Sneak Peek Tucson Finds & Review

Another buying season is over in Tucson; vendors have packed up and are now returning home or moving onto the next show and Tucson is probably settling down just a bit until the next big event. Usually we go to Tucson in the 1st week of activities, but because of scheduling this year couldn’t quite make it until the 2nd week.

The difference that I saw was in missing out on the quality and more unique stones and finds in the first week; whereas with the second week it appeared picked over, but pricing was a little cheaper compared to the first week, especially toward the end of the week when the vendors were willing to deal/bargain for their products. I can’t say one show is better than others, just as everyone has their ‘favorite’. But I have my favorites and may have even added a few new ones to the ‘continue to attend list’. It really is up to the person, their schedule, finances, and being able to get to Tucson. Although if you’re in the business of jewelry and lapidary, I would highly recommend going, even just once!

With that said, we still were able to find quite a few unique and unusual finds such as California Palm Wood Jasper, Ivoryite, Star Jasper, Inca Jade, Black Agate/Pyrite, Ammonites (in two different cuts!), Goniatites, and many other stones. But, not to be forgotten, we also got lots of Turquoise, Magnesite, Onyx, Jaspers, Agates, pendants, glass/ceramic and wooden beads, crystals, and much more.

Here’s just a taste of what we did pick up in Tucson….check back and stay tuned as we début many of these stones and more in coming styles this season!



Lampwork, Glass, Cloisonne Beads (to the right)

Wood & Ceramic, Crystals Beads (to the left)

Star & Mixed Jaspers, Black Agate/Pyrite, Turquoise (stabilized/treated - to the right)

Ammonites, Inca Jade Pendants, Spiny Oyster, California Palm Wood Jasper (to the left)


Over the next few weeks, we’ll be doing inventory, restocking and designing……In the meantime, browse our collections to purchase custom designed jewelry.

Tucson Review Day 3 & 4

Heavy rainstorms, winds and lots cooler temperatures still could not keep the Tucson Tour down! Amidst all the downpours, winds and colder temperatures, it almost did not seem like Arizona, but more like an early February Eastern winter and clearer sky has prevailed on Thursday. Here is the rundown review, again, our opinion and experiences of the shows attended over the past few days.

Our Hits:
Tucson Electric Park RV Show – Everything lapidary describes this show; from slabs, raw materials, beads, equipment, tools and did I mention slabs. It was all there at the RV Park show. This is one of the better shows attended this week and definitely should be on a list if you are in the world of lapidary.

Tucson Electric Park Show – This is open to the public but is a pretty good show if your are looking for anything from jewelry, beads, tools, equipment, gifts, and if you hit the tents behind the big show tent, the world of minerals, fossils and anything goes is vented.

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show – Open to the public, The Big One that started it all, located downtown at the Tucson Convention Center. In a word – WOW! This show offers something for everyone and in our opinion is definitely the daddy of them all. The bigger world of all lapidary, minerals, tools, fossils, and more minerals….dealers, clubs, and everyone in Lapidary from all over the world and United States take over the convention center.

Our Misses:
Grant Inn Show – Aside from one or two vendors, this show just did not have anything that I was looking for nor did it hold up to my expectation of other G&LW shows in the area. The main tent is mostly vendors that have African trades, vintage, massive overpriced beads and trinkets, and jewelry, definitely not our ‘cup of tea’.

Tucson Review – Day 1 & 2

Early morning drives to the airport, sleeping on the plane with a short hop and final designation….Tucson! It the ground running first thing in the morning yesterday after arrival, it’s good to be back, but there are some things that need still need some work and this review covers day 1 and 2 of this week’s adventure.

First up, a big KUDOS for the I-10 construction completion!!! It’s really great to drive all around on the new roads, on/off ramps, it really makes it easy to get around. However, the one thing that missing, the Free Gem Ride system that was only a part of the I-10 construction is gone. Though a few shows are offering free show shuttle between their and neighboring shows, you will need to consider renting a car from now on, in addition to everything else. And as far as parking goes, better get to shows early to get a spot; if not and you park on the street, Tucson PD is handing out those tickets as there is no parking on the streets where posted.

