Unbelievable colors, pales and pastels to vivid amber yellows, deep turquoise, grayish spring greens, coral roses, beeswax, and more are on view for all to see at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. It is as if the entire Pantone color chart is represented with nature's hand in charge of the painting.
Students of geometry will be spellbound by the crystalline structures, far more than high school geometry takes us.
Tetragonal, orthorhombic, triclinic structures are on display with a multitude of other shapes and sizes. The sheer beauty of these minerals is breathtaking.
As I grow older, I understand why I should have paid attention to the geology sections of science, or geometry theorems. Strange names identify the minerals, and I was stunned to find Gypsum in so many beautiful colors.
A novice, such as I, tends to think all Topaz is yellow, but au contraire...there is purple, there is red...as well as the spectrum of yellows and deep amber.
The connoisseurs of the minerals at Westward Look are experts; they know their minerals, where they come from, where else in the world the minerals are found, the grade of the mineral and they talk with authority to each other and buyers from throughout the world.
The event I attended at The Westward Look, off of Ina Road, featured six pods, each with six rooms of stunning minerals in all colors, shapes and sizes.
This one small show is being replicated throughout the city with 43 shows all over Tucson. People come from all over the world to buy, sell, and trade gems and minerals. Most shows end February 7. There is free shuttle between the shows. The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is the largest show of its kind in the world.
To see the crystalline structures of these minerals better, click on the photo.
Resources:
Crystal Structures
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/geology/crystal_shapes2.html
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau
http://www.visittucson.org/visitor/events/gemshow/
Dealers at Westward Look include: - click on their website to see array of beautiful minerals
http://www.mineralmasterpiece.com/
http://www.collectorsedge.com/
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