Rocks & Minerals

After last year's howling winds, collapsing tents and seas of mud, Tucson rolled out the old welcome mat this year, and delivered what we have come to expect in February -- crisp mornings, warm afternoons under azure skies, and cold nights below sparkling stars. That's reason enough to visit the greatest rock and gem show on earth.

So, what was new this year? This visitor had little time to wander the galleries of the main exposition, being there for other purposes, but he did note some trends. The opal look-alike feldspar, labradorite (or spectrolite), seems to get better and better every year. Most is from the island of Madagascar (Republic of Malagasay) off the east coast of Africa, with a little coming from Finland, and none at all from its original source, the Labrador coast near Nain. Whether the material is just better, or the cutting has improved, is hard to say, but the blue and yellow fire seen in many of the pieces on display this year was a joy to behold.

As with the labradorite, there was a great increase in availability of meteorite material too. Indeed, siderites (ironies) were aplenty everywhere. When you consider that between 10,000 and 30,000 tons of material enter our atmosphere every year, and discounting the large majority that burn up in the atmosphere or fall onto the 72% of the earth covered by water, there is still a lot of material landing in the right places. And the evidence is in the huge number of meteorites for sale. Yet the price stays surprisingly high, often over $100 per pound. In desperation, sellers are using the material to make spheres, pyramids, even paper knives! A waste of material if ever there was one. The time is approaching when reality will have to take its toll, and prices will tumble.

The fossil business seems to be thriving, with Morocco still leading the charge, shipping vast amounts of Silurian-Triassic material from their desert beds, in the form of ammonites and cephalapods. Some nice plates and table tops are being made from the material, although, being soft, they are for decoration only. Still, there's a certain charm to eating off a 200 million year old shellfish.

The Russians have increased their presence in recent years. As their currency has weakened, so the attraction to export has soared. As usual, there were fascinating crystal specimens from Siberia and unpronounceable places, and their giant quartz tips are clear and spectacular. This visitor spent time looking at synthetics, which the Russians have always excelled - notably their alexandrites and ruby are excellent, and the colour changes in the former closely match the imperial red and green, which resulted in the gem being named in honour of Czar Alexander II, whose colours they share.

Talking of colour, the passionate pink of rhodochrosite (manganese carbonate) has always been unmistakable and very popular, although a little too soft for my liking for many jewelry applications. But this observer was pleased to talk to a Peruvian seller who had some splendid rhodochrosite carvings from a very recent discovery in that country. Somewhat harder than the Argentinian variety ("At least 5.5," he said), the material takes a good polish. The pieces were a fine raspberry pink, with intriguing black webs in places, not unlike top quality rhodonite from the Aanoraq Mine on the BC/Yukon border.

Lazulite (lapis lazuli) was, as always, plentiful both as rough and as finished product. The best is still from Afghanistan, although the Chilean material is certainly a good substitute in the medium quality ranges. The Hong Kong manufacturers seem to have really perfected the polishing of lapis objects, and this viewer saw some wonderful carvings and cabs at very reasonable prices.

The Chinese are now exporting nicely coloured (although small) peridot rough. Why isn't 100 Mile House in BC? And Baluchistan Province in Pakistan is producing banded onyx (calcite) that is great for cutting.

Another treat that Tucson always provides is the arrival of new collecting material. This year was no exception. While there were lots of novel pieces worth buying, two stand-outs met this visitor's eye. From Mexico, translucent red garnet clusters in calcite have been found in the Chihuahua area. When etched in acid, the calcite dissolves, leaving masses of brilliant 5-10mm sided hessonite garnets that rival (dare I say it?) the Sweet Water Mine rhodochrosite crystals of Colorado. The second treat for this collector were well-formed monoclinic lazulite crystals up to 3cm across, still in matrix, brought in by a Pakistani dealer from the lapis mines of northern Afghanistan. A deep and satisfying blue, set in a cream host material, they were a collector's darling.

Elsewhere, the Purple Passion Mine of Arizona (I'm not making this up!) showed some great fluorescent material, full of calcite, willemite, hydrozincite, caliche and fluorite. In short, a kaleidoscope of colours under both SW and LW light. But at $20/lb, it's for the few only.

Under the category of 'Gee Wizz Awards', there were two finalists. The runner-up must be the ultra-violet marketer who placed fluorite fish in a real fishtank, which he then lit with black light. The result was something that must have mimicked the Bikini Atoll, days after the US detonated their first bomb there: glow-in-the-dark fish!

The top 'Gee-Wizz Award' is shared by two entrepreneurs who each created light shows using selenite crystals, mounted vertically on under-lit stands, A rotating colour wheel in the stand allows a range of colours to illuminate the 50cm (20") long satin spar (gypsum) crystals from underneath. The parallel, fibrous nature of the material means the light stays very columnated. In a darkened room, the tall crystals glow a range of pulsing colors. The effect is ethereal, and brings to mind seances at which trumpets sound, tables float in mid-air, and rocks change colour before your very eyes!

Finally, a comment about the show facilities. After last year's blow-downs and mud baths, it was interesting to note that several of the usual dust bowls had been black-topped this year, and the marquee tents all seemed to have a lot more ribs inside, and lines outside! Once bitten, twice shy.

Tucson is always memorable. And just as all good Muslims try to visit Mecca at least once during their lives, so too should all good rockhounds strive to go to Tucson at least one February for a week. You won't be disappointed -- 26 major hotels, and innumerable fringe markets, can justifiably be called 'The Greatest Rock Show on Earth'.

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