Grand Canyon - March, 2005 - photo by John Veevaert

John Veevaert    PO BOX 2182   Weaverville, California  96093  USA  (888) 689-8402

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Show Reports
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Tucson Show Report 5

 

The main show at Tucson is underway! Holy Moses but the minerals on display this year are enough to make any mineral enthusiast lose his or her mind.  Before moving on to the main show I have a few loose ends to clean up...

 

At the Inn Suites UK Mining Ventures was proudly displaying some new fluorite specimens that they produced this year at the Rogerley Mine.  This intrepid group has been at it with determination for 7 years now and mercy! They finally hit the big kahuna in terms of quality. In a pocket appropriately named the Jewel Box they found some glassy, gem quality crystals of fluorite.  This fluorite has the same rich pine green color and they all turn inky blue in sunlight or under a SW UV light source.   In case you were wondering UK Mining Ventures is owned by Jesse Fisher, his wife Joan Kureczka, Cal and Kerith Graeber.

 

 

 Here are several specimens of fluorite from the Jewel Box Pocket.  I will be posting a large update of these in the next couple of days.

 

 

 

 Here are Tim Sherburn (left) and Jesse Fisher (right) demonstrating

the hypnotic effect of English fluorite and English beer (Newcastle). 

Pull out you guys...!  PULL OUT!!

 

This year at the Westward Look the panel discussion, hosted by Dave Waismann, intriguing with a panel of six women giving their perspective on mineral collecting in the early part of the twentyfirst century.  (I must apologize for the fuzzy images. I did not have the correct still setting on my new camera set properly to avoid the look of some one who has had 2 or 3 glasses of wine ahead of time... I had had only one !! 

 

 

 The panel from left to right are Gail Spann, Diane Brownlee, Kerith Graeber, Dawn Minette, Carolyn Manchester, and Ann Frazier.

 

Each of the women explained their passion for minerals and more or less how they got interested in the hobby.  Each is a well respected collector in their own right and each has, needless to say, a very remarkable collection and set of experiences that have brought them to this point in their collecting careers.  One of the most memorable moments in the discussion was during question and answer when Peter Magaw's daughter asked the panel: "What got you hooked on minerals?".  Gail Spann gave an answer that had every one in stiches when she said: "When I 'googled' wulfenite and found out that I could buy it!".  Classic answer Gail !!

 

The crowd lingered for a while after the event was over.  A few familiar faces in this group...

 

 

Ok, on to the main show.  The following pictures are of some of the dealers getting ready for the big day.

 

The place looks a bit cavernous before the minerals are rolled in.

 

 

 

The rocks do start to arrive at the loading gates.  On the right are Steve Perry (far right) with assistance from Andrei Rykoff - a dealer from northern Oregon.

 

 

Leonard "Hollywood" Himes, sporting a Southeast USA Mineral Show T-Shirt and

cool set of shades was all smiles with his last load of minerals to haul in.

 

 

 

There's always one wise guy in the bunch who has to be different.  Isaias Casanova

 barked from his van to me: "Maybe I can just tailgate and save on the show fees...".

As an aside Isaias was engaged to be married recently and we're happy for him and sad for her...

 

 

 

Mountain Minerals aka Dudley Blauwet (black t-shirt) was all business getting ready for the show. Of all the dealers in this business

none have more of my respect than Dudley. He is fearless in his travels to Asia in pursuit of minerals and gemstones.

Scott Wallace is seen in the photo on the right helping Dudley get ready.

 

 

 

Dudley showed me some brand new crystals of the most yellow heliodor I had ever seen from a new locality in Mozambique...

 

This is Herb Obodda unloading the car for the last Main Show he & Moni will ever do in Tucson.  He

and Moni are retiring from the Main Show after this last hoorah but they will still be doing the Westward Look show here in Tucson.

 

 

This is the Kristalle and Crystal Classics booth.  Wayne Leicht is wondering here

if it is possible to have the minerals set themselves on the shelves...

 

 

Pat Haynes was busy helping out at the Collector's Edge booth.

 

 

Proof that Bill Larson actually works!  The Gobins, Pala International, Alain Martaud, Wayne Thompson and Arkenstone are all sharing

 a huge booth area. In this photo Christophe Gobin is seen on the left, John McClean is in the center and Bill Larson is on the right.

 

 

Here are Marshall Sussman (left) and Dan Weinrich at Dan's booth.  This year Dan and Dave Bunk

 are releasing the Minette collection.  There should be quite a line up for this event tomorrow.

 

 

This is Tucson dealer Dave Douglass getting things set up in his booth. 

 

Here's (from left to right) Scott Werschky, Andre Kovaltchouk and Tom Hughes

 in Scott's booth looking at some of Tom's antique candle holders.

 

Here's a 6 cm pebble I saw in Scott's booth...The famous wheat sheaf habit rhodochrosite from N'Chwaning.

 

 

Evan Jones with a warning to any would be rock theives. 

 

Actually Evan has some of the finest of the new material from the Milpillas mine in Mexico of the azurite and malachites.  He also had the only new plancheite specimens from this new find that I now have.  I bought them all except for two pieces.  I also selected a decent number of azurite/malachite combination specimens from this new find.  Evan has some of the more reasonable prices for this new Mexican material. 

 

 

A specimen of plancheite and malachite from Milpillas.

 

 

Several Malachite pseudomorps after azurite.

 

 

A unique specimen of golden barite on malachite.

 

 

 

A specimen of azurite on velvety malachite.

 

 

Evan also showed me two specimens he will be putting in the Tiger display.

 A to die for specimen of caledonite with crystals to 1/2 cm.

 

 

Another specimen to twist your brain into a Rold Gold pretzel.

A wulfenite, cerussite and dioptase specimen. Totally gooey!

 

 

While wandering around I ran into some large blue stop signs in the booth of Rob Selecki.  Rob has some eye stunning specimens of azurite from Tsumeb on hand. The largest crystal is in excess of 20 cm.  When you see something like this all you can do is mumble to your self and hope that no one is watching or listening.

 

 

  

Two of the half dozen azurites Rob Silecki had.  The beast on the left is 20-25 cm across.  The specime on the right is about 10 cm across.

 

The last item of business for set up day is reserved for a belt buckle made for Hollywood legend John Wayne.  It is a 13+ troy ounce gold nugget belt buckle that is currently owned by Alan Day of Reno, Nevada.

 

Here is a shot of the gold nugget belt buckle in Alan's hand. I offered to trade my belt and 20 bucks for the buckle but Alan declined...

 

More to come from Tucson!