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Quartzsite "rocks" every January!

A "must do" annual trip for rockhounds is the month-long group of gem and mineral shows held every January in Quartzsite AZ.  I have just come back from a buying trip to this great town. These shows actually begin before Jan. 1st, and culminate in the Quartzsite Improvement Assoc. Pow Wow, complete with field trips for local gems and minerals. 

There are several shows to see at the Tyson Wells location, as well as the Desert Gardens and the Main Event, located on both sides of Interstate 10.  There is a whole variety of goods to be purchased, from antiques to zeolites, from Indian fry bread to fruit smoothies.  First and foremost, though, are the beautiful cathedral geodes from Brazil.  They come packed in individual crates, from tiny to enormous and can be found in gorgeous orange-yellow citrine, blue agate, and pink calcite interiors as well as the more usual purple amethyst.  

This is the place to come if you want emeralds or stone bookends, stuffed raccoons or prehistoric shark's teeth, or just a special rock for your planter bed at home.  There are several vendors with signed Native American jewelry and replicas such as tomahawks, war clubs and kachina dolls.  If you are looking for lapidary tools and equipment to finish out your workshop, they can be found here too.  If you have a business and need signage or a flashy attention getter for your shop, this is the place to come.  You can find steel anodized "twirlers" in many patterns and colors, streamers, flags, and hand-crafted wooden signs which can be personalized to meet your needs. There are some really great wood products which would make wonderful display pieces for selenite lamps or jasper spheres, or just end tables for your home.

 Out back at the Main Event is an old cemetery with the  monument to Haj Ali, the camel driver who was a part of the early days of Quartzsite.  I was drawn to this site by the figure of a camel on top of his monument, which is a stone pyramid.  This pyramid is of particular interest to rockhounds, as it contains a number of interesting rocks.  These rocks give a "layer cake" effect to the pyramid.  There is just plain country rock in some layers, with white quartz and blue dumortierite as contrast. Of particular interest to me was the petrified wood layer which had a really nice round section of red and yellow Arizona petrified wood placed as contrast to the duller browns of other more common varieties of petrified wood. 

Perhaps the best thing about Quartzsite was the people I met there.  They all have one thing in common---they love and appreciate rocks and minerals.  I met some hardworking miners, both men and women, who are out there prospecting, mining and collecting the rocks they so lovingly display for all to see and admire.  Without them, there would be no rock show and no great specimens to take home. 

I am really looking forward to next year's show in Quartzsite--there was not enough time for me to really see and appreciate it all this year!