Memories from a Rock Show

I like crystals – not in a pseudo-scientific, new-age nonsense kind of way. More in a fascination with the beautiful forms that pressure, temperature and chemistry create in our rocks.

I have been given a couple of lovely big crystals – found some others, and they have prominent positions in my rock collection.  

Now, I admit that I am not an avid collector, but it probably wouldn’t take much of a push to become one, and I understand the obsession that some people develop.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be in Tucson, Arizona, at the time of their famous Gem and Mineral Show. It was a huge event that took over the town. I highly recommend it as a tourist destination for those with a mineral specimen or fossil fetish, with the packed event spilling out into massive marquees crammed full of extraordinary specimens.

I had planned just a small purchase as a souvenir, but overwhelming variety of incredible displays had me paralysed. Getting something modest also fell rapidly by the wayside, and I was seriously contemplating where a US$10k rock slab or amethyst geode in my house might be shown off to the best effect.

I am also a sucker for the “mineral hunter” reality television shows. I don’t particularly like the way producers inject drama into otherwise routine camping trips. Still, the scenery is often incredible, and I cannot help but admire the prospectors who, with too often limited gear and even more scarce sources of cash, put themselves at considerable risk to recover aquamarines or some other prize.  

These prospectors’ skill in reading the rocks and their perseverance is impressive!

Of course, the trade in mineral specimens is big business. Behind closed doors at Tucson, I was told selected collectors and dealers pay vast sums to obtain rare crystal specimens that will never be seen by the public, let alone make it into a university collection or museum.  

There is no doubt that this trade generates some unwelcome side effects – from environmental impacts of unregulated or illegal mining to smuggling to the exploitation of vulnerable people in developing countries or potentially supplying “conflict” gems where collectors may inadvertently support local conflicts.

As a naïve buyer, it is generally impossible to know the provenance of a specimen unless you are literally purchasing it from the person who dug it up. So, I tend to avoid buying pretty rocks and instead gravitate towards displays like the magnificent one in the new WA Museum.

I also admire the crystals I encounter in more everyday rocks. Shiny pyrite cubes or a lovely garnet look spectacular through the hand lens. But I often wonder if a bigger specimen would look good on my shelf.

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