Link roundup
- The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show: the main show run by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society
- Tucson Gem Show 101: calendar, maps, and vendors listing for all shows
- Mineral City: maps and vendor listing for the Mineral City complex
- Tips: my tips for which days to go, why to bring cash, and how to tackle decision-making
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show began in the 1970s and has now grown to become the largest mineral show in the world. International buyers and dealers descend on the city for approximately two and a half weeks; many businesses buy stock and supplies for their entire year at this event.
THE 'Tucson Gem and Mineral Show' versus the Tucson gem and mineral show
The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, TGMS for short, is a registered trademark of the Tucson Gem & Mineral Society for what is now colloquially referred to as "The Main Show." This is a four-day event held at the Tucson convention center. The Main Show also has educational exhibits, collections on show, and other events like a micromount meet-up. Visit their website for more details: www.tgms.org/show
The Tucson show has ballooned over the decades, with groups of dealers spinning off their own specialty events around town in the weeks preceding the main event. There are now dozens of venues that run shows simultaneously. As a whole, this is technically called the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase but people tend to refer to it simply as the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (TGMS).
Schedule
I took time to clarify the show names because it can make a huge difference for planning your trip schedule. If you fly in time for the Main Show, you might be disappointed to learn most of the other events have already wrapped up!
In fact, most of the vendors at the Main Show have already been selling at other venues for the past two weeks. Most venues open at the end of January and run through the first two weeks of February. For the 2026 show that means the peak season is between January 28th and February 14th. The Main Show is the final weekend of the event, generally coinciding with Valentine's Day weekend (Feb 12–15th this year).
Tucson Gem Show 101 has a good calendar overview; this is also available in brochures and catalogs at most venues.
Which venue is best?
That really depends on your budget and what you are looking for!
- If you want to go to some of the largest and most popular venues, your top five are going to be the Main Show, 22nd Street, Kino, Mineral City, and the Pueblo shows. These shows have a wide quality range so you can find affordable pieces . There is a mix of vendor specialties so you will get to see minerals, fossils, meteorites, gems and jewelry, and more.
- Looking to buy good old fashioned inexpensive mineral specimens? The 22nd Street, Kino, and GIGM Globex shows have a lot of good vendors with affordable minerals.
- If you want to see extra-fine mineral specimens you definitely can't afford, visit the Tucson Fine Mineral Gallery, Westward Look, or Mineral City.
- Several shows specialize in fossils: the Mineral & Fossil Marketplace and The Co-op Mineral & Fossil Galleries ('The Co-op' for short) are two of the best.
- The shows that focus on gems and jewelry (AGTA, JOGS, and the GJX are the largest) typically require registration as a wholesaler associated with a business in the industry for security purposes. The Pueblo Show and the American Indian Arts Expo are public shows that have an emphasis on beads, gems, and jewelry. 22nd Street also has a good selection of gem and jewelry dealers.
The Main Show
If you are a beginner and can only go to one show, it's hard to beat The Main Show. Again, it has good diversity of vendors and price range, so you can get a taste of the fine stuff and still find affordable pieces and everything in between. This is where vendors are showing off some of their finest pieces.
The Main Event has the best opportunities for learning, with informational booths in the halls outside and a variety of exhibits inside. The fluorescents exhibit hall was a big hit at the 2022 show!
Unfortunately there is a ticket price to get in to the TGMS, $15 for standard adult day-pass as of 2026, plus a $10 charge for parking. It's not the only show to charge for parking, but be warned it's probably the most difficult area to find alternative free parking of all the venues.
22nd Street
The 22nd Street show is the next-best option for a show that has a bit of everything. (Maybe a bit too much of everything if you aren't in the mood for booths that smell of incense selling tie-dye clothes and singing bowls).
There is a LOT to see at this show, you can easily spend an entire day here and still find more to see if you go back the next day—it probably takes two and a half to three days to thoroughly explore.
The site is well-equipped for break time: a dozen or so food trucks are set up between the two main tents, with a seating area and restroom. There is no entry fee to attend this show, just a $10 parking fee; parking is an unpaved lot directly next to the tent. Free parking can be found in the surrounding neighborhoods but please try to be respectful. Locals are sick and tired of the parking nightmare this time of year.
Kino
The Kino show has some real hidden gems in terms of vendors, but also a lot of cheaper vendors I skip over, i.e. selling inexpensive imported knick-knacks and lower-quality minerals. Even so, there is enough to see that you could spend more than one day at this venue.
Kino covers the largest area of any of the shows (I assume, it feels like). I find it to be the most physically demanding and plan my trips accordingly. The venue is a bunch of tents at a large sports complex so there is plenty of free parking, but it is a proper hike from the parking lot to the tent at the farthest corner of the show. Arrive early in the day to get a parking spot closer to the show. If you plan to buy very much, bring a backpack or cart to make the trip back to the car more practical. This is the show that made me invest in a Gorilla cart!
Mineral City
Mineral City is like the Louvre of the Tucson show: you can't get through it all in one day. It is THE show to attend if you really want to focus on quality minerals. Forget the carved doo-dads and souvenirs, this is the best concentration of the good stuff.
Mineral City is a great choice if you are ready to spend a bit more on specimens—and I don't mean that minerals are expensive here! A lot of beginners are shy to spend more than $20 on a rock, and I feel like there is an approachable break-down of spending tiers at Mineral City. You'll find plenty of minerals under $100, including prices under $20 and a lot of solid specimens in the $40–60 range. There are also a lot of specimens that cost several hundred or thousand dollars, and a lot with a k after the number on the price tag (as in "add three zeros you broke ass bitch").
I tend to buy a range of qualities for my personal collection, so this gives me flexibility to find a few nicer pieces, some mid-range stuff, and some cheapies. The stuff outside my budget isn't a waste of my time either, since it gives me an idea of what I should aspire to. In the words of Wayne Campbell: it will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.
Pueblo
This is probably the show I hear recommended most frequently, but I don't get it. I think it is best if you make jewelry or beadcraft, or want to see the behemoth minerals. They display massive geodes and giant quartz in the parking lot, which is neat to see. There are some excellent vendors there, but the overall vibe trends gaudy with huge items like bathtubs carved from rose quartz on display, and massive versions of those wire-and-gem trees. I don't recall where I took this picture, but it would be on-brand for Pueblo.
Personally, I prefer the GIGM Globex show held just up the street at the Red Lion Inn. Parking is free but limited to two hours; I find two hours is exactly how long I need there anyway!
Other shows
The smaller venues charge their vendors lower fees, which basically means you can find high-quality small and specialty dealers hidden in all corners of the Tucson show. Each year I explore different venues and learn which vendors to hone in on, but I've still never been to a few dozen of the venues. It's hard not to get FOMO!
If you want to maximize ground covered, there are several good options clustered on Oracle Rd near Mineral City:
- Mineral & Fossil Marketplace: this is one of my favorites for fossils and industry old-timers (which might also be aptly called fossils). I mention old-timers because they can have fantastic prices. Like, they slapped a $10 tag on a piece of vanadinite a decade ago and haven't bothered to update the price since.
- The Co-op: another great one for fossils, as well as quartz and sandstone.
- RMGM: a smaller tent show with a good mix of minerals, fossils, and polished materials.