Tucson Mineral and Gem World

Great experience. Took two teenage girls and they had a great time looking at all of the rocks. Owner was helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly. Great guy. Prices were fair and reasonable. Don’t expect a museum experience, it’s a rock hound’s paradise.

I can’t say enough about how much I love this store! It’s one of those places that make me proud to live in Tucson. It’s a family owned business for over 50 years and it has something to offer anyone.
The prices are extremely cheap (and yes, I know my minerals) and they always manage to give you a deal on top of it. Not only do they have a wide selection of specimens, they have cabs, jewelry, ancient artifacts, fossils, and all other kinds of treasures. The brothers who run it are extremely knowledgeable and just about the nicest people you’ll met. They’ll remember you and always end up in a nice conversation. I also gotta add that one of the owners has the most adorable dogs — if you’re lucky you might catch them at the shop! :)
To address some other comments that say the shop is dusty — you’re at a rock shop in Arizona! If you want some fancy looking spotless place then go to some overpriced store in the mall.
Overall, I would recommend this store to everyone

Could not love this place more! Used to shop here decades ago and it’s still pretty much the same. Yes, it’s a little dirty (so what? it’s a rock shop!) and off the beaten path, but it’s awesome! Well worth the drive.
Lots and lots to look at. I found prices more than reasonable to begin with… but the owner totally took care of us. They have amazing antiquities, as well as lots of super cool rocks and minerals.
The free piles outside are filled with goodies to pick through… we spent ½ hour in the blazing sun and could have easily spent much longer if we weren’t so sweaty… and came away with so much awesome stuff.
The Owner is super nice and gave us some tips on where to go scavenge rocks. Seems very passionate and knowledgeable.
Two big thumbs up for this place.
We went to Dah Rock Shop afterwards… and it was a huge letdown after going here first.

I like the owner and found him knowledgeable, but I think this shop is very overrated on Unilocal.I was disappointed, mostly because of high prices and poor presentation (thick dust covering so many specimens). The selection is good (not quite great), and there are some very interesting pieces. As a museum I’d give it ⁴⁄₅ stars. But as a store it’s just too pricey for my tastes.
One thing that’s very difficult with rocks & minerals is knowing the true value/​fair price. I’ve been to quite a few stores across the southwest (CA, AZ, NM, TX) and several fairs, and while I don’t claim to be an expert on prices I can say I’ve extremely similar things for significantly cheaper elsewhere.
Also, just a general business principle: if an items are on the shelves long enough to gather years worth of dust, things aren’t selling like they should. That’s usually an indication of overpricing. And it always makes me uneasy when things don’t have price tags on them, the owner quotes a price, then can reduce it by 25 — 50% on the spot, then forgets and quotes a 3^rd price at the register. It really makes me feel that prices are being pulled out of the air and that everything’s inflated if such major discounting/​slashing can happen.
To each his own, but I’d recommend DAH Rocks in Tucson.

The store is incredible, It is basically like visiting a museum but you can buy stuff there. Because the owner was a paleontologist and a geologist, he is the real deal and knows everything there is to know about rocks and their origins. His prices are definitely fair, anyone who claims that he charges too much are probably unfamiliar with the true value of rare gems and minerals and why they are priced the way that they are. I visited a ton of rock shops during my 10-​day vacation driving through the entire state of Arizona, and no one knew even half as much about the rocks in their store as my new friend Ron did at Tucson Mineral and Gem World. It was such a treat to meet him and talk to him for as long as we did.
We bought a few rocks from him in the morning, and I asked him if he knew about the origin of a turquoise pendant I was wearing that I had inherited from my grandmother. Without hesitating, he knew it was from Bisbee, Arizona, and told us a bit about the town and mentioned we should visit it while we are around. We took his advice and drove there, and it was definitely a place worth visiting that I would otherwise have no idea existed. On our way back from Bisbee, I stopped at a thrift store and acquired some more rocks that the thrift shop owners had no idea of their worth. I took them back to Ron and he was happy to talk to us about the properties of the minerals and where they were probably from. He wrote all of the information down, and I am so appreciative that he did because. We love Ron and will absolutely visit him at his rock shop next time we are in town.
Long story short… VISIT THIS PLACE IT IS AWESOME.

Super friendly and helpful, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting Arizona or to people trying to find rocks and gems :)

A lot to see and the gentleman running it is very friendly and will help explain absolutely anything you want to know about!
We didn’t quite believe the reviews detailing his generosity with grouping items together but we ended up only being allowed to pay for a tiny fraction of what we took home. When my husband said he would like to pay more, the lovely fellow replied «and I would like to give you change.»
Amazing.
It is worth the trip to see the beautiful fossils and I am so glad we stopped by. It was an education!

