Saturday, January 31, 2015

#TucsonGemShow - De-Bunking The Myths...


It goes without saying that the Number One Myth is that there is such a thing as the Tucson Gem Show.

In actuality the term "Tucson Gem Show" has become a common means of talking about the 40+ Shows that make up the Tucson Jewelry, Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase that takes over the sleepy town of Tucson Arizona each Spring.

There is a list of shows at the Tucson Show Guide Website:
http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/

OR the Tucson EZ-Guide which has detailed info for each show - floor plans and vendor lists:  http://www.xpopress.com/AZ-show-schedule.html


Bead, Gem and Mineral prices are better at Tucson!

Nothing could be farther from the truth - in fact some prices will be higher...BUT you will see things from vendors you are familiar with that are usually gone following the show - so your chance at the rare and unusual in better in Tucson!

A Business License or Resellers Number Gets you a Better Price!

NO!  wholesale pricing is based on numbers - the more you buy the better the price!

Can you think of something I left out?   LMK in the comments!

#TucsonGemShow - Everything You Need to Know for a Fun and Profitable Gem Show!

#1:  Just like every shopping excursion - the number one thing is to know what you are looking for!    

This not only saves money but it will save you time also....and with sometimes only one weekend to shop this is important!  

#2:  Plan Ahead!

You already have your list but how can you plan ahead of actually being at the show?  The Tucson EZ-Guide listings are current months prior to the event so you can go to the Tucson Shows page and all of the shows are listed on the left.  You can actually find the shows and vendors you wish to see and make a plan - the items on your list will be done so quickly you will have time to explore and discover new products and vendors!!!


http://www.xpopress.com/AZ-show-schedule.html
#3:  Bring paperwork....

I usually re-order my business cards just before the Gem Show and let me tell you I have still run out - so lots of Business Cards - several (at least a dozen) copies of your Business  License or ReSellers Papers - and letters with records of wholesale purchases from vendors to establish your buying pattern.  It doesn't hurt to have a sheet of Return Address labels with your Business Address that can be used for vendor invoices.

#4:  Keep Good Records From The Start!

My favorite Gem Show practice is to carry ziplock bags (the kind with the white stripe) - of course the size will depend on the quantities you intend to buy.  With each sale I add the dealer's business card - and on the stripe I write the pertinent information  ie. 3 pieces Square Cushion Cut Sphene 1.4 - 1.2 - 1.3 carats each from Prima Gems.  Makes listing your purchases into a database at home much easier!

#5:  Save yourself a little frustration!

Does the Show allow Roller Bags?
Are Children Allowed?
Are Baby Strollers Permitted?
Do they allow Pets?

Find out in advance!!!   If you go to the Tucson Shows page  you can click through to each show you plan to attend.  Check their websites for this info.

#6:  What are the Requirements to get into the Shows you are interested In?  This is VERY important!



#7:  Bring the right tools!

You should carry a millimeter gauge - a jewelers loupe - and a scale!





Do you have any favorite tips?   Let us know in the comments!

#DesignerSpotlight Discover Vivaan at the GJX Show in Tucson...

Vivaan at the GJX Show in Tucson...Booth 207


VIVAAN - The collection is inspiredby the elements of nature and showcases rose-cut, old mine cut, raw and slice diamonds in a rich palate of vivid color combinations from natural fancy colored diamonds, and precious gemstones set in 18 karat white, yellow and rose gold.

VIVAAN by YNY Jewels is a lasting legacy of artistic values of exquisite fine jewelry collected by an exclusive global clientele.

Website:  http://www.vivaan.us/
Facbook:  https://www.facebook.com/vivaanbyyny






#TucsonGemShow Opportunities to "Meet The Authors"!



Right on the heels of the release of her first e-book...Renee Newman will be available to signing  for all her books in Tucson at the NAJA Conference on Monday, February 2nd and at the NAJA booth G11 on Friday Feb 6 at 2:30 PM in the Tucson Convention Center foyer.

Want a guide to carry with you in Tucson?   Renee's Gem & Jewelry Pocket Guide: A traveler's guide to buying diamonds, colored gems, pearls, gold and platinum jewelry was just released on most platforms, Apple,  Amazon Kindle and Barnes & Noble NookIt has updated information and many new photos. More information about the book is available at http://www.reneenewman.com/pocket.htm.




Volcanologist Marco Campos-Venuti will be speaking at the popular Mineral Lecture Series at the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show on February 9th on  "Genesis and Classification of Agates and Jaspers: A new Theory" - I am hoping that he will bring a stack of his latest book to the talk and stay for a book signing...but you can always find him in the Gems In Gems booth at the Riverpark Inn Rm. 113 OR the GJX Show booth 917.

