One of my favourite things about attending the Tucson shows is searching out the new, the weird and the amazing gemstones. I love seeing things I have never seen before. This year was no exception; I was able to find several fun things and even bought a few of them. Others were either too large or too expensive for me to consider purchasing but that never stops me from enjoying them.
Blue Amber
I have had a life-long love affair with Amber. This fossilized tree resin is beautiful and fascinating. This year I found a new variety called Blue Amber. What makes this Amber so unusual is that it is highly fluorescent. Under normal light there is a soft, deep blue sheen mixed with the normal amber colour. Under the light of an LED torch it glows a strong light blue. Under Ultraviolet (LW) light it is an intense, vibrant light blue. This exciting new find can be made into a pendant that will continually change colours and intensities as the wearer moves into different lighting conditions. Needless to say…I bought several nice pieces for my collection.
Trapiche Sapphires and Emeralds
Trapiche means “wagon wheel”. The term was first used in Colombia to describe an unusual and extremely rare formation of Emerald that, when cut across the crystal, displays six black spokes of matrix separated by green Emerald. This year, gem dealer Jeffery Bergman had a delightful display of rare Trapiche Emeralds including a very rare reverse Trapiche where the spokes are composed of Emerald. The black matrix was cut away resulting in a six rayed star of pure Emerald. Even more astounding was his collection of extremely rare Trapiche Sapphires from Burma. I did not buy any of them only because I was privileged to accompany Mr. Bergman on one of his buying trips and was able to get a few of my own. My next mission is to find a few Trapiche Rubies, also from Burma
Quartz
Quartz is one of the most plentiful stones on the planet and includes popular gemstones like Amethyst and Citrine. Tucson is a quartz lover’s paradise with giant specimens that always attract a lot of attention. The Pueblo show is the home of the largest and most amazing single quartz crystals, huge cathedral-like geodes of Amethyst, and polished spheres and obelisks of clear quartz. I fell in love with a 9 foot tall quartz crystal and a 12 foot tall amethyst geode but I have no room to display them or the money to buy them. Besides, they were sold before I got there. Maybe someday….
I could go on for several more pages but hopefully this is enough to tempt you to give Tucson a try next year. You won’t regret it.