Just Around the Corner – Tucson 2012

It is just around the corner when thousands of people descend into Tucson, Arizona for the big Mineral, Fossil, Rock, & Gem shows. It is the biggest event to be held here in the United States in this quaint little town, where thousand of people, hundred of shows and millions of tons of rocks, minerals, fossils and everything in-between can be found.

 Up for site will be the latest and greatest the jewelry, lapidary and beading industry has to offer. Hundreds of shows with vendors from all over the world bring their beads, findings, minerals, rocks, slabs, equipment, jewelry, and much much more. It’s the event that sets the stage for the coming year in ‘what’s hot and what’s the trend’ all across the jewelry, lapidary and fossil industry.

Tucson is much more than shows; it’s about the land of opportunity too. Connecting and networking with vendors, miners, artists, instructors, industry professionals; hearing what they have to say and bring it into your own business for success. Listed below are some of the bigger shows among the many at Tucson.


JOGS Gem & Jewelry Show, the largest and most popular independent jewelry trade show in the Tucson, Arizona area. Wholesale jewelry manufacturers, miners and international dealers gather at the Tucson Expo Center, the site of the JOGS show, every February. Buyer attendance is said to exceed 27,000 composing over 4,000 jewelry firms. Visit the site for more details and registration; note that this show is a wholesale only show, but check at the show for a guest pass.

Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers Inc (G&LW) hosts two different shows in the Tucson area. Gem Mall and right down the street the Holiday Inn & Holidome Pavilion. Both are excellent shows and provide a wide range of jewelry industry (finished and raw) vendors. Visit the site for more details and registration; note that these shows are wholesale only and not open to the public.

22^nd Street Show, at the corner of I-10 and 22^nd Street is a new show (only in its 2^nd year) that is fast becoming a well known show for fossils, minerals and rocks. Visit the website for more information, this is both a wholesale and public show.

The Rock Show (formally the Tucson Electric Park RV Gem Show), is where you’ll find all kinds of hidden treasures in minerals, gems and some jewelry. Dealers and miners alike bring in huge flatbeds with large saws to cut slabs and all kinds of lapidary material. This show is open to the public, check with dealers for wholesale pricing. Visit their site for more information and a show map.

Tucson Electric Park Gem Show; browse around huge tents, dig through boxes, bins, barrels, tables, and more. This show is open to the public, check with dealers for wholesale pricing. Visit their site for more information and a listing of vendors.

AGTA, American Gem Trade Association is one of the main shows. It is primarily high-end loose colored gemstones and pearls, with finished jewelry; designer jewelry section; colored diamond and estate jewelry pavilions. This is a wholesale only show and not open to the public, you must register with AGTA to attend.

Want to know more about shows, vendors, times, places and locations, check with the Jewelry Show Guide’s website for more information.

Rockhounds Dream – Biggest Small Town Show

Rockhounds, collectors and anyone interested in lapidary and more flock every year to the “Biggest Small Town Show” to find their newest treasures. In a little western town just 20 miles east of the Colorado River on I-10 is home to the town of a rock hounds paradise since the 1960's, Quartzisite, Arizona. Every year it is home to the biggest small town show reaping more than a million visitors is the Quartzsite show. About 2,000 vendors ranging from rocks, gems, minerals, fossils and everything in-between create one of the world’s largest open air flea markets in little Quartzsite, Arizona. The paradise gives way to many treasures if you are willing to dig and claw your way through tons of boxes, barrels, tubs, tables, and even trucks. There are eight major gem and mineral shows as well as vendors of raw and handcrafted merchandise selling to customers from all walks of life.


A little history on Quartziste, it was settled in 1856 when Charles Tyson built a fort to protect his water supply from attacks by Native Americas. Fort Tyson soon became a stopover on the Ehrenhurg-to-Prescott stagecoach route. It had become known as Tyson’s Wells by the time the stage stopped running and the town then became abandoned.

A small mining boom revitalized the town as Quartzsite in 1897 and it remained until 1965, when the Pow Wow Rock, Gem & Mineral Show began the rockhound winter fever migrations to Quartzsite each year. In these more modern days, the population can swell to almost a million during the January and February rockhound extravaganza.

