Quartzsite’s Desert Gardens Show ~ A sun-kissed slice of desert heaven, steadfast camaraderie, and crimson sunsets

With over 150 vendors from sixteen countries, the Desert Gardens Annual International Rock, Gem & Mineral Show in Quartzsite, Arizona, is the largest and longest-running of the four rock and mineral shows* of the Quartzsite Showcase. Now in its twenty-fifth year, the show’s reputation has spread among lapidaries and collectors making it a must-visit destination.

Desert Gardens opened in Quartzsite in 2001 after the shutdown of Cloud’s Gemboree, and many rough-stone dealers moved to the new show, which has become home for vendors selling thousands of rocks, slabs, gems, fossils, minerals, lapidary equipment, and jewelry to daily visitors, hobby lapidaries, and wholesalers, and among each other. Desert Gardens offers a food court and acres of free parking, much within short walking distance from the vendors. Ample public restrooms, showers for vendors, and RV full hook-up and dry camping spaces are available. 

The Desert Gardens show runs for two months from January 1 to February 28, 2025, and it is open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The show is free and open to the public. It is both a wholesale and retail show. For wholesale purchases please bring a copy of tax ID, EIN or business license. 

The show is completely outdoors, so be prepared for the heat, cold, rain, or wind. We all enjoy the traditional desert winter weather—sunny, warm days and clear, crisp nights, but over the years we have experienced intense rain and windstorms or very cold nights. When the night temperature drops below freezing, the water in the tubs with slabs becomes ice-cold, making it almost impossible to put your hands in and sort through. Everyone is anxious to start their show routes early in the morning, but they soon find out that cold nights command a slow morning start for the outdoor vendors. 

But when the sun is shining, it fuels a laid-back, no-pressure atmosphere that everyone enjoys. Dealers sit down under their tents, waiting for customers, and shoppers stroll along the aisles, some walking lazily, others briskly, often with their pets straddling along with them. 

Besides the unpredictable weather, dust covers everything, and it is a daily chore to clean out the bins and displays. Be prepared to take home with you a little Quartzsite desert dust!

The Town of Quartzsite

The town of Quartzsite lies about 15 miles east of the Arizona-California border. First developed by Charles Tyson in 1856, then it was known as Tyson’s Wells for its underground water. Later in 1897, a new name “Quartzite” was proposed after the mineral quartzite found in the area, but the spelling of the town has an extra “s”. That’s owed to a misspelling error made by a postal clerk. Although the resulting name Quartzsite implies the “site of quartz”, there is no quartz found in the area. 

During the hot summer months, Quartzsite is a quiet place with about 4,000 year-round residents. That population, however, explodes in the winter months to over a million, making Quartzsite a spirited oasis in the desert and a mecca for many rockhounds and lapidaries. The snowbirds (winter visitors) come with their motor homes and stay for four to six months, while others rush through the town for a few days only. 

Desert Gardens Show Promoter 

The Desert Gardens Show promoter is Desert Garden Holdings, LLC, with Dennis E. Kuehl managing the show for the last thirteen years. Dennis earned a dual master’s degree in human relations and public administration. When he first started with the show, he had very little knowledge of rocks and minerals, and Dennis jokingly said, “If I had knowledge of rocks, gems, and minerals, I would probably spend more time running around the show looking for the best deals and not managing the show.” He found inspiring and maybe destiny the fact that the road parallel to Desert Gardens is named “Kuehn Road” as his last name is Kuehl. So, here he is, thirteen years later with more knowledge of the products, “maybe not a lot, but enough to refer potential buyers to the appropriate vendor.”

Click here for Desert Gardens Show hours and admission, contact info, photos, a list of vendors, and Google map directions.

* The four rock and mineral shows of the annual Quartzsite Showcase are the QIA PowWow Gem & Mineral Show, Prospectors’ Panorama, Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show, and Desert Gardens. 

Photos © Helen Serras-Herman and Andrew Herman

  Helen Serras-Herman, a 2003 National Lapidary Hall of Fame inductee, is an acclaimed gem sculptor and FGA graduate gemologist with over 40 years of experience in unique gem sculpture and jewelry art. See her work at www.gemartcenter.com and her business Facebook page at Gem Art Center/Helen Serras-Herman.