Hangin With A Special Friend...

I was doing my rounds hitting the shows and got a call from Szarka of Magpie Gemstones (http://magpiegemstones.com/) - she said her husband (Gibby) had just hit town...why don't I give him a call!

We met up at the Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers (G&LW) Show at the Grant Inn (formerly the Quality Inn/Rodeway Inn). This was good because I probably would never have made time for this show as it is not difficult to find G&LW shows (http://www.glwshows.com/) around the country....and there are at least 5 G&LW show locations at the Tucson Gem Show.

When pulling up to the parking area the outside vendors are mostly Southwest rugs, baskets and ceramics - but on the inside ring around the pool area there are some really impressive dealers.

I purchased some beautiful Dino Bone Beads while Gibby was wheeling and dealing on some really beautiful turquoise! Wait until you see what he bought for the shop!!! YUMMY stuff!!!!

He introduced me to a wonderful dealer - you should definately look him up if he is at the G&LW Show in your area. Stephen Mauldin Stone Co. (http://stephenmauldinstone.com/) carries some of the nicest beads I have seen so far...and he has Turquoise is several flavors (Nacozari, Castle Dome, Fox). The thing that sets this vendor apart is that with your purchase he signs a "Guarantee of Authenticity" so you can shop with confidence.

I got an iguana carving from him to give as a gift to Gem Carver Martha Borzoni (http://differentseasonsjewelry.com/) AKA Jessica Dow's mother.

One of Gibby's favorite dealers at this location is a jewelry designer named John Huntress...just across the lawn from Mauldin.

So you are all probably asking - where are the photos we want to see Gibby - well - he agreed to pose for a photo....

Last Day In Tucson! Bad Cold!

I wanted to add a post with photos of my Tucson Finds - but I am sick as a dog!

So I will post that later!



1:30 pm - A Hundred Laps and Counting - John Franke
John is one of my favorite speakers – he is knowledgeable in many areas and always willing to share. His expertise is such that he can give specific info to YOUR situation.

An award winning faceter, John Franke is well known in the cutting fraternity. Together John and his wife Barbara - also an award winning faceter - run the Facet Shoppe in Burley, WA. John says that by now he has somewhat more than a hundred polishing laps. Polishing, as we know, is among the most fiddly and frustrating of the lapidary processes; sometimes things work and don't work for reasons that seem arbitrary and inexplicable. Plus there are so many different types of polishing laps. Which is the right one? Which should you choose if you wanted the indispensable minimum? John will address some of those questions, navigate through the jungle of available laps and steer you to a brilliant final polish.





3:30 pm - Web Resources for the Jeweler Blogging, Social Networking or Website? The Internet offers so may options to hobbyist, lapidary and jeweler alike. But which will work best for your business? This session is all about resourcing - putting the Internet to work for you. Former jewelry business owner Robyn Hawk is now a freelance PR and marketing consultant.

Outline - Selling Options Online

Selling Sites:
Ebay.........Etsy.........Rubylane
...the Gallery Pages of some Guilds

Blogs – Web Logs
Business – usually links to a selling site
Can be used as a Newsletter or to Introduce New Products
Service - informative, educational
Social - personal info and opinions

Social Networks:
MySpace.............Facebook.............Multiply
Metalchasers......Deviant Art.........Yuwie

This genre started with the MySpace phenomena and just continues to grow there are at least a dozen of these Social Networking sites! Think they are just for kids? Go to MySpace.com and search jewelers or jewelry!



Just Getting Started? Most new Artisans let themselves get overwhelmed in learning HTML/Website Design when they are just starting out.


A good example of taking baby steps:

Turquoise Magpie started with an Ebay Store: turquoisemagpie.com

...then added a Customer Blog (turquoisemagpie.blogspot.com) to show their product in use and to toot the horns of their talented customers!

Then, with a loyal customer base behind her - the big leap to a website: magpiegemstones.com
...and a site for Szarka’s own jewelry – szarkas.com

Start small – build a customer base – see if the Art is just as much fun when you have to hold up the business end as well!