for sanity's sake I focused on just a few.
I enjoyed the 22nd street show. It's a line of tents that start with huge minerals and dwindles down to small booths of gemstones and cutters.
Riverpark Inn is a show I really liked. Lots of gemstone dealers in the tents and working out of little hotel rooms. Way more than just gems. Want a set of tourmaline drinking glasses? How about a Tibetan singing bowl?
As you are coming into town from the airport, you see two huge arenas. Those are for the trade only. Regular people (TM) like you and me can get in, but it costs $75 just to look. I didn't check it out, so I'm not sure if the $75 is for one day or the entire show.
What I'm going to do this year is scour the schedule and find our PS vendors. If that's too difficult, the I'll email them and ask about their booths. Then I'll have a plan of attack. I'm definitely going into the trade shows, that's where the big displays are. I can't wait.
I had a shopping list that went out the window on the first day. I was completely unprepared for the enormous number of shows. I'll pull up the list and give you more info later.
I arrived Tuesday of the second week which turned out to be perfect. The crowds were smaller (if that's possible) but the show was well on it's way.
I didn't rent a car which was good and bad. Uber was easy and quick and cheap until the weekend, when it wasn't. We (I went with a non gemstone friend who checked out all of the bars... ) could zip around, one show in the morning, lunch, another show, then fall asleep over dinner. I thought it would cost the same as renting as car, but we averaged $25 to $35/day. That's not bad for 2 people and no worries about parking. Haven't decided about this year..
That's all for now, I'm sure there are others who will chime in. It was an absolute blast. I'd love to meet up with you, schedules permitting.
Oh, and pack very little cause you will come back with a lot. Also, UPS has a booth to ship home any bigger items.

 

[PrecisionGem]

The name Tucson Gem show is a bit misleading. Stuff from the Earth show would be a better name, as gems only make up a small portion of what can be found at the shows. Many fossils, mineral samples, beads, tools, clothing, carvings, rugs, sinks... pretty much name it, and it's there.

The shows along How 10 are a good place to start out, and enough to keep you busy for several days. I normally park (free) at the GJ&M Show on W. Simpson street, have a quick look there, then walk over to the other shows along 10. The short walk saves fighting for a parking place and paying $5 an up to park.
Just make sure you get back to your car before 6 pm since they close and lock the gate, and your car will be locked inside.

Years ago, pretty much everything was cash, but now many dealers take a charge card which is nice. I use a card that gets points at the Sheraton Hotel, and every year I spend enough on the card to get points to cover my entire stay.

You may find that renting a car from a rental not on the airport is at time substantially less expensive, and can be a quick cab ride to the rental.

 

[digdeep]

THANKS Suzanne and Gene! This is exactly what I wanted. Nothing is better than hearing from veteran's that have experienced it first hand...........I will start looking for lodging now. I know I will enjoy the event and all the gems/vendors..........just need some navigational tools!!

 

[PrecisionGem]

Have a look at these sites:

https://www.visittucson.org/events/gem-show/faq
https://jogsshow.com/tucson-gem-show-schedule/

There are almost different shows, and they don't all start at the same time. So unless you plan on spending over 1 week, you need to decide what shows you want to go to. I have been going for the past 16 years, and have my route down that I am able to do all my stops in just 2.5 days. It's good to get away from the shows and go into the desert too. There are some nice things to see around Tucson such as: https://www.desertmuseum.org

If you don't rent a car, there is a shuttle that makes the rounds to the various shows. But you still need a ride to one of the shows to get on this shuttle.

 

[digdeep]

I took one look at the list of events/locations/dates and knew I was outnumbered!! We plan to rent a car but it is good to know about the shuttle as that gives more flexibility than driving and parking repeatedly. I agree that getting away from the city is also a priority. If you've been there for 16 years and have it down to 2 1/2 days..........I'm prepared to come away with a "I wish I would have..........." list after the first time attending. : ) Gene, are there certain vendors/shows that you hold in high regard?

