Richard Dale, a dealer from Globe, shows a piece of tourmaline to Janet Rasmussen of Wisconsin.

Despite worries about the economy, business is anything but rocky as dealers begin to sell their wares.

Dealers at the Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase said despite initial worries about the sluggish U.S. economy, sales Sunday were as solid as the rocks and minerals they deal in.

"I'm ecstatic for the first four hours," said Marty Zinn, who rents out spaces at four of the 36 venues set up across town for the event. "The more I talk to dealers, the more positive I am that people are here to spend money."

While enthusiastic about the large number of people flocking to the show this weekend, Zinn said it was too early to determine if sales would remain steady.

The 17 public gem and mineral shows started Thursday and run through Feb. 17.

In the past, the show has attracted nearly 50,000 gem show exhibitors, buyers and traders who spend an estimated $76.5 million for goods and services, making it the city's biggest revenue-generating tourism event of the year.

This year's show is expected to draw 46,500 exhibitors, buyers and officials to Tucson.

On Sunday, the Best Western Executive Inn, 333 W. Drachman St., and the Mineral and Fossil Marketplace, 1333 N. Oracle Road, bustled with shoppers looking for deals among the many vendors.

Many vendors said Sunday that the sagging economy did little to dissuade them from participating in the event, and most said they were not the least bit worried that they would sell enough to make the trip to Tucson worthwhile.

James S. Wood / Staff Roc 3000 of France set up this display. The show attracts buyers and sellers from all over the world.

"We brought the same quantity we brought last year," said R.C. Pandey of Superb Minerals India, an exporter of Indian geological items. "We've sold a lot of stuff. It's better than last year, so far."

Others said initial fears about the amount of luxury money in buyers' pockets were put to rest as soon as the public had access to their goods.

"Yesterday I was panicking until I had people swarming me. It was a mad rush," said Aaron Bankes, who sells minerals and other items. "The popularity has really gone up in the past five years. It's even better than last year."

Some vendors said the current economic climate was cause for alarm, prompting them to rent smaller or less expensive spaces in anticipation of fewer buyers.

Pat Mosteller, owner of Old Friends, a Bisbee-based wholesale mineral company, said she brought less than half of the items to this year's show compared with what she brought in previous years. She has set up shop at the event for more than 20 years.

She also rented a smaller, more affordable space at the open-air Mineral and Fossil Marketplace to cut down on overhead costs. In the past, she has sold her Bisbee minerals from heated rooms at area hotels.

"I've cut my expenses to the bone," said Mosteller, who pared overhead costs from the $5,000 she spent last year to the $350 she paid for her space this year. "I really felt I was going to have a problem, but for today being our first day, it's been steady," she said.

* Contact Adam Borowitz at 629-9412 or borowitz@azstarnet.com.