Here is our look at the first few days of our Tucson adventure; this year scheduling conflicts moved the trip to the 2nd week of the Gem & Mineral Shows, we’ll see just what’s different or not between coming the 1st week verses the 2nd week.

Disappointments:
JOGS – Just not what it used to be and again this year they are allowing the public in with “Guest” badges; everyone still has to register though to get in. The show was not completely full and had a great deal of finished jewelry; a few good vendors, but prices were high everything and selection was a minimum.
Holidome – Marketed as the “Show not to miss in Tucson”, I would beg to differ. If you are after finished high-end jewelry, faceted precious gemstones, gifts/clothing or anything of that nature, along with very high-end vendors then this is the venue for you. Prices seemed a bit high from last year and the returning vendors that we do shop with didn’t have the quality, selection or pricing as with previous years.

Middle of the Road:
Pueblo Gem & Minerals – Just a ‘so-so’ show with a full line of vendors for everything minerals, rocks, raw, and fossils and beads.
African Art Village – Not really, what I was looking for, but a first this year and probably won’t be on next year’s list either.
Tucson Showplace – Just a very ‘so-so’ show, mostly lapidary, raw materials, just not what was looking for.

Hits:
Gem Mall – This has to be by far the best show we’ve attended this week. An excellent selection of vendors, quality goods and prices are about the same or just above last year. The best news, not open to the public and plenty of free parking and will definitely be back on the list to attend next year.
Various Street Vendors – Starting with Days Inn (Globe-X show) to Rapa River Gem & Mineral Show were good and not bad. Many vendors willing to ‘deal’ but be ready to pay cash to get those deals and show your Sales Tax ID for any wholesale pricing where required by the majority of vendors at these shows.

The Tucson Adventure continues, as we review the different shows giving our own opinion and viewpoint.

More Tucson 2010 Shows

There is plenty to see at Tucson 2010; precious faceted gemstones, raw material slabs, lapidary, equipment, beads, findings, finished jewelry, minerals, and fossils and much much more! It’s almost enough to make one’s head spin, but Tucson 2010 has now been in full swing for a week. Plenty still to see next week, with the Original Tucson Mineral & Gem show towards the end of the week; here’s some shows remaining to check out…

Madagascar Minerals Gem Show – Visit Norcross-Madagascar Gallery

Globe-X Gem & Mineral Show - Located as part of the “Street Vendor I-10”; many different Amethyst geodes, minerals, lapidary, beads, and much more!

1820 Oracle Warehouse Show – TopGem Minerals, Fossils and more

Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show – Located as part of the “Street Vendor I-10”; features jewelry, colored gems and minerals from all over the world!

Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show at Mineral & Fossil Marketplace – Selling of mineral & fossil specimens, lapidary material, gemstones, jewelry, and other nature related materials.

Tucson Gem & Mineral Show – “Where the Best Happens”

Rapa River Gem & Mineral Show – A wide variety of very unique and unusual products from all parts of various countries.

For more details and lists of shows check out the Tucson Jewelry Show Guide.

Tucson 2010 It’s Almost Here

Just about that time of year again when for the big Tucson show! It’s the biggest event here in the United States; where the quite town of Tucson, Arizona is descended up on by thousands of people. All wanting to see 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’ in beads, stones, lapidary and jewelry.

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 top 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.

Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers, Inc., (G&LW) hosts about three different shows in the Tucson area. Gem Mall right down the street from Holiday Inn & Holidome Pavilion and also at Grant Inn.

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.

Howard Johnson Gem & Mineral Show; for jewelry, silver, minerals, gemstones, lapidary, metaphysical objects/art and beads. They are along the freeway among the many ‘street vendor’ shows.

Madagascar Minerals Gem Show, which is hosted by Norcross-Madagascar Gallery featuring minerals, fossils and other lapidary.

