So now I'm back to the real world and the intensity of the Tucson Gem Show. Actually I should say shows as there are over 30 gem, mineral and fossil shows happening over a two week period. Dealers from everywhere and buyers mostly from the US come here and haggle, cry, yell and weep over a few beautiful things and so many god awful things you wouldn't believe it. So here are a few things I managed to photograph before I got lost in the maelstrom of simply looking at treasures of the earth. I've tried to photograph things I thought were interesting and avoided those(most) that were boring.
When is too tall simply too tall? A 12' amethyst geode?
Last year I bought 10 lbs of these magnetic "hematite" beads. Not enough. At $4 a pound they seemed pretty reasonable but this year I got 25 lbs for $3 a pound. Excellent. I wonder how much it will cost to ship them home.
When is too big too big? When it's a quartz crystal that won't fit in your trunk.
This is just the first day and this is a very small tent. Things can only get bigger.
These qualify as medium to large amethyst geodes. I'm not sure how I feel about the person who came up with the idea to put them on tripods that almost look natural.