Do You Ever Wonder Where All the Stuff at the Gem Shows Comes From? Or Where it Goes?

Do you ever wonder where all the stuff at the gem shows comes from?  Or where it goes? 

Consider the Eyes of Brazil, a giant, six-foot quartz geode discovered in a field belonging to soy farmers in Rio Grande del Sol in 2014.  A buyer for the massive treasure was found:  Tucson gem and mineral dealer Michal Mael, who ordered special saw blades from Germany, had the treasure sliced and polished, and displayed it in her booth at the Kino Gem & Mineral Show in 2018! 

Representatives from GIA (Gemological Institute of America, www.gia.edu ) in CA happened to be visiting her booth, and while they were admiring the amazing grading and druzy surfaces of the pieces, she approached them (not having any idea who they were). The beautiful specimen is now a part of the permanent collection at their prestigious Carlsbad headquarters museum. GIA’s staff & board had a contest to name their newest find, and the Eyes of Brazil won! 

So the next time you’re in a world-class exhibition, you may be standing next to something that made its “debut” in Tucson, acquired by one of the buyers who comprise yet another of the many gem show audiences!  ROCK ON!