Filthy, dirty, junky … and EXPENSIVE … well at least some stuff is.
There is a massive collection here. A wide range of stuff.
Good to stop in when you are going to Sonoran Desert Museum … but a bit of a drive otherwise…
Wear a dust mask and shower after you leave.
Old dude is fun and friendly.
It has not been cleaned or dusted since it was built and 2,309 dust storms ago.
ACHOOOOOOOO

I was visiting Tucson for the Wild West Steampunk Con at the Old Tucson Studios and drove by this shop to and from. I stopped three time to say hello, get my dog fix (two VERY friendly Airdales) and to explore. I bought several items on two of my stops and was treated very well. This is a rustic roadside shop and highly recommended for yoyng and old. Every inch is full of rocks, fossils and everything else that can be found in the Earth. When I return to Tucson I will stop by again. Next time I’ll check out the back warehouse which I didn’t know about until reading another review of this great shop.

AMAZING No amount of stars can do this place justice. Rocks! We are going back again and making it a family trip, For both kids and adults there’s something for everyone!!! Your whole family will love this treasure hunt!!!

I just left Old Tucson Studios and decided to check this place out with a friend. The place is pretty cool, a lot if the front store stuff is tourist trap stuff, but the back room has all the cool stuff. So if you want a shines rock or a human skull, come here.

Such friendly owner! Browsed through here waiting for someone and glad I did. Will stop by again the next time in the neighborhood.

What an interesting place. We stopped in on our way to Old Tucson. I bought some nice geodes and rocks for my son. They had an excellent selection and the prices were really good. The shop is quite a museum and the owner is very knowledgeable and helpful. I definitely will visit them again when in the area.

Are you a treasure hunter? If not, do you like it when other people do all the hard work of treasure hunting and then you sift through their things in the comfort of your own city? I’ve got a place for you. I love the rocks, gems, fossils etc. So does most of my family. I made them all pile in the van — sisters, grandma, and nephew and we moseyed (believe me this is an appropriate word) to Tucson Mineral and Gem World. We must have spent 45 minutes to an hour there just looking at every little nook and cranny. My nephew asked the owner what was the oldest thing there and he said «well the rocks are millions of years old, but the meteorites have been hurdling through space for billions of years!» That got the 11 year old’s attention. Everything is cramped but clearly labeled with love. I went straight for the minerals (miniatures) beautiful little creatures that grow for millions of years. All of them fit in the palm of my hand. He sold me a jewelers loop so I can see them better. He has fossils, and the 11 yr old loved getting a Raptor Tooth, and he let him hold and take a picture of himself with a real human skull from the Alamo (bullet hole included). Here is the best part, as he is counting up what you have bought, he is discounting 30−40−50% off, then he drops another $ 5 off the total. My kind of place. Take the kids on a treasure hunt this weekend.

On the way to the Old Tucson Movie Studios and the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum (stunning drive) you will come a cross an building from the bygone days of the old west that is antediluvian, but in an amazingly, perfect way. You can tell this place has history… and I am not referring to the biostratigraphy of the petrificaiton of rocks and plants commonly known as fossils or the Egyptian artifacts that fills this treasure den… I mean you can see the love poured into this place by the owner Ron and you just know he has some farrago of stories to tell. They have been here for 50 years and counting… This man is an cognoscente on paleontology and Arizona’s natural history. He has stories of mining, of being a fisherman, his famous Hollywood father, arrowhead hunting, dining with celebrities, of an amazing whale fossil that movers wouldn’t budge, and of tempting fate by transforming a mummy into a nightlight! Not only does he have stories, he has the knowledge to back it up… he is a published author and expert! (How cool) He has traveled the globe collecting treasures just for you!
It is part rock shop (which drew this rockhounder in), part museum! It has been listed as one of the 100 things to do in AZ and I concur!
Piles of uncut stones are stocked up outside. Agate slabs, agate bookends, teeny tiny agates (my fav), cabochons, very nice tourmaline, healing crystals, and my favorite– a vast collection of arthropods and trilobites from floor to ceiling! Do not miss the back, if you are a fan of archelogy…(MUSEUM quality relics) which was what I wanted to be in Kindergarten. When I step into a place like this, I ponder why I am not a geologist, paleontologist or archeologist… Again, I digress.
Ron is a wise man… he said told me that we are all just temporary keepers of our possessions… so true, we cannot take it with us. So, he believes in karma and paying it forward. He told me that his favorite thing to do is when a child enters the store, he runs in the back and makes up a box of treasures from arrow heads to rocks to petrified wood and packs it full. He brings it to the child and asks when their birthday is… he give the box to the child as an early birthday gift. The child usually thinks that they can only accept one item, but he tells them it is all for them… now that is heartwarming, thinking of the beaming smiles…
I wish I went around back of the building and also checked out the warehouse… I would prob. faint from the frisson of excitement. I can hardly contain myself for the next visit!
Do yourself a favor and stop here. It is not a touristy trap, it is the real deal– rock shop, museum, and Arizona History. You will meet a wildly fascinating man and come home with some treasures!