                                                                                  Here is a list of 2012 Calendar of Events

January 01 - February 28, 2012 Desert Gardens -Gem & Mineral Show

 January 06 - January 15, 2012 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show
January 07 - January 22, 2012 Main Event
January 20 - January 29, 2012 Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama
January 21 - January 29, 2012 Sports, Vacation & RV Show
February 1 -February 5. 2012 Hobby Craft &Gem Show
February 3 - February 12, 2012 Tyson Wells Arts & Craft Fair
February 4 - February 5, 2012 Rock & Roll Car Show

Bead Show Shopping Suggestions

It's almost that time of year again when everyone starts looking at for their favorite bead shows. You look at inventory and what you might possibly be making this year and then you start making a list, checking it two or three times, or more, and cross check it with your current inventory and future needs and of course the dreaded budget. Ok, maybe not everyone is as detail oriented as me. So, how does one try to keep their budget under control. I know it’s hard to resist buying from all the national and international vendors that bring direct to you their beads, findings, pendants, wire, tools, and even finished products. So ask yourself what to do, how to be a smart shopper and avoid the ‘impulse buys’ by getting prepared.

Here is list of a few suggestions that I follow for ever bead show I attend....ok, so not everyone is as detailed as me!

1) So when will bead shows be in your area? Check the sites of your favorite venders, they will often list what shows they will be attending through-out the year. Also, you might check with your local bead and lapidary shops for additional shows in your area.

2) Set a budget as to what you will spend; this may be determined by stock you are out of and some left over for purchases of specialty items. This is where “impulse buying comes into play”.

3) Bring a couple of checks, plenty of cash and your credit cards just in case you run into someone who doesn’t take one or the other.

4) Be sure to bring a copy of your Tax ID certificate and plenty of business cards. Some shows are known as wholesale only and will require these items for entrance. If it is a public show, don’t be afraid to ask the vendors for a wholesale discount and provide both these items to them to get a discount.  Note:  When asking for discounts be prepared to purchase in large volumes in order to get a better deal.  Many vendors are looknig for volume sales verses smaller purchase to give a buyer any type of discount.

5) Make a list of items you are out of; these will be the first things to look for at the show. If I know that I’ll be buying from previous vendors, I’ll group those items together on the list for ease.

6) I also make a list of items I am looking for and want; it could be stones or pendants I’ve seen online or a combination of colors in another design. This helps to keep the ‘impulse’ buying down by knowing what you are looking for and can afford.

7) Wear comfortable shoes and bring a bag or small rolling suitcase to load all your goodies into.

8) Include in your shopping bag several sizes of zip lock bags; as you find things that go together, put them in the little baggies, this makes it easy to determine why you purchased these little gems when you get home.

9) Paper and pen; I bring paper and pen to mark bead names if they are not already marked. This makes identifying much easier than guessing or having to go through the process to identify each unknown stone or pendant.

10) If you are looking to match a pendant, beads or color combination you already have; bring a few of these on a string or in a baggie to match-up at the bead show. This takes the guess work out of ‘thinking’ something matched and finding out later it wasn’t even close.

11) Bring baby wipes for easy cleanup; looking through tons of strands of beads and boxes of findings can get a little messy and dusty.

12) Look for suppliers whose ads you’ve seen for products you’re interested in. Bring the ad if possible and look for those products; this is the perfect place to handle these items before purchasing to determine if this is what you really wanted.

13) Take breaks and rest, get something to eat, drink plenty of fluids and take time to review your shopping list and bag; typically it takes an entire day to attend a bead show.

14) Last but not least; this takes willpower but walk the entire show first to see what is available, check out pricing and watch what others are buying. Many vendors have the same products and offer different discounts; look for the best quality and prices available. Make note as to vendors you want to return to for purchases of those goodies after you have finished walking the whole show.

15) Above all --- be a smart shopper and have fun!

Now start your shopping list, get going and Good Luck!

Fossilized Sea Creature - Crinoids

Crinoids appeared in the oceans in the Early Ordovician Period, 480 million years ago, and thrived throughout the Palaeozoic Era. Thy are an unusually beautiful and graceful kind of sea animal and are among the most ancient and primitive of ocean invertebrates.  The creature can resemble that of an underwater flower growing on thick stems with some parts that look and act like roots anchoring them to the ocean floor; sometimes they are called sea lilies. Other varieties have no stalks or root like parts and are commonly known as feather stars and move about on tiny hook like structures called cirri. Crinoids are echinoderms, with the flower part being the arms that catch its food; attaching themselves to the bottom of the sea floor or a rock or a piece of wood with the root-like hold fast.

Crinoids fossilize readily and so there is an abundance of them to be found, mostly stalk fragments, finding them as a whole creature is extremely rare and very uncommon. There are 2 reasons that they fossilize so easily; one, the ocean floor is a good environment for fossilization to occur; and two, their skeletons are made of calcareous plates. This is a hard rock like material. Almost all varieties of crinoids have been extinct since the end of the Triassic period, but a few species exist to this day, mostly in deep sea and there are more than 600 living species known to science.