Gerhard and Mark will also be signing
"The World of Tourmalines" 

on Friday, February 13th from 11 - 2pm

at the TGMS Show at the Convention Center in Booth 318


If you are doing a Book Signing during the Tucson Shows - please LMK in the comments - I would be happy to add!

#TucsonGemShow The Show Guide Contoversy.... NOT!

Disclaimer:  I work with Brad Hicks and  Xpo Press - the publishers and distributors of the Tucson EZ- Guide.


BUT - that being said - I feel that I have an unbiased outlook when people ask for a link to a guide to the shows in Tucson!


I will tell everyone to pick up a copy of the THE BIG GUIDE - because it has lots of great ads and coupons.

Both Guides offer a paid subscription so you can have a guide in-hand about 2 weeks prior to the event....


So why do I tend to promote the Tucson EZ-Guide prior to the event?  because it has a website with ALL of the information from the printed guide and a download-able version of it's show guides  - the big guide's site doesn't help much until you are at the event and have the guide in hand.

It is also a more convenient size to carry through the shows...

By the way - having trouble finding the big guide online?  their new website is:  http://www.tucsonshowguide.com/home

Tucson EZ Guide's two editions can be found at:  http://www.xpopress.com/AZ-show-schedule.html

#TucsonGemShow LORD ROCKS JCK! No not the singer...












#TucsonGemShow 2015 AGTA GemFair Tucson #AGTA





Can you believe it's already that time of the year? AGTA GemFair™ Tucson is happening February 3 – 8, 2015. Watch this video to see all the wonderful reasons why we want you there!




AGTA GemFair Tucson part 1
from Digital Vision Productions
on Vimeo.
http://vimeo.com/113967716


OR checkout the Show Directory!



http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/docs/T15ShowDirectory/index.html

Thursday, January 29, 2015

#TucsonGemShow - Sea Hunt Pearls Brings The Color!

Are you the one who, like me, cringes when you hear the words "white pearl"? 
....or for that matter, "black pearl"!

If you have seen a pearl  
held the silky smooth orb in your hand 
seen the color you are wearing pop off the pearl  
YOU know there is no such thing as a "white pearl" or "black pearl"!

So for all the Pearl People! 

Monday, January 26, 2015

GIA's Colorful Opportunities at #TucsonGemShow to Include “Symphony in Gemstones”

Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: Description: cid:image001.jpg@01CD9649.BAC23080


GIA Offers Colorful Opportunities at Tucson

Institute to host classes; offer lab service, seminars & more


From a free seminar that explores recent gemological discoveries and research to an exquisite collection of musical instruments carved from gem materials, GIA’s offerings at the 2015 Tucson shows will enhance the visitor experience. The Institute’s participation at the shows – which also includes a show service laboratory, lab class, two fee-based seminars, library exhibit and the GIA Alumni Association’s annual event – will be at the Tucson Convention Center during the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) GemFair™, Feb. 3-8, and the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Feb. 12-15.

More information, including registration, is available on the GIA website at http://www.gia.edu/gem-event-agta-gemfair-2015.  

GIA’s highlights at the 2015 Tucson shows include:

GIA Museum Exhibit
GIA’s museum exhibit “Symphony in Gemstones” will bring music to the eyes at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Feb. 12-15. Twenty one pieces commissioned by Art Sexauer, GIA museum benefactor, and hand-carved by master carver Lothar Hermann of Idar-Oberstein, Germany, make up an exquisite collection of musical instruments in gem materials and 14K yellow gold. Featured are tourmaline violins, a Persian turquoise trumpet, lapis saxophone, a tiger’s-eye harp and a black onyx grand piano with a white quartz keyboard and a rose quartz tuba.



GIA Library Exhibit
GIA’s library will feature two of its rarest books at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, Feb. 12-15: James Sowerby’s “British Mineralogy” and Martha Proby’s one-of-a-kind “British Mineralogy after James Sowerby.” A mineral specimen, aragonite, which is featured in both books, will be on view courtesy of The Natural History Museum in London. The case will also include photographs and a map.

GIA Show Service Laboratory at AGTA GemFair
Show attendees will have convenient access to gem identification and country-of-origin services through the GIA Show Service Laboratory. GIA will accept gemstones onsite at the AGTA GemFair in the Onyx Suite Monday through Saturday, Feb. 2-7 from 9 a.m. to 5p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Free GIA Seminar
On Friday, Feb. 6 from 9 to 10 a.m., GIA’s Distinguished Research Fellow Dr. James Shigley will provide a free seminar on “The Latest News from GIA Research.” This will include an update on the Institute’s latest research on diamonds, colored stones and other timely topics of interest.

GIA Education
GIA will offer one fee-based lab class and two fee-based seminars during the AGTA GemFair™. Pre-registration is required; call GIA admissions at (800) 421 7250 ext. 4001 to register for the seminars, and visit GIA’s website to register for the lab.

