TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Once a year, more than 65,000 people from around the world flock to Tucson to attend the annual Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase. More than 40 shows make up the Showcase and can be found all over the city. That includes the original event, the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, which got its start way back in 1955 and is held annually at the Tucson Convention Center.
"It's huge for Tucson," said Michal Mael, owner of Michal and Company, which designs and builds furniture made from geodes and sets up each year as part of the Kino Gem Show at 2500 E. Ajo Way.
Mael joins thousands of other vendors, selling everything from amethyst to beads to prehistoric fossils.
"People from all over the world come here for buying, for sharing all these beautiful gems," Mael said. Visitors can travel the world without ever leaving the city, exploring treasures from Africa, India, Vietnam, China, and beyond.
"We don't have everything in the United States of America, but in Tucson, we do for one month out of the year," Mael said.
Mael spent a year preparing for the show, finding unique items to sell.
“There is always something fabulous that comes into the show, and this time we have two super-extra-quality Uruguayan plates that are going to be in it,” Mael said.
She also said how her business was unique because not only does she sell crystals and rocks but she enjoys educating people on the energy they bring.
"I kind of like to teach people about the energy of the rock, not just about, you know, like 'here, buy this rock,'" Mael said.
The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase will run from about Jan. 25 to Feb. 11.
RELATED: Everything you need to know about the Tucson Gem, Mineral, Fossil Showcase 2024
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