Tucson Electric Park RV Gem Show, is where you’ll find all kinds of hidden treasures in minerals, gems and some jewelry.

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

Enter the Lapidary World

The world of lapidary, it is vast and wide with many meanings, processes, terms, and experts; a little research reviled what lapidary really is, meanings and different processes. The word lapidary is derived from the lapis or stone and means "of or pertaining to stones" or "one who cuts and polishes Stones". But it can also mean a lapidary who is ‘concerned with stones, such an as artist or artisan who forms stone, mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials (amber, shell, jet, pearl, copal, coral, horn and bone, glass and other synthetics) into decorative items such as engraved gems, including cameos, or cabochons, and faceted designs.

However, it has several other meanings pertaining to, about, "of inscriptions." Since inscriptions were laboriously chiselled to stone, a "lapidary" writing style is crisp, accurate, formal, and condensed. Another meaning is a treatise on the subject of precious stones, one example being the so-called Old English Lapidary, a tenth or eleventh-century translation into Anglo-Saxon of earlier Latin glosses on stones mentioned in The Book of Revelation.

The arts of a sculptor or stonemason do not generally fall within the definition, though chiseling inscriptions in stone, and preparing laboratory 'thin sections' may be considered lapidary arts. But, figurative engraved gems and cameos are certainly the work of artists. In modern contexts, the term is most commonly associated with jewelry and decorative household items (e.g. bookends, clock faces, ornaments, etc.) A specialized form of lapidary work is the inlaying of marble and gemstones into a marble matrix, known in English as "pietra dura" for the hardstones like onyx, jasper and carnelian that are used, but called in Florence and Naples, where the technique was developed in the 16th century, opere di commessi. The Medici Chapel at San Lorenzo in Florence is completely veneered with inlaid hard stones. The specialty of "micromosaics", developed from the late 18th century in Naples and Rome, in which minute slivers of glass are assembled to create still life, cityscape views and the like, is sometimes covered under the umbrella term of lapidary.

Essentially the lapidary process is one of shaping the material with a coarse grinding wheel or disc; then regrinding to obtain a smoother surface until a glossy surface is obtained. The polishing operation is done with various mineral oxides. Some compounds work well on one kind of stone while other compounds work on other kinds of stones.

Tumbling is lapidary treatment given to irregularly shaped stones by a mechanical process of continuous agitation or "tumbling" of the stones with a series of coarse to fine grits usually with water and culminating with the polishing of the baroque shapes. Tumble stones are inexpensive and are used in simple jewelry, as "feely" stones and for making novelty items such as key chains and "critters".

Among the many other types of treatment given gem materials the beginner usually learns first how to cut and polish a cabachon. The cabachon or for short "the cab" is a gem with a flat back, rounded or domed top. It can be round, square, rectangular, or oval in outline. Colored, opaque or patterned stone or stones displaying some interesting phenomena are usually cut as cabs. Jade, petrified wood, agate, and opal are examples of stones that are usually cut "en cabachon".

There are lapidary clubs throughout the world. In Australia there are numerous gem shows including an annual gem show, the Gemborree which is a nation-wide lapidary competition. There is a collection of gem and mineral shows held in Tucson, Arizona, at the beginning of February each year. This group of shows constitutes to one of the largest gem and mineral event in the world. The event was originally started with the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society Show and has now grown to include dozens and hundreds of other independent shows.

Reprinted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Oct81 News Nuggets and other website sources.

Tucson 2010 Countdown

The big event is almost here; time to get ready for Tucson 2010!! If you haven’t already made your reservations (plane, hotel, car, etc.), now is the time to do so before you miss out on the biggest event for all gem, mineral, and rock enthusiasts.

Every year, Tucson is host to the United States largest Gem and Mineral show; starting late January and running thru the middle of February. Dealers, wholesalers, and buyers all converge on the small southern Arizona town to discuss, barter, sale, buy, meet & great, and see what is new (and old) in the industry. There are hundreds of shows with thousands of vendors from all over the globe and across the United States, with one thing in common; show what they have and entice us with the newest, latest and greatest.

