Gem, Mineral, & Jewelry Show

1/28/10


Quartzsite AZ. has definitely been an interesting experience. We have been wandered through the thousands of vendors for a couple of hours almost everyday. The weather has been great with daytime highs in the 60's to low 70's and night time lows in the 40's. We had one big rain and high wind storm blow through the 2ND week we were here. Our park is a little dated but cozy with a warm atmosphere of blue collar retires and reasonable price. The interstate is a block away so it can be a bit noisy at times. Free oranges and grapefruit are available most days, picked fresh from a few trees located in the park. They also have a free do it yourself car/RV wash station, (very rare to find in most parks). We can't get over how many vendors come with truckloads of rocks, minerals, and stones.
I have never seen so many amethyst , especially big ones, like the one I am standing beside.

It doesn't get much bigger than this! Cost is about $300.
These are large quartz crystals, you can see hundreds of them in Quartzsite.

Check out my beautiful wife, showing off her recently acquired, southwest look. Next to her is an iron sculpture that was for sale at one of the vendors.
You can't believe how many tubs like this filled with water to show off the color of the stones within. They are layered out on countless rows of tables. The numbers you see on the stones are the price. ($9, $10, etc.)
This is an example of just one row of tables. It goes on like this for blocks and blocks.
Another example of a small vendor table with an unusual display of various crystals.
Not your "Mall" look I will admit. It is dust and dirty, but what do you expect, its out in the desert.
Diane really liked the copper colored stones with thousands of gold colored flecks. Only a few dollars per pound.
Some of the stones look like your standard desert rock, until you ask what they are. Most of the times they have some beautiful crystals or fossils inside, or are rocks that are millions of years old and are only found in one place in the world. Some are fossilized dinosaur bones which sell for hundreds of dollars. Hard for a novice to tell what is what, but ask and you will learn.
Diamonds in the rough? All the barrel are full of huge rocks.

Nice selection of purple amethyst. Costs run $50 to 150.
This guy is trying to make outdoor and indoor displays out of his stone.
Mostly fountains.


Now we come to Diane's new weakness, Beads! Not just this one tent, but tent after tent after tent, you get what I mean? Most of these are strands of jewelry making stones, not just plastic or glass colored. People buy these, then mix and match them with other colored stones and make necklaces and bracelets and other jewelry out of them. (sounds like a lot of work, but buying them in bulk like this reduces their price).
I told you there were a lot of amethyst here.
There also are a lot of vendors selling fossils of all shapes and kinds. This huge piece of stone is covered with fossils. Can't image how much work it was to dig this out of the ground and transport it without breaking it.
More fossils in stone, someone worked very carefully to chip away the surrounding stone and then polish the fossils to make them really stand out.
Oh did I mention the amethyst we saw? This vendor is here year around and has a nice garage type building to display his stones.
Oh yeah, there are some small ones available too.
Here is my lovely wife checking out a jewelry vendor's wares. I think Malley is getting bored with all this shopping, but at least she can lay down and take a nap when ever she feels like it. Maybe I need an adult sized stroller. Not pink though.
This vendor took his fossilized stoneware and made them into sinks for your home. Prices ran about $300.00.
Here is Diane talking to a vendor who she bought a pink reversible doggy raincoat from. This vendor brought out her two pet birds. She let Diane hold the green one, who proceeded to walk up Diane's shoulder and then proceed to preen the hair on Diane's neck. This lady and her husband travel in a trailer and have 2 birds, 1 cat, and 3 dogs. Boy am I lucky.
Let there be no doubt about it, This is a Big One!