 

[digdeep]

I wish I knew what I was going to purchase.......I've been looking for star sapphires or non-star sapphires with that ethereal asterism--but my understanding is those are usually heated and sold as 'regular' sapphires. Of course I want to see rare gem's just to see them in person--Paraiba's, grandiderite, etc. The 'emerald guy' would be interesting to me! I'm not looking for premade jewelry and have been known to get distracted by shiny objects like beads/gems for my personal jewelry making. Thanks for the info............this is helpful in getting a sense of focus........whether it sticks when I'm there time will tell!

 

[digdeep]

Thanks for sharing these...........their great!

 

[familynurse]

The show looks overwhelming but a lot of fun. I looked at the first link that Gene provided and it said dates on 2/2- 2/17. The gem and mineral show appears to start Feb 8th while the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase events starts Feb2. Does that sound right?

I would like to look at finished gems as well as rough for cabbing- would really like to obtain some dinosaur fossils for cabbing. So sounds like I should attend the second week to see a little bit of everything.
Thanks to the OP for starting this thread. And thanks to Gene for his links. I plan to start reading!

 

[digdeep]

Gene, you are the Gem Show Godfather.......in a good way! This has been a wild ride trying to find reasonable lodging........guess I should have started earlier. Not everyone is sold out, but more than I expected to see. Too bad there isn't a gem club or rock organization that could help virgin gem show visitors! You can't get started too early on logistics for this............

 

[familynurse]

Sorry , I deleted my post.
https://www.visittucson.org/events/gem-show/faq
https://jogsshow.com/tucson-gem-show-schedule/
I am so confused! In the first link that Gene posted it states the following under FAQ

When is the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase?
February 2-17, 2019

When and where is the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show®?
It will be held at the Tucson Convention Center, February 8-11.

It seems that there would be some overlap. I am trying to decide when the best time would be to go.
I have just started taking lapidary classes on cabbing. I am a very slow learner but hope to have improved by Feb.
You responded:
by Miki Moto
This is what you need... the TGMS is always the last show of the season but there are tons others. JOGS is a big one and the public can go. I would love to go AGTA but that is trade only.

https://xpopress.com/showcase/shows/1/tucson-gem-mineral-fossil-showcase?sort=
Thank you for clearing up my confusion. What does JOGS stand for?

 

[LittleRed]

I want to hire a personal shopper!

 

[PrecisionGem]

My shopping is most likely different than most of you here, as I am going for faceting rough, not cut stones or jewelry. I do buy cut sapphire from Sri Lanka to recut however.

My favorite show is the Pueblo Gem Show at the Riverpark Inn. There is a good mix of most everything here, and the layout is nice with most dealers in rooms, a larger tent with many dealers in the rear and some decent, but overpriced food. I normally arrive a day before the show officially opens, but most dealers are already set up and more or less open. With rough, the early bird gets the worm!

The 22nd Street show is a good show and one I recommend to Pricescoper's. You will find some mid range cut stones, fossils, a little bit or rough, finished jewelry and odds and ends. It's convenient and has parking, however last year they did start charging for parking.

I think for most people here, unless you are looking for beads and low end jewelry or tools, skip the Kino Gem & Mineral show.

Once you are at the Pueblo, walk down to the Days Inn for the GIGM Show, and back the other direction toward Howard Jonhsons and there are various interesting items along with faceted stones to see.

The JG&M Expo on Simpson street is worth a walk through, you will find a mix of gems, jewelry, some tools. There are a few guys here from Columbia with emeralds that are priced pretty well. It also has free parking, and you can make a short walk from here to the Pueblo and other shows along Hwy 10.

If minerals and fossils are your thing, then don't miss the Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show on Granada Ave. But there are also a lot of faceted cut stones here and a little bit of rough. Parking can be rough here now, as of last year they lost their biggest parking lot.

JOGS is a good show, lots of gemstones and jewelry items. This is a trade only event, but I think they do allow now trade people in, but you may need to pay some fee.

The big shows for high end gemstones are the GJX and AGTA, however unless you are in the trade you won't get in these. Some of the people who show at these however, are at the Pueblo in the days before these start.

I'll arrive in Tucson either on Jan 31 or Feb 1, and if anyone is interested in meeting up and hitting some shows with me then let me know. I do move quick, and don't stay long, I'll most likely fly out on Monday Feb 4th this time. The way the dates work out this year, the shows start a little late, and the Super Bowl starts early, I prefer being home for the game rather than watching it from my hotel.