Some of the following shows are ones that I recommend and do attend. You’ll find a wide selection of finished jewelry, tools, findings, displays, beads, gems, lapidary, and much much more. These shows as most in the Tucson area require wholesale and business industry credentials to get into them. Check with each show’s site to pre-register for many of them, see details and check for dates; as this year, several of the shows do not overlap as in past years.

Street Vendors: This is my favorite place to shop; I’ve gotten some of the most unique and unusual items here. Miles and miles of vendors take over the hotels, parking lots, and anything in-between. Across the street from the freeway, starting at Congress and running all the way down past Freeway Aveune, you can find any type of vendor; beads, findings, silver, raw materials, lapidary, finished products, gemstones, clothes, bags; just to name a few. And best of all, most are open to the public, however check with vendors before purchase to make sure they don’t require a wholesale license.

JOGS: If you’re looking for Amber or Southwest jewelry, this is the place to be. Dealers from around the globe bring the best and finest in Amber and southwest products. The show also hosts many vendors of finished products, collectables, and raw materials. This is a wholesale only show and requires a Tax ID to register and attend.

G&LW (Gem Mall, Holidome, Grants Inn): At many of these shows you can find international dealers and wholesalers; pearls, turquoise, silver/copper, finished products, beads galore, beading findings/products, displays, and much more. This show is a wholesale only and requires Tax ID to register and attend.

China Mountain: If Turquoise is what you are after, then you’ll need to visit the buildings located between Gem Mall and Holidome, where you’ll find the well known vendor China Mountain. Plenty of Turquoise and Coral in all different cuts and styles to chose from. Also a wholesale vendor, but you’ll need to check with them at the site to see if they will sell retail.

Electric Park RV: Though I’ve only attended this one once, I understand it is a great place to get lapidary, rocks, minerals, or slabs; so I’ve added it back onto my list for this year’s trip. Most sell either wholesale or retail so check with each vendor before purchase.

While this is just a hint of what’s at Tucson, there are also many other shows like the AGTA GemFair Tucson, GJX Gem & Jewelry Show, Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, Madagascar Minerals Gem Show, Rio Grande Catalog In Motion and Swarovski Elements-Create Your Style 2010 shows. Several are also offering many of the national instructors for classes and seminars, so check with your favorite instructor or show for schedules and details.

Mark your calendar, make your reservations and start the count-down! Tucson 2010 is just around the corner.

Tucson in Review

A week in Tucson, the weather was great at about 80 degrees everyday; vendors were wonderful and I was able to find many new and unusual stones for new designs this year! Whew, it was a wild and long week, hand picking thru all the merchandize, looking for that perfect strand that reflected the personalities of many of my great clients!

The week started out by visiting across the freeway from the Tucson Convention Center to the Street Vendors….miles and miles of vendors selling wears; anything from raw materials strait from the mines, polished undrilled stones to strands of beads; for as far as the eyes could see! The afternoon was spent at JOGS a favorite buying ground for many wholesale purchases. They play host to many international dealers from as far away as Poland for Amber to China for Pearls and many great U.S. dealers from AZ, NM, TX, CA, and NY. Here you could find many types of stones, finished jewelry pieces and geodes of many shapes and sizes.


The next several days included highlights to GL&W shows Gem Mall and Holidome, JGX (a miniture AGTA show), and back to JOGs and the Street Vendors.

Many great finds from deep red coral, apple red sponge coral, turquoise, ivoryite, pipestone, white magnesite (howlite), lapis, crystals, freshwater cultured pearls, agates, jaspers, pendants, copper, sterling silver and gold vermeil findings and on the very last day I was able to come across some Wild Horse Magnesite – WOW, what a find direct from mine!!