They’re celebrating 50 years… and counting!
Two miles south of Old Tucson Movie Studios, nestled in some of the most beautiful, untouched Sonoran Desert wilderness in all of Arizona, stands what looks like a relic from the Old West. It’s softly creaking metal sign, swinging gently in the wind, faded by the relentless Arizona sun welcomes people from all over the world to what is, arguably, the most interesting store that WOW’s most everyone that stops there.
Don’t let the front of the store fool you; The owners have intentionally let the results of wind, rain and the Arizona sunshine naturally weather the store’s façade to appear like the place has been there for half a century… and it has! This gem is filled with the old, the odd, the timeless and just plain (outstanding!) good old fascinating objects. Old, crusty, and filled with a kind of rare charm that the owner’s Rich and Ron say describes themselves perfectly. It’s a bit of a challenge to know where to begin to sum up what people find inside: They can’t decide if it’s a world-​class museum, or a natural history store. To me, it’s BOTH. People actually gasp when they enter. It’s true… I’ve heard them!
Immediately visitors are overwhelmed with what they first see. There isn’t a square inch without an incredible and rare crystal specimen, a 90 million year-​old crocodile skull, cabinet after cabinet of both rare (and very affordable) rocks, minerals, fossils, ancient artifacts from around the world, Indian Jewelry, strings and strings of beautiful beads of myriad shapes and sizes, finished jewelry hanging everywhere like Spanish Moss. And, there’s everything one needs to make one’s own jewelry creations. You say the Gem Show’s left town for the year? No problem… come here! They’re open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day of the year.
The owners love staging photo ops: Where else can you hold a genuine skull of a Mayan Emperor, a Roman Gladiator, a Mexican soldier from the Alamo with a macabre bullet hole testifying to his end, or… well, the or’s can go on and on. Both the owners were spawned out of the professional Museum world, and that single fact probably explains the treasures in that marvelous old building. This year is their 50^th anniversary. It’s a place that has been described as one of the ten «must see» places in all of Tucson. Come on in, congratulate, celebrate, explore and enjoy a genuine Tucson treasure! And by ALL means, bring the entire family. There’s SO many unique things to see, buy and admire here that it’s very easy to lose track of time, but please, when you’re there, do take time to chat with Ron and Rich-​two of the warmest, friendliest most helpful folks I know. I can’t WAIT to go back! If you’re planning a visit to Tucson, put THIS spot at the top of your list. Yes, you’ll be glad you did. Oh, and don’t forget to visit their website: dubya, dubya, dubya, dot Tucson Mineral dot com.

I 100% endorse this place. To quote Han Solo, she may not look like much (on the outside), but she’s got it where it counts.
Briefly: Don’t be deceived by the run-​down looking exterior. Driving to Saguaro National Park, saw this joint was right on the road to get to the park; I figured hey, I like rocks and minerals, let’s check it out. Completely the right call. Stop in, you will not be disappointed!
First of all, when you walk in, it is PACKED, I mean, to the GILLS, with cool stuff. I would guess there must be a hundred thousand items in this store, mostly cool mineral specimens of every size, from cheap and tiny to huge and pricey; something solidly cool for every possible desire and every budget. There are also an interesting number of human-​made artifacts (well, interesting to me, I’m an anthropologist). A lot of the place is a bit dusty, as are some of the specimens, but even just a casual glance uncovers some real gems, no pun intended. The prices are fantastic, I was really surprised. Don’t know if you’re getting a good deal because it’s near the source, or because they labeled the prices in 1978 and haven’t changed them, but either way, it’s great.
And then there’s the proprietor — I walked up to the counter with maybe $ 50 worth of stuff, the guy had vaguely said he could give me a deal on items if I liked them. He glanced over the bunch, said «how about $ 35 for all of it?» and then started to pack it up. I said my girlfriend was outside picking a piece of turquoise from a giant pile they have in the yard, and he said «oh, she can have that — though it’s not turquoise.» When she came in, he said what she had was Amazonite, and then pulled a big box of actual turquoise from behind the counter, and told her to pick a piece of it out, also as a gift. When he heard we were from California, he pulled out some old Native projectile points (arrowheads), gave us a brief talk about where they came from (near Yosemite), and then also gave us a few of those as a gift! I tried to give him more $$, but he declined, saying if he took it, these things wouldn’t be gifts (hard to argue with that logic). As I understand it, this man was one of two brothers, who have owned and run the joint since 1968.
Anyway, if you’ve read this far, it’s probably too much — just know that if you’re going to the park (or live in Tucson), stop in here for five minutes on your way — it is ABSOLUTELY worth your time.