At This Gem Show, the Kids Get a Front-Row Seat to the Sparkle

If you’re bringing the family to Tucson this year for the city’s annual gem shows, take note of the kid-friendly attractions at the Tucson Gem Show on 22nd Street (formerly known as the 22nd Street Show), which runs Jan. 29 to Feb. 15.

Produced by Eon Expos and managed by Hart Events USA, the public-facing event—home to exhibitors of jewelry, gemstones, minerals, prehistoric fossils, crystals, meteorites, minerals, and more—will feature programming designed to entice collectors and newcomers alike.

Angie Crabtree

Artist Angie Crabtree, known for her oversize paintings of diamonds and gemstones, will host several live painting sessions at her booth, where visitors will get a chance to have their photos taken with her iconic large-scale diamond painting. The show will mark the debut of her latest series, Garden of Eve, an exploration of how traditional gender roles have shaped luxury culture.

Crabtree will also participate in a panel discussion on Feb. 1 featuring Violetta Wolf, museum director of the Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum, and the lapidarist Justin K. Prim.

Elsewhere, the show offers a kid zone with interactive and educational programming such as a dig pit where kids can excavate fossils, gems, and plastic dinosaurs, as well as a craft area where they can build their own treasure chests to store the gems, fossils, and minerals they find. The zone will also offer educational workshops running throughout the event.

The kid zone at the Tucson Gem Show at 22nd Street (photo courtesy of the show)

Kids should take special note of the show’s popular rubber duck hunt, which invites participants to search for gold- and silver-painted ducks hidden across the venue. Those who bring their duck to the Showcase Tent will receive a special prize, including day passes to the Children’s Museum Tucson as well as credits to spend at the show.

Top: A butterfly-shape amethyst geode at the Tucson Gem Show on 22nd Street (photo courtesy of the show).