It’s that time of year when hordes of people head to Tucson, AZ, for the annual Gem Show! Founded in 1955, it’s known as one of the world's oldest, largest, and most important gem and mineral shows. Over the course of three weeks, more than 65,000 attendees visit over 50 vendors and explore its treasures—and I’m one of them!
My friends Shelly and Kristin, attended the show with me again this year and we were on our own different missions. Shelly was looking for pearls, findings and high-end glass beads, and Kristin was looking for unusual pieces to include in her fiber art.
Me, I was on the hunt for Blue Moissanite and Gray and Peacock pearls along with White Moissanite and White Pearls. Blue Moissanite was incredibly difficult to track down. I had to go to four different locations before I could find them and when I finally did, they were four times more expensive than they were four years ago! All those “fours” must mean something… right?
These Blue Moissanite and Reticulated Sterling Silver earrings are among my most popular designs. I plan to create a similar pairs using the Blue Moissanite I found at the show. The original earrings featured 5mm stones, but this time, I’ll be using 6mm stones for a slightly bolder look.
Here I am at a pearl vendor, list in hand, ready to hunt for the perfect pearls. Finding the right ones, however, proved to be a challenge—especially in the Gray and Peacock colors. Sourcing them in the sizes and shapes I needed was difficult, and when I did come across them, they were often poor quality or priced sky-high. But I continued searching and finally found what I needed that were both well priced and good quality.
I ran into the same problem last year, but pearls are an essential part of my business. No matter how challenging the search, I have to find what my customers love.
Now it's time to get down to business and start creating new jewelry for my upcoming shows, which kick off in March. Time is flying!
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