Lexi’s Lessons: 9 Favorite Shows Plus Tips for Shopping the Tucson Gem Shows

Happy, happy, joy, joy! That can mean only one thing! It’s January and the Tucson Gem Shows are starting. Yes! It’s a huge show (actually, dozens of shows all over town) of international proportions, the largest gem show in the world. In our business, the big question among all of us is, “Are you going to Tucson?”

Going to Tucson doesn’t mean that we will be golfing in fine weather or having a spa day at Ventana Canyon Resort. No way. We will be at the Tucson gem shows, also known as The Show, from “can’t see to can’t see” (before sunrise until after sunset), eating lunch from a taco truck, carrying around a 50-pound backpack, soaking our feet at night, saying a quick “hi” to friends, falling in bed exhausted at 8 PM, and having the time of our lives!

The next day, maybe classes and more “shopPING”! What those who don’t go to the Tucson gem shows don’t understand is that this is HARD WORK! And we love every minute of it and can’t wait for it each year. I can promise you one thing from personal experience: I have never in my life been more exhausted than from spending almost three weeks in Tucson during the The Show.

I have heard repeatedly that 90% of the colored gemstones in the world are found in Tucson during The Show. I think it’s true, so whether you are a seasoned pro or you are a show newbie, I hope I can offer you some advice on attending this year’s show.

Before You Arrive at the Tucson Gem Shows . . .

I hope you already have a room for The Show, because many hotels are booked a year in advance. But if you are just now deciding to go, there will be some cancellations, so check around. The prices will be inflated, but at least you have a room.

Make sure to confirm your room with a credit card and have access to your confirmation. Reservations get lost. Also, check with local B&Bs and realtors, because sometimes people will rent out spare rooms or their entire home during Tucson gem shows. Airbnb.com is a good source for reasonable accommodations.

A Must-Have for Negotiation Around Tucson

The Show is not just a few smaller shows in hotels and a tent or two. It is an entire city-wide event with, I would guess, maybe 5,000 vendors across all of the Tucson gem shows combined. The mere sensory overload of seeing billboards, delivery trucks, huge tents, giant dinosaur skeletons, and bustling people is overwhelming–and that’s before you even walk into a show!

Familiarize yourself with opening and closing times of all the Tucson gem shows. Learn who has what and where, get good maps of the city, and, most importantly, get a shuttle schedule. Parking downtown for the big AGTA and GJX shows, for example, can cost $10-20, and it doesn’t matter if you are going to be there for two hours or all day. And if you park illegally, you WILL get a ticket.

Scope Out the Different Shows

All the initials for the shows are very confusing. Search each show’s website to learn which shows are open to the public, meaning open to everyone, and which shows are wholesale only, meaning you must have an ID, tax number, business card, etc.

If you are not preregistered for some of the Tucson gem shows, you may have a long wait in line. Some shows specialize in mineral specimens or fossils only, so if you only want cabs, gemstones, or beads, you might forego those shows.

Try to plan a day for each area of town, like one day you might just do the downtown shows, and one day the G&LW shows. If you only have three days to visit Tucson, check out where your favorite vendors will be, and then make a plan to visit those shows.

Find the Deals

You can bargain at most of the shows along what’s known as The Strip, along the feeder road of I-10. There you will find a lot of individual and international dealers. Many don’t take credit cards (some don’t even speak English), and cash talks. Yes, here you can and should bargain for rough or slabbed rock.

Personally speaking, it’s also “buyer beware” more in this area. Perhaps the vendors didn’t understand my question, but in the past, I’ve bought something that wasn’t what I expected. So just pay attention to how you ask questions. Re-word the question and repeat it, if necessary. Shop around; unless you see some spectacular stone or bead that you absolutely cannot live without at these shows, you will probably see the same rock somewhere else.

Toward the end of The Show, prices sometimes drop, but don’t wait until the last day, because the vendor may have already packed your special stone. Now for the more high-end shows, haggling usually won’t get you anywhere.

Lexi’s All-Time Favorite Gem Shows in Tucson

If you have a limited time in Tucson and are an art jeweler who doesn’t cut your own stones, here are some of my favorite locations that carry what I use in my pieces. Note: Some of these shows may not be exhibiting currently.

1. AGTA This is a huge and fabulous mostly high-end show. Cabs and faceted stones. I sometimes work in The Clamshell, booth. Please stop by and let’s meet! Wholesale only.
2. African Village Great stuff!
3. GJX (across the street from AGTA) This is a HUGE show. See Gary Wilson and the Idar-Oberstein Group of fabulous stone cutters here. Wholesale only.

4. The Pueblo Show You’ll find Bill Fretz, John Dyer, Greg King (go to Greg especially for turquoise) and Greg Genovese here.
5. The G&LW Show (a combination of the original Holidome and the Gem Mall shows) Another HUGE show. Wholesale.
6. Kino Jewelry Show If you like beads, this is the home of The Best Bead Show. Public.
7. Tucson Bead and Design Show  More great jewelry by Interweave artists.
8. To Bead True Blue Wonderful things, artist beads, findings, and a great, classy show. Wholesale and retail.
9. SRGJ Shows

See you in Tucson!

Hugs,
Lexi

Read on for Lexi’s 14 Tips for Shopping the Tucson Gem Shows!

Originally published January 2017. Updated January 11, 2022.