I’m very excited to begin designing with the unusual cuts, colors and stones that I found in Tucson! In the coming weeks I’ll be premiering the designs here on the blog and also on our website. For now, I’ll be busy over the next few days getting everything inventoried and then begin working in the studio!


In the meantime, over the next few weeks we will continue to mark down and deeply discount existing designs to make room for our new ones! Get in on some great deals while you can, before the original pieces and Sale are gone gone gone!

Tucson 2009 A Few Goodies

So if you're still hanging with this week for the Tucson 2009 Preview, thought I would include ‘a few goodies’ on today’s list of shows to ‘make sure to hit’. Though I got to ‘hit’ several of these shows, most I didn’t get to but heard ‘very good things’ about them. Check them out when in Tucson!


Tucson Electric Park Gem & Mineral Show is located at the Tucson Electric Park/Kino Sports Complex opens from Jan. 31-Feb. 15.

Gem Mall which is part of the Gem & Lapidary Wholesale show runs from Jan. 31-Feb. 13.

American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) which is the ‘biggie faceted gems’ show located downtown Tucson at the Tucson Convention Center runs from Feb. 4-9.

GJX Gem & Jewelry Show (GJX) is also located downtown across from the Tucson Convention Center and runs from Feb 4-9.

There are plenty more shows, vendors and exhibits going on all over Tucson, so to get more information and see a complete listing of all shows, dates, times, and vendor websites visit the Jewelry Show Guide or Tucson Show Guide.

Disclaimer: This is an independent product/vendor review based on our own research and experiences. We are in no way affiliated with the company, shows or its agents.

Tucson 2009 Street Vendors

If it’s good weather, one can walk the length of the I10 freeway hotels and shop among miles of street vendors. These vendors take over almost every inch of hotel space/rooms, parking lots and sidewalks, ballrooms and lobbies, and even around the pool and courtyard areas.

Here one will find anything and everything you can image from raw materials cut from the mine, custom cut materials strung for beading, jewelry and gift items, equipment and tool for the beading enthusiast to the professional lapidary, and even see geodes the size of small buildings! There are merchants local to the area, vendors from across the country and many from around the world. Some vendors sell direct to the public while others will only sell wholesale; check with each vendor before purchase to determine if they sell to the public or wholesale only.

Last year, this is where we found a lot of great deals and very unusual gemstones; our resident gemologist added more raw materials for his collect during our Street Vendor day than anything time in Tucson.


For more information on one of the big Street Vendor shows check out the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show, see their website.
For information on the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2009 visit Jewelry Show Guide or Tucson Show Guide.

Tucson 2009: Gem & Lapidary Wholesale Show

The Gem & Lapidary Wholesale Show (G&LW) is another of the ‘big’ shows at Tucson 2009. Held at the Holiday Inn/Holidome from Feb. 5-23, it is for wholesale buyers only with business and jewelry industry credentials. Here you will find just about anything relating to the jewelry industry; from finished products to beading materials, supplies and tons of gemstones and custom cut rough materials.

A sampling of vendors include; Colbaugh Processing Inc., Lucky Gems & Jewelry Ltd., Opex Opal, China Mountain Turquoise Inc., Bead Plus Silver Inc., Cowboy Trading (for Sleeping Beauty Turquoise), Kingdom Trading Company, and Rincon Trading Company (for all kinds of Turquoise).

For more information on the G&LW show, see their website.
For information on the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2009 visit Jewelry Show Guide or Tucson Show Guide.

Tucson 2009 Preview Week

Starting this week I’ll be previewing several of the big shows and vendors that will be at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2009. Today I’m highlighting an excellent show that is the largest and most popular independent jewelry trade show in Tucson; J.O.G.S Gems & Jewelry Show, offering a huge selection of wholesale jewelry manufacturers, miners, and international dealers from around the world. Held at the Tucson Expo Center from Jan. 30th – Feb. 10th and houses the largest Southwestern pavilion in Tucson, largest Amber jewelry pavilion, Indonesian Silver pavilion, International Gem pavilion, Mexican Jewelry pavilion, Gem Art Décor pavilion, Mammonth Tusk, Carvings & Jewelry, and more than 100 jewelry and beading classes. This is not open to the public and to attend the show, you must provide your business and wholesale credentials at sign-in.

