Kellie's Tucson Gem Show Experience

Avalon Crystals

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The City of Tucson Arizona	The City of Tucson, Arizona where the annual Gem and Mineral Show takes place each February. The Tucson metropolitan area supports over 750,000 residents. Tucson's climate varies from the 2400 foot desert basin to the 9100 foot forests of the Santa Catalina mountains. The City's dry desert air and winter sunshine make it a popular health and winter resort. And the perfect place to host the world wide Gem Show! In the month of February Tucson has approximately 45.000 visitors attending shows representing 19.000 stores and about 3.700 exhibiting companies.
The Sonoran Desert	The Sonoran Desert is an arid region covering 120,000 square miles in southwestern Arizona and southeastern California, as well as most of Baja California and the western half of the state of Sonora, Mexico. Subdivisions of this hot, dry region include the Colorado and Yuma deserts. Irrigation has produced many fertile agricultural areas, including the Coachella and Imperial valleys of California. Warm winters attract tourists to Sonora Desert resorts in Palm Springs, California, and Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. The desert is where I go to regain my Spirit!
The Clarion Hotel	An Example of one of the many hotels which hosts the annual Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. A vendor rents a hotel room and sets up his inventory for sale. You can be walking down the hall and have your choice of many dealers from all countries! It is truly exciting to be able to purchase directly from the miners for Avaloncrystals.com!
JOGS Gem Show	J.O.G.S. Jewelry and Organic Gem Show is a top destination for gem and jewelry professionals from around the world. Held at the Tucson Expo Center the J.O.G.S. Gem ? Jewelry Show offers exceptional services, facilities, and the most complete product range found under one roof. This is just one of the 44 locations where dealers are set up to sell their goods.
Ball Room	Some of the dealers I purchase from are set up in hotel ballrooms. With this vendor you must purchase over $500.00 worth of minerals and entire flats of crystals in order to buy wholesale. It is always exciting to see what the 'new' minerals are to the market each year!
Kellie and Amethyst	Here I am posing with a very large Amethyst Cluster from Bolivia. At one time were were going to visit this mine in Bolivia with our friend Bob Jackson, however we found out that the miners do not allow women into the mine, they feel it is bad luck! so much for that trip!
Ammonite	Wow, this is an example of a huge world class AAA grade Ammonite Specimen! Gorgeous! Ammonite is a fossilized animal which was present on Earth in Eons past; it has similar structure to a snail. Ammonite is capable of splitting sunlight into every color imaginable. It is a protective stone offering stability and structure to ones life. It transforms negativity into a smooth flowing positive energy!
A display of Amber	At the gem show you will see many displays of jewelry, this one is a large display of Amber Jewelry, all for sale! Amber was one of the first substances used by man for decoration, ingeniously carved animal forms have been discovered in Norway. These curious objects were worn as amulets and were used to enhance the power of the stone. Amber was also used at a very early period for medicinal purposes. Today Amber is also valued as a healing stone for energy balancing, mental and emotional strength and to calm the nerves.
Melody and Kellie	I always find time to visit my crystal healing colleagues. Here I am with Melody who is the author and world-renowned crystologist who in 1991 published a book called "Love Is In The Earth -- A Kaleidoscope of Crystals," winning international acclaim for her solid research into the metaphysical properties of more than 700 members of the Mineral Kingdom. She is a joy to be around.........
Chrysanthemum Stones	The Chrysanthemum Stone with its flowery white patterns on a black background occur naturally in the Hunan region of China. As the name implies, it is shaped like a 'Chrysanthemum Flower', and most specimens are collected from river beds. The "flowers" are naturally embedded in a gray limestone. These unique artistic stones symbolize success, longevity, and wealth. The official symbol of the Imperial Family.
The Crystal Deva at work!	Here I am selecting smokey quartz rough gemstones for my clients!
Large Crystal Balls	A Brazilian Dealer offering polished Quartz in the form of Large Spheres and Huge natural Quartz Crystals. Sometimes it takes awhile to decided what to purchase when there are so many!
Kellie witih Stalactite	Here I am with a very large Stalactite composed of Limestone, this one is from a cave in Mexico.
HUGE Geodes!	WOW! Here are some HUGE Amethyst and Citrine Quartz Geodes form the minas gerais region of Brazil. These priced specimens can go for up to $10,000 and more!
The Crystal Deva	The Crystal Deva hard at work again deciding on which gemstones to purchase for Avalon Crystals. I use my gemological knowledge and also I feel the energy of each stone to select the best healing stones for my clients. Fun!
Huge Drusy Quartz Geode	Another wonderfully large Drusy Quartz Geode from Brazil! This one was at least 9 feet tall!
The Tent Area	An example of the smaller dealers who set up in tent type booths surrounding each hotel. We can usually find pretty good deals in these areas of the show.
Kellie and Malachite	Here I am sorting through the malachite tumbles. I also scored my gem Rhodochrosite rough from this vendor. It takes alot of time to sort through gemstones, I make sure that the quality and the energy is only the finest for my avalon crystals clients.
More Quartz for sale	Here is a vendor offering Quartz Crystals. So much fun to shop and shop and shop some more!
Carved wooden Buddha	There are many unique items to purchase at the Tucson Gem Show. Many forms of deities in carved wood and bronze statues! Galleries and museums from around the world, find their larger display items here as well. Fun!
Kellie and Karen Gillespie	Saved the best for last! Here I am with my good friend Karen Gillespie. She is the lady who discovered the sacred Boji Stone on her land in Kansas in the late 1960's. After all of these years of friendship, I can honestly say that she is like family to me and my husband Bill. We love her!