 

[digdeep]

Gene, Thank you so much for explaining the shows and processes! I'm still trying to figure everything out........but I'm looking forward to following you for a day, if possible!

 

[suzanne2]

Gene! What a lovely offer. You know what you are getting into, right? I have pictures in my head of you with a bevy of PSer's, loupes around their necks, following you like chicks after their mom. lol.
I just booked a room for the 4th thru the 8th, but that will have to change because I want to be one of those chicks...


Edit: Changed to 1st thru the 6th. I added in an extra day because why not? Now have to find flights...

 

[whitewave]

I want to hire a personal shopper!

I was thinking the same thing!!
@Miki Moto what did you do with the emerald?

 

[whitewave]

Gene! What a lovely offer. You know what you are getting into, right? I have pictures in my head of you with a bevy of PSer's, loupes around their necks, following you like chicks after their mom. lol.
I just booked a room for the 4th thru the 8th, but that will have to change because I want to be one of those chicks...


Edit: Changed to 1st thru the 6th. I added in an extra day because why not? Now have to find flights...

Gene will have a harem with him @PrecisionGem

 

[PrecisionGem]

Maybe we should think about a day to make a Pricescope field trip day in Tucson, if enough people are coming. Also, I always meet up for dinner in Tucson with another cutter I'm sure you all know. I'll check with him and see if he minds if we make it a bigger group dinner. Dinner is always at Guadalajara Original Grill on 1220 E Prince Rd. Fantastic salsa made right at your table.

 

[whitewave]

Maybe we should think about a day to make a Pricescope field trip day in Tucson, if enough people are coming. Also, I always meet up for dinner in Tucson with another cutter I'm sure you all know. I'll check with him and see if he minds if we make it a bigger group dinner. Dinner is always at Guadalajara Original Grill on 1220 E Prince Rd. Fantastic salsa made right at your table.

What are the dates again?

 

[bright ice]

Would any of you ladies be willing to share a room? I'd be open to doing so if anyone is willing although I haven't booked a room. That always helps with expense!

 

[whitewave]

Would any of you ladies be willing to share a room? I'd be open to doing so if anyone is willing although I haven't booked a room. That always helps with expense!

I would, but I’m about to leave to go to my other house and I want to check calendars, etc, so I wouldn’t be able to say yes or no for a few hours.

I don’t snore, lol, but have a cpap.

 

[familynurse]

Miki Moto- those are beautiful emeralds that you posted!!!

I am currently looking at hotels in the Tucson area. To those of you who have been before where do you usually stay?

 

[digdeep]

Miki Moto....thanks for introducing me to 'parure'...........my gem set's have never known that name!

 

[GolfingGreen]

Miki Moto....thanks for introducing me to 'parure'...........my gem set's have never known that name!

I probably saw some of your posts and got inspired to make “sets” instead of just a ring! Do you do the full parure? Earrings, pendant, ring, bracelet? What is your best combo? I am thinking ring, earrings and pendant but I never wear pendants and it may be overkill. What do you usually do? I would love your thoughts as this would be new for me.

 

[digdeep]

Earrings and necklace's are the most common duo for me -- but one of the things I have run across in trying to put sets (parure) together is that it is darn hard to match colors after you have a gem. At least that's been the biggest obstacle for me. My sets are often beads -- semi precious jewelry I've created............

 

[digdeep]

Thanks for the input... I think I will do a earring and necklace duo too and maybe not wear my emerald ring so it won't look too over the top. But then again... what the heck, sometimes it's okay to be over the top.

I agree with you on matching the stones which is why I have not yet made my emerald ring yet. I plan to bring the loose stone to see if I can get some matches.

I think some of it is simply comfort level. I'd definitely wear a ring that was a statement piece with the earrings and necklace being accessories to the ring..........I feel like I have a relationship with each piece of jewelry I have.

On a cruise we took I wore costume jewelry for formal night. It was a huge green 'stone' with lots of CZ - the first night I wore it the first person I met looked at the ring and said "Is that real?"................I should have said yes, alas, I was honest. No boundaries exist when you are wearing BIG BLING........ it shows the power of rings are in the eye's of the beholder's.