According to JOGs must sees at their show “A truly one of a kind Southwestern jewelry pavilion can only be found at the J.O.G.S. show. It is composed of great Mexican and Native American designs of turquoise and coral set in silver. Exhibiting are the top dealers, miners and manufacturers with the largest stock of jewelry from Albuquerque, Mexico and China.

The American Amber Association presents, at the J.O.G.S. Gem Show, the largest U.S. Amber jewelry pavilion. The pavilion is composed of amber designers and amber manufacturers from all the Baltic countries famous for their amber source. If you are an amber retailer or are just an amberholic, you will love this pavilion. The J.O.G.S. show is your once in a year opportunity to buy these great designs at an excellent price.
The Art Gem Décor pavilion contain some of the most beautiful décor items crafted out of stones, gems, copper, wood, metal and other materials. These are museum quality pieces created by some of the most talented artists in the world. This is truly one of the most unique art collections you will ever see, it is like an art show inside the J.O.G.S. show. Besides the exquisite art pieces, you can also find some great everyday interior design pieces. Other J.O.G.S. Gem Show pavilions include the many international pavilions which represent the rich gem and jewelry heritage of Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Mexico and Nepal.”

A sample selection of vendors includes:
Sunwest Silver, RMC, Oriental Crest, Rio Grande, Western Woods, Rhodo Co., Kameyab Imports, Silver Nugget Inc., Shri Gems Thai Co., LTD, and Amberman (the world’s largest Amber Collection).

For more information on the JOGs show, see their website.
For information on the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2009 visit Jewelry Show Guide or Tucson Show Guide.

Excerpts from JOGS website.

Countdown to Tucson 2009

It is almost here; Tucson 2009 Gem & Mineral Show!! In about a week, millions of people, thousands of vendors and hundreds of shows (most wholesale with a few open to the public) will mark the beginning of the largest show in the United States.







This is the venue to get your stock for the entire year, or even several years if you are one who purchases in bulk. Anything from raw stones (uncut, undrilled, unfinished, unpolished, etc), to finished and raw precious gems (diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds just to name a few), to silver-gold-copper-brass findings and stringing materials, storage containers, tools and equipment, jewelry and gifts, to show displays, bags, and boxes, and all the natural gemstones in cuts and types that are as unusual as the places they come from.


Over the next week I’ll be highlighting some of my favorite vendors and shows that will be at Tucson 2009; so bookmark and check back here all next week for a pre-view of Tucson 2009!


The Countdown Begins……….

Product/Vendor Review: Tucson 2009

The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show 2009 is just a week away. With thousands of vendors and hundreds of shows to choose from; where does one start. While attending Tucson 2008 I got to see and meet some very good vendors. Here is just a sample:

Lucky Gems & Jewelry Factory
Looking for quality and an incredible array of Pearls? Lucky Gems has the largest selection and very competitive pricing I’ve ever come across in the selection of Pearls. Freshwater cultured and even some saltwater pearls where to be found in colors, shapes and sizes that overcome the imitation. Check them out this year at three locations at Tucson 2009; Gem Mall, Quality Inn and the Holidome.

Kameyab Imports Inc.
Quality with large selection of exotic semi-precious gemstones from Peruvian Opals to Larimar, Kameyab has it all. Choose from a collection of pendants to many strands of your favorite gemstones and a huge selection of exotics. Visit them this year at 4 locations at Tucson 2009; JOGS, GLDA, Holidome, and AGTA.

Oriental Crest
Visit the world of many color gemstone beads. Browse through the selection of pearls, natural gemstones, strands and pendants. The JOGS show is their location at Tucson 2009.