Diamond Grading Lab Class
Monday through Friday, Feb. 2-6, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The lab class will teach how to grade diamonds consistently and accurately using a modern gem microscope and a jeweler’s loupe. Participants study GIA’s Diamond Grading System; explore time-saving shortcuts to determine a variety of grading factors; and are introduced to methods for reading a GIA Diamond Grading Report. Participants must pass a two-stone practical test to complete the class successfully.

Identifying Heat Treatment of Corundum
Saturday, Feb. 7, 9 to 11 a.m.
Participants will discover why corundum is heat-treated, and how different forms of heat treatment can alter ruby and sapphire. The seminar, which includes a lecture and hands-on lab component, will teach the identifying characteristics of heated and unheated corundum, and how low-temperature heat treatment and differences in corundum types can lead to complications during the identification process.

Identifying Glass Fillings and "Healed Fissures” in Corundum
Saturday, Feb. 7, 1 to 3 p.m.
High-lead-content glass fillings are currently the most common treatment found in ruby, while "healed fissures" are one of the most misunderstood ruby treatments on the market. In this seminar, comprised of lecture and a hands-on lab component, students learn the identifying characteristics of these treatments, why they are done, and to which types of corundum they are applied.

GIA at the CAD/CAM Pavilion
GIA’s  Jewelry Manufacturing Arts program is at the forefront of jewelry design education – from 3D printer rapid protoyping and casting to prefinishing, setting and buffing. Throughout the AGTA GemFair Tucson, GIA experts will answer questions and discuss a variety of relevant topics, including CAD/CAM, zero-shrinkage from CAD file to photopolymer models to rough castings, jewelry engineering priorities, jewelry design concepts, 3D scanning of gemstones and importing content into CAD files for use in making jewelry, and Quality Assurance Benchmarking criteria when CAD modeling. The ongoing series will take place in the AGTA CAD Design Studio, booth #450 in the Gem Hall.

Party at the GIA Gem Mine: Rocking Down Under
The GIA Alumni Association will “rock” Tucson during its annual auction, dinner and dance party on Friday, Feb. 6 from 6:30 to 11 p.m. at the Marriott University Park Hotel. Ticket prices are $55 prior to Jan. 15; $65 after and at the door. GIA alumni, students and industry friends can click here to purchase tickets.

For more details about the Institute’s offerings at the AGTA GemFair™, visit GIA’s website.

About GIA
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat Weight in the early 1950s and in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™ which, today, is recognized by virtually every professional jeweler in the world.

Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academics, science, and professionalism. Visit www.gia.edu

#TucsonGemShow Turkish Clay in Tucson! ...and they are giving it away!




Turkish Clay in Tucson!  
...and they are giving it away!

In glorious Tucson tradition, we welcome exotic products from all over the globe to be exhibited and enjoyed by show goers. This year is no exception!

Prometheus metal clays are a welcome addition to the transformable product market in the United States. They provide a simple to use, and cost-effective method, for designing custom copper and bronze components. Prometheus Copper and Bronze clays can be fired with as little as a kitchen butane torch and no expensive equipment to manage.

Prometheus, a Titan god, molded mankind from clay and gave us fire. Now, Odak Hobby, along with Clay Revolution, is coming to the states to deliver Prometheus to us. Ozgur Aykoc, Partner of Odak Art, Hobby & Craft in Istanbul Turkey, will be traveling to the United States in February. He plans to demonstrate the copper and bronze clays at multiple shows throughout the Tucson event.
Hundreds of packs of clay will be given away from Feb. 1st to Feb. 9th. To be entered, pick up a RED BUTTON at one of the Clay Revolution booths. Every hour, at multiple shows, the first person spotted with a button will win a free pack of copper or bronze. 
FREE CLAY EVERY HOUR!

Prometheus classes will be available at The Tucson Bead Show, To Bead True Blue and Jewelry Tools at JOGS. Prometheus clays will be sold at Clay Revolutions booths at The Tucson Bead Show and To Bead True Blue.

Clay Revolution booths: 
Tucson Bead Show #143 
To Bead True Blue #G177

Monday, January 19, 2015

#TucsonGemShow World’s Largest Faceted CSARITE® to be Displayed in Tucson


World’s Largest Faceted CSARITE® to be Displayed in Tucson


Milenyum Mining Limited is excited to announce that the world’s largest known faceted CSARITE® gemstone will be displayed by The Courtney Collection, Booth 2206 at the Gem and Jewelry Exchange trade show, 
February 3 – 8, 2015 in Tucson, AZ. 

The 121.65 carat pear shape rarity was cut from a rough of approximately 430 grams. Previously, the largest known faceted CSARITE® was an 88.49 carat pear shape that took home a coveted 2014 AGTA Cutting Edge Award.

