Tucson Fall Gem Show Underway With Coronavirus Precautions

TUCSON, AZ — Three weeks after getting the go-ahead from Pima County, the fall JOGS Gem Show opened Thursday at the Tucson Expo Center.

The show allows vendors and manufacturers to show off their supplies of turquoise, diamonds, crystals and more. It will be a boost for the local economy as it slowly works to come back after months of business closures, said show director Yalen Masenko.

"Our JOGS exhibitors and attendees are thrilled to start conducting business after a long break and to support economy to get back on track", she said in a statement. "Our vendors shared with us that they were waiting to start participating in the trade shows which is the main part of their business operations, and were be able to rehire some of their employees."

The jewelry show is hosted twice a year, once in the fall and once in the winter. The winter edition is held during the infamous Tucson Gem Show. The gem show is expected to take place from Jan. 27 to Feb. 8.

The show will run until Sunday, but will look a little different this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Face masks will be required at all times without exceptions, there will be reduced capacity to encourage social distancing, frequent cleaning of the space, hand sanitizer stations have been placed throughout the convention center and temperature checks will ensure the health and safety of all attendees, according to Masenko.