This past week, I had the incredible pleasure of jetting to the jewelry industry's desert oasis for the Tucson Gem Show, spending a large portion of my time at #AGTA. My eyes are still throbbing from drinking in all of the beautiful gemstones and mineral specimen gathered from all over the world. Along with dozens of my #gembesties, I traveled booth by booth, table by table, and tent by tent through the earth's most miraculous creations.
Here are some of my favorite finds:
The luscious gem tones of tourmaline and combination of hues in the parti-colored crystals really do create a party vibe! When dealers display their wares in orderly rows of beauty like this my mouth waters.
According to my palm reading, I have some seriously blue oceans in my future... Papagoite is one of the coolest specimen I have ever seen. This African gem is a part of @rareearthminingco 's personal collection. Originally discovered in 1960 in Arizona, the gem is named after the Sand Papago tribe.
This sliced geode specimen is larger than life, standing taller than me (I'm 5'8"!). The concentric layers of agate remind me of a map that I would be oh so happy to jump right into!
Trapiche Emeralds (tra-pee-she) are some of my favorite rare gemstones. Trapiches are characterized by a six-pointed radial pattern of ray-like spokes of dark inclusions, most likely caused by interruption in crystal growth. The word "trapiche" means "of sugar", given to this rare gem because the spoke pattern resembles sugar grinding wheels in Colombia. I think these are some pretty sweet rocks, don't you? ;)
One of the best parts of visiting Tucson year after year is getting to know the gem dealers who are more than excited to show gem geeks (like me) the treasures they have buried in the backs of their vaults. This beautiful Colombian emerald is waiting for a gem-cutting Michelangelo to release it's lustrous potential.
It was a great trip and I collected incredible stones with which I am excited to start making new Original Eve creations... Until next year, Tucson!