“Achieving a faceted CSARITE® of this size and quality is extremely difficult, given the typical loss of rough when faceting,” stated Murat Akgun, president of Milenyum Mining Ltd, the operator of the world’s only CSARITE® mine. The only other large CSARITE® gemstones of a similar size have been cabochon gems that exhibit the cats eye and color change effect.

Erica Courtney of The Courtney Collection, exhibitor of the gem stated: “We are so excited to be able to share this one-of-a-kind color change gem with the industry! All the collectors and designers know that Tucson is THE place to find the truly unusual, so we expect to receive a lot of interest in this rare and responsibly-sourced stone.”

The lively gem is beautifully cut and exhibits a pronounced and vivid color change. It will be available to interested parties, along with calibrated goods and an extensive collection of fine-cut, larger single CSARITE® gemstones at The Courtney Collection, GJX Booth 2206.




MML is the world’s only source supply of CSARITE®, a natural, unenhanced color-change gemstone. Responsible for cutting and marketing of this phenomenal gemstone, MML’s mission is to introduce gem and jewelry connoisseurs around the globe to CSARITE®’s unique beauty and rarity. MML is a member of The International Colored Gemstone Association. For appointments to see this rare CSARITE® contact:

Adam Graham 
info@courtneygemcollection.com 
or call 323-938-2373. 
Visit www.csarite.info for a list of authorized distributors and retailers.



























Thursday, January 15, 2015

#NEWinTucson What's NEWS in Tucson for 2015!

Exhibitor Services

We get Press Releases and phone calls almost daily giving us changes and NEWS - so for you "the latest news":


  • A new wholesale show will move into the Grand Luxe Hotel and Resort, formerly the Grant Inn, at Grant &  the  I-10


  • The Whole Bead Show is now a trunk show located at Homewood Suites by Hilton Tucson/St. Philip's Plaza University on River Road.

  • Tucson Bead Show has relocated to Radisson Suites Tucson on Speedway for 2015.

  • The Holidome show is moving to its own tent and property just west of the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Tucson Airport-North.

  • The Tucson EZ-Guide will make it even easier to find information and shows in that fit your niche with TWO Volumes in 2015! 

  • 2015 will see the debut of the Tucson Faceters Frolic - if you know the Franklin Faceters Frolic you already know what to expect!  ...if not click through to their website for more information:  
          http://www.tucsonfacetersfrolic.com/

#TBT #TucsonGemShow 2014 Lecture Series at the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show Part 2


FEBRUARY 11th:  GAIL COPUS SPANN and 
MICHAEL LEYBOV and LUDMILA CHESHKO
OF THE MINERALOGICAL ALMANAC FROM MOSCOW 

In 2014 I was so busy with the introduction of two new shows that I wasn't able to get to the first two nights of the Lecture Series - but nothing was going to keep me from the last two.

I, and over 100 mineral enthusiasts braved the cool of the evening (there are heaters in the tent) because we were all looking forward to seeing the amazing Gail Copus Spann's talk...I think we were all just eager to see Gail following a very challenging year. 

7 P.M: GAIL COPUS SPANN
DALLAS, TEXAS, USA 
RENOWNED COLLECTOR OF FINE MINERALS

PRESENTS

“The Continuing Perspectives of A Woman Collector"




First up - Gail!

Gail talks on the thing she knows best - being a woman in the mineral collection world.  She is always so upbeat, straight forward and she engages the audience.

This night the tent was filled to capacity with at least another 20 people standing at the back.  
Everyone was excited to see Gail - she was greeted by John White and Dave Wilbur - quite the auspicious home coming...
She got right to the topic at hand.

SRO - it was a packed house!
 -----------------------------

7.45 P.M: MICHAEL LEYBOV and LUDMILA CHESHKO
OF THE MINERALOGICAL ALMANAC FROM MOSCOW RUSSIA

PRESENTS

“Celebrate 20 Years In Mineralogical Publishing”
-----------------------------

8.15 P.M: REFRESHMENTS SERVED

Maury and Aisha introduced Ludmilla and Michael for a really fun overview of the first 20 years of the Mineralogical Almanac - with a little help from his friends,

Bob Jones (of Rock & Gem) briefly took the floor to add some great personal stories - the lecture closed with a traditional Bread Sharing Ceremony...





A BIG Thank You to Maury Destouet the General Manager of the Riverpark Inn and the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show as well as the well connected and always polished Aisha Jan for assembling an amazing group of Experts for this Lecture Series.

From Aisha: "I have the honor and pleasure to select the guest speakers and to assist in the organization of these events. Our company Rocksaholics is a proud participant of this show."

...click through to see who they have scheduled for 2015!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails