The Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is simply amazing. Twice every year Tucson , Arizona is host to vendors and buyers from around the world; literally. You can find just about anything you might imagine. It is a jewelry makers paradise. There is also plenty of finished, ready to wear, jewelry as well.
Of the two shows, the one that takes place in late January to early February is the largest. It pretty much takes over the entire city. The smaller show takes place in the beginning of September. Regardless of which one you attend, you will have a great time.
So many stone beads for stringing are cut in China right now that China is very greatly represented. But for faceted gems, you can always count on the East Indians. The Middle Eastern countries put on a good show with beautiful lapis lazuli and serpentine (a stone associated with jade) jewelry. Africa is represented with wonderful ethnic beads and jewelry. Trade beads predominate, but there are also metal beads and pendants. If Australian opals are your passion, you can find those, also.
Austria and Czechoslovakia also make an appearance. The former with beautiful leaded glass beads and sculptures in all sorts of colors and shapes. The