Best of our Rock Yard - Fossils to Minerals to Rocks

Old earth comes to life using fossils, minerals and raw rocks in our Rock Yard Collection. Pendants from featuring millions year old fossils such as ammonites, orthoceras, gonitatites, sand dollars, amethyst, and more. So here's our Best of the Year from our Rock Yard Collection.....see if your favorite or the one you purchased made the list!

Our Rock Yard Collection is artisan crafted of designs that are classy, elegant, funky, and chic in necklaces sets and pendants in both single and sets. These designs feature free form wire work and wire working techniques. Here's the Best of 2011 from the Rock Yard Collection.....

 

Black ammonite fossils in matching pendant & earrings (to the right). Baby white ammonite fossil pendant (to the left) is the highlight of a black themed set.

Madagascar sand dollars featured in necklace set (to the right) or wear single with earrings (to the left).

Old gonitate fossil that has soft earthy colors paired with glass or freshwater cultured pearls and natural stones.

Red fire ammonite pendants that shimmer (to the right) or natural ammonite  (to the left) that have lovely soft colors.

Moroccan orthoceras fossils in black and white (to the left) hung as the focal to charms; but also in shades of olive and black (to the right) with natural stone and ceramic beads.

Stay tuned for the more of our 'Best of the Year' from each collection!

Best of our Wiry Legends Collection

All about the wire, metal, chain, wraps, cages, and everything in-between is our Wiry Legends Collection. The techniques used create bold and funky statements mixed with an array of natural stones, crystals and glass are much sought jewelry among our customers. These designs are a mix of different pendants wrapped and wired of minerals and fossils that collide with chains or hand forged links, wraps and cages. So here's our Best of the Year from our Wiry Legends Collection.....see if your favorite or the one you purchased made the list!

Our Wiry Legends Collection are funky, sassy and bold jewelry designs from necklaces to pendants to bracelets and earrings. The majority of these designs feature wire work and metal and wire working techniques. Here's the Best of 2011 from the Mystic Artisan Collection.....

 

Back by popular demand is our single pendant, wire wrapped agates and hand bailed stone pendants. To take some of them up a notch, we added in earrings for a complete set.  (Single amethyst chunk pendant to the right; agate slice & earrings to the left)

  

  

In this necklace (to the left) I've coiled and wired several of the hand-painted faceted agate stones with hand twisted coils as accents; the rest of the necklace is cultured freshwater pearls and crystals. I added the same to the earrings for dangles.

  

A stunning chunk of amethyst hand wire wrapped as a focal pendant in this necklace (to the right); finished with wire accented turquoise coins and carved red star jasper.

An unusal stone from Brazil is the Oco agate slice, (to the left) cut from a geode these beautiful pendants are all hand wire wrapped; this one is featured with cultured freshwater pearls, crystals and peach aventurine.

Another agate slice (to the right) all natural colored and hand wire wrapped; set with faceted crystals and navy blue faceted cracked agate.

Stay tuned for the more of our 'Best of the Year' from each collection!

More from the List - Mystic Artisan

One of our most sought after collections is the Mystic Artisan Collection. The mix and mingle of stones, pearls and crystals into elegant and classy designs is everyone's favorite. This is our biggest collection, so the competition was difficult to choice just a few 'best of the year'. So here's our Best of the Year from our Mystic Artisan Collection.....see if your favorite or the one you purchased made the list!

Our Mystic Artisan Collection are classic and high-end elegant styles. The majority of the stones used in this collection are crystals, dichroic glass, cloisonne beads, pearls, agates, jaspers, and more. The natural stones are combined with different metals and other natural stones. Here's the Best of 2011 from the Mystic Artisan Collection.....

 

Bracelets (to the left) made an appearance this year in our jewelry collections, the style is sleek and full of bling with a twist of wire sculpture. This one features my favorite color blue; all faceted crystal, cloisonne beads and hand twisted coils to finished the ends.

Bold tiger stripes in dichroic glass pendant and earrings (to the right) is featured of this necklace; soft colored lampwork coin beads and lots of crystal and cultured freshwater pearls complete this set lovely set.

A set of classy and sassy earrings (to the left) with a murano glass pendant at the center and lots of swarvoski crystals charmed above.

Full of spring and summer (to the right), the feature is a lovely ceramic pendant done with hand painted flowers; the strands are all faceted crystals in complimenting colors.

This set features a big doughnut pendant (to the left) in chalcedony blue and the bail is hand wire wrapped; the strands are all faceted onyx with a mix of lampwork and borosilicate beads.

Stay tuned for more of our 'Best of the Year' from each collection!