Beautiful Earthy Geode Agates

This is a great find from my Tucson trip this year and with geodes, you never really know what you are going to get until you crack them open. And these set of 5 bookends are no exception when it comes to high quality and stunning beauty. When I found these bookends I was hooked by their brilliant colors and striking drusy centers. They are all very heavy and solid, highly polished on three sides with the backside left in the rough. 

Each one is unique in color and the way they have been cut. It took a large diamond tip saw blade to cut these magnificent treasures. The colors of each range of sunsets to earthy tones and skylines. You have rusty orange with hues of cream, another in creamy white with hues of gray, a striking changes of blues, and the other two are in light colors of beige and hues of very light pale pink. 

What I think makes these bookends so unique and stunning is the drusy centers. Each center is a complimentary color to the agate, some are in a dark colors and others more of a pale. They all are so full of sparkle and really catch the light, a perfect compliment against the very high polish of these geode agates colors. The pictures really do not do these the justice of their beauty.

Tucson Day 3 & 4 In Review

Tucson again showed me the diversity of what is available to purchase throughout the city. The many shows range from wholesale bead shows (some retail and open to the public), to setups along the streets. 

On day 3 I sepnt a lot of time shopping the wholesale bead shows such as Gem Mall , Lucky Gems, and JOGS, ending the day with a journey down to the mineral show at the Hotel Tucson on St. Mary's -- this is an awsome show and one that should be added to you list of 'must see shows'.  Here I was able to pick up raw chunks (they were unloading from the mining barrels, how cool is that!) of some really great aquamarine with mica and assorted other minerals from vendors (I know, pictures, pictures, pictures, but I was so tired food was first on my mind -- next year).  I wish I had more time to really shop and browse the entire show and next year I will make a point to put this one on my list as an entire day to shop and browse.

On day 4, the journey took me back to a mix of outdoor shows, some along the streets of Speedway, Park St., and then back to Electric Park show. Here are a few pictures from Electric Park show.

Massive rocks & minerals on display at the Electric Park Show

 Fun with rocks, this is a fish and they have added an old miners cart to the end.

Tucson Experience Day 1 & 2

Tucson is the ultimate in shopping experience for lapidary, geology, minerals, fossils, and much more. Follow along as we post about the shows, our experiences, the ups & downs, and just in general everything Gem & Mineral Show. Arrived bright and early and off to a fast start, we saw plenty of minerals; amethyst, citrine, black amethyst, celestite, agate, jasper, and much more. Day 2 brought on much more and some of the displays and exhibits are just stunning. Here is just a little of what we saw for the past few days.....

Huge Amethyst Drusy display -- Pueblo Show

Beautiful agate bookends with druzy in the centers - Wholesale show

 Amethyst cathedral with a scene taking place - Street Vendors along I10

 Stunning Florite from Mexico - Globe X/Days Inn Show

Huge croniod fossil plates - street vendors

Massive petrified wood sphere - street vendors

Raw calacite - Globe X/Days Inn show

Street Vendor - Globe X/Days Inn

We continue our adventure and hunting treasures around Tucson.........

Unusual Mix of Kyanite & Ruby

I have a new find (at least for me) that I have never come across before. I found this new find recently during a rock show hunt. The mix is unusual of natural stones, ruby in kyanite. It is a beautiful contrast of color in the blue kyanite and the rose purple ruby. 

I started to research the stone and find there is not much out there, but here is what I did find. It is an unusual find, not rare, but not often found either and it comes mostly from India. The combination of the two stones enhances the many qualities of the individual stones. In addition, ruby in kyanite helps in meditation and to balance the yin-yang energies. 

Together Ruby in Kyanite is a power stone that will bring dreams into reality while releasing old patterns of our lives. It is said to have balance and protect against negativity and together the stones surround the person in peace, allowing you to manifest your heart's desire.
 

Whatever the mix, it is a lovely and beautiful treasure from nature; this sample that I have just sparkles in the sunlight. The small pieces I'll be wire wrapping alter on, so keep a watch out for the wired pendants to appear sometime in the future!

Tucson 2012 Kick-Off

 This weekend starts the kick-off of the biggest shopping in Tucson, Arizona from hundreds of vendors. One of my favorite locations I call the Street Vendor shows, this is where I have gotten some of the most unique and unusual items that I incorporate into my jewelry designs. I love to rummage through tons of barrels, boxes, tubs, and miles of tables.

The shows stretch for miles and miles as vendors take over the hotels, parking lots, and anything in-between; starting at Congress Street and running all the way down past Freeway Avenue. A person can find any type of vendor selling everything from beads, findings, silver, raw materials, lapidary, finished products, gemstones, clothes, bags, and so much more.

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.

Good Luck and happy hunting!

Hunting Rocks – Rockhoud Trip

This past weekend we went to a small rock & mineral show just a few hours north of us. It was a great adventure digging through slabs, boxes, barrels, and seeing everything spread across all of tables.

As I wondered down the first aisle, I came to a vendor from Colorado that I've bought from before. He always has some breath taking raw slabs, but to my surprise, this time he had several that were small enough to wire wrap!   I was so excited and spent about an hour there going through all the tubs full of slabs, finding just the right ones that gave me inspiration to wire wrap.

These new pieces will be wired into pendants, some will go into necklace sets and others will be set alone as single pendants to wear on cords, collars or chains. 

The new slabs are raw and will be unique pendants that are left in their natural state for a more beautiful look.   I look forward to wire wrapping these slabs and then designing with some of them. 

Being somewhat of irregular shapes, wire wrapping them will be somewhat of a challenge.   The slabs are a mix of several agates, a couple of jaspers, chevron amethyst, ruby in kyanite from India, tiger iron, and a piece of laguna agate from Mexico.

Once I get them wired and into some necklace set, I'll feature them here on the blog, so check back often --- just never know what you might find here!

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.