 

[familynurse]

Thanks! This past February was my first time. I like Marriott properties (I have a lot of points), so I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Williams Centre. This is a short drive from downtown, so you will need a car to get to the shows or you can Uber/taxi. It's a nice area, and lots of restaurants. I drove in to downtown and then took the shuttle to hop around the shows which I am glad I did as I saw parking for some shows is a bit tough.

Tucson was more than I expected. I'm an East Coast lady, and I have been to Phoenix/Scotsdale, but not Tucson. There is a lot to do, and I would suggest making a short list of side trips in case the shows wear you out. For me, once I buy what I want, I don't like to browse for the sake of browsing. Last February, I did not know what to expect so I planned my trip to be there for the full four days of the TGMS show. This was in case I found something pricey I liked and needed a day or two to think about it. My thought was this may be my one and only time out there, so make it count. TGMS ran from Thursday-Sunday, and my trip was arrival on Wednesday and departure on Monday. I was glad I stayed so long as it took me several days to make up my mind on the emerald I ended up purchasing. I told myself I would not purchase anything on the first day. I would only browse to see what was out there. I discovered the emerald dealer on Thursday morning, and saw "the" stone. Initially, I was looking for about a 2ct stone, but this emerald dealer had all these big boys (see above photo of his mini booth)! Well, "the" stone was 5.5ct, and I needed to think about it as it was more than I was expecting to spend. At the end of Friday, I went back to the emerald dealer to look at "the" stone again. On Friday, I went to see some other shows, and then went back to the emerald dealer again to take a peek at "the" emerald as now I had so many images of emeralds in my mind I could truly compare. On the Saturday, I went to yet another group of shows, and after three days of shows, I was satisfied looking at emeralds and knew "the" stone was the one. On Saturday late afternoon, I went back to the dealer and "the" stone finally became "my" stone! Yippee! On my last day in Tucson, Sunday... with an ear-to-ear grin on my face... I was happy just to look at my emerald all day long! I did not want to look at anymore shows. I had previously decided if I had an extra day, I would drive to Tombstone which I really had a great time. The next time I plan to visit the Saguaro National Park to see the humongous cactus.

I hope sharing my little trip journey was helpful.

Thank you for all your information- I had looked at hotels in Williams Centre but was afraid it was too far out. Its reassuring that you thought it was a good area to stay.
Love the story about how you finally decided to buy your emerald. Great story!

 

[suzanne2]

Would any of you ladies be willing to share a room? I'd be open to doing so if anyone is willing although I haven't booked a room. That always helps with expense!

Last year I did some hotel hopping. I booked late, and we could only get a room in a Best Western for almost $250 a night. A 2 star hotel ($90/night anyone?) It was tiny (and creepy), so we moved to the DoubleTree Williams Center at the same price. Fantastic, huge, two room king and queen suites - what you SHOULD get for $250 a night...well almost( it usually books for $125?). Having a roommate really helps.

This year I've hedged my bets. Since I've been a good girl, I have room on my credit cards to book more than one hotel, and since I'm indecisive I did just that. A room at the Doubletree Williams Center (where I stayed last year and like a lot) and one at Comfort inn ($164/night) AND one at The Riverpark Inn ($1 booking fee until January 26, $160/night). It was a busy night Once I settle down and talk to roommate, I'll cancel the excess.

 

[bright ice]

Last year I did some hotel hopping. I booked late, and we could only get a room in a Best Western for almost $250 a night. A 2 star hotel ($90/night anyone?) It was tiny (and creepy), so we moved to the DoubleTree Williams Center at the same price. Fantastic, huge, two room king and queen suites - what you SHOULD get for $250 a night...well almost( it usually books for $125?). Having a roommate really helps.

This year I've hedged my bets. Since I've been a good girl, I have room on my credit cards to book more than one hotel, and since I'm indecisive I did just that. A room at the Doubletree Williams Center (where I stayed last year and like a lot) and one at Comfort inn ($164/night) AND one at The Riverpark Inn ($1 booking fee until January 26, $160/night). It was a busy night Once I settle down and talk to roommate, I'll cancel the excess.

@suzanne2, please let me know before you cancel the excess and I’ll see if I can pick up one of them up if you already have a roommate. I’d love to go and meet up with everyone!