I am one of the lucky people who lives in Arizona and am about 150 miles from the Gem Show. I think that the first two weeks of February are nirvanna for jewelry artisans. I have, so far, spent three days in this gem studded heaven and plan on making one more trip next week.
We went down the first day that the show opened so that I could see the vendor/friend that I met last year while she had all her goodies. She was at HoJo's where I had allot of luck finding things last year - and this year was even better. My Tibetan lady and her fantastic pendants were back - she smiled when we walked in and said that she remembered us from last year. Next year, the smile will be even bigger, because I did allot more damage there than last year...but everything that I made from her supplies has sold. I found a great vendor with natural colored coral that was reasonable and some nice stones and pearls. We also found the best burrito I have ever had in the food court.
Our next trip was on Monday - it's nice being retired, you can go when other people can't - and we went to the To Bead True Blue show and I was so dissappointed that we left after only an hour. It was supposed to be wholesale and retail - but the vendors evidently didn't know what wholesale was. They all wanted me to buy $300.00 to $500.00 worth of their product and then they would give me 10 to 20% off, I said, "Gee, thanks" , and left for the Grant Inn Show. That was fantastic. As we were walking down one aisle, I said to my husband to look around - everyone was on their cell phones and everyone was speaking a different language. I got ostrich egg shell beads...one of the first things that man used in jewelry making. I saw a strand of beads that was made before Christ was born. I found keishi pearls so my daughter can have her Christmas present. She'd picked out a triple strand of said pearls, and I sold them and I had no more and they've been back ordered for several months. Very bad mother, but good business woman.
I wore the new necklace that I made after my trip to my friend on Friday and three vendors went bonkers over it...and they see allot of jewelry, so that made me feel really good. It has a centerpiece of an antique African pewter bead, big, brown, flat nuts, and beads made from fossilized mammoth bone...it is really pretty special and if the sun ever comes out in Arizona again, I will add a picture. By the time I hit my friends booth again, I thought she was going to make an announcement over the loud speaker about the necklace...but it was fun. I have added the picture - not the best one in the world, but you get the idea.
Tuesday was my downfall. We went to the Gem Mall and that is composed of two very large tents. We hit the first tent fairly early and we couldn't have gone more than 50 feet, when I said to my husband, that we had to leave. For some reason, he wanted to know why, when there was so much that we hadn't seen, and I told him that I had blown my budget and then some. He tried to give me a lecture on restraint at that point, and I said that I had more than a fair share of restraint, but not when it comes to stones, bones and unique things to put into jewelry. If I didn't see it - I couldn't buy it. I tempted him with the promise of another one of those home made burritos - and off we went to HoJo's again so I could check the new shipment of pendants that my Tibetan vendor had gotten.
We are returning one day this week as I have a short list of things that I still need to purchase, hopefully, I will head directly to the booths where they are located and I won't get distracted by something fantastic, either that, or someone will buy 50 necklaces in the next two days, even 10 would do the trick, and I can shop some more, because my cash is gone and my plastic is seriously close to a major meltdown.