Tucson Bead
For a selection of designer beads and unusual cuts in U.S. stones try Tucson Beads. Select from quality stones in Turquoise, Agate, Jasper and some additional unusual stones. Visit them at the Tucson Electric Park RV Gem Show at Tucson 2009.

Disclaimer: This is an independent product/vendor review based on our own research and experiences. We are in no way affiliated with the companys' or their agents.

2008 in Review

We started off with a BANG and the highlight of the year with our trip in February, to the Tucson Gem & Mineral show (2nd largest in the world, 1st largest in the U.S.)!! At the AGTA show we saw many precious gems; diamonds, emerald, rubes, sapphires -- oh my!

It was like a ‘kid in a candy store’ when we hit the numerous bead shows --- every kind of wholesale vendor under the sun, or should we say tent! The street vendors were just as numerous and the mineral shows were just incredible! Looking to get your entire inventory in one location, this was the show. We hand picked (as always) all our beads, findings and inventory for the entire year….cuts and natural gemstones that I’ve never heard of or seen such as navy Madagascar Agate, Morocco Agate, Turtellia Agate, Peruvian Opals, Australian Boulder Opals, natural Jaspers; and then there were lots of old favorites in Turquoise, Coral, cultured freshwater Pearls, Mother-of-Pearl, Howlite and many Agates and Jaspers. Metal beads from copper to silver to gold to platinum to stainless steal; it was like Christmas all over again!

Our designs (see some of our favorites in the posts below) were uniquely bolder this year due in part by the stock we picked up in Tucson. Introduced where chunky and funky styles, large longer styles, more wire work and sculpture creations and of course the classic stylish favorites; we also introduced this fall a new pendant line where the pendant can be removed from its ribbon cord – such versatility! At our first spring shows, many people were delighted at the different cuts and unusual natural gemstone designs. We were on our way to blazing a new trail for our goal to produce high-end quality gemstone jewelry. We added several new spring shows this year, but will be downsizing the entire schedule for 2009 and the future. Doing a total of about 10-12 shows this entire year was a challenge and we quickly realized that restocking between shows proved interesting. In 2009, we will most likely scale back to around 6-8 shows for the season.

Also in the spring we opened our first online avenue with Etsy; an online shopping venue which is still active, but not as much so since we launched our e-commerce site in October. The next big thing for us was in September when we were published in a coffee table book, “Handbook to Handmade” with a 2-page layout and even made the front cover with one of our silver necklace link designs. You can read all about it on our About Us website page.

The fall show season started off early this year by adding the military monthly luncheons in August and September; which we love doing and hope to continue in the future! The show season was in full swing by October with Encino, Deep in the Arts of Texas, a couple of church fairs and in November Alzafar and the huge holiday 2-day fair at Freeman Coliseum; boasted as the largest holiday shopping show in south central Texas. We closed out the year with the military monthly luncheon ‘Holiday Mini-Bazaar’ in December. You can always find out where we are at next by stopping by our website Events page.

As mentioned, in October we launched our own website ‘Timeless Designs’; where you can purchase many of our jewelry collection, see what shows we will be attending, browse customer design requests, read about how Timeless Designs came to be or see our polices and favorite links. Another avenue is this blog, which was launched in July and will continue to be a staple for us – we want to keep in touch with our customers; so we created the blog. Next year we hope to bring more in the way of jewelry industry news and techniques, more business tips, vendor reviews, announce new designs and also continue to list our show information and any website or show promotions.
So, now we will be taking a breath……and for the next little while Timeless Designs will take time off to enjoy the holiday season. We have enjoyed this year more than ever! We have grown, developed, become seasoned and spiced, and met the many challenges that came our way. We want to thank all those great customers that made 2008 the best year here at Timeless Designs and helped us to achieve our goals; we hope that next year, 2009 will be even better. We have plenty in store for 2009; new designs, new techniques, and more information on business and jewelry – you will definitely want to keep an eye on our blog and website --- stay tuned!

It’s been a great year and we are definitely looking forward to many more to come. So from our family to yours….

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
The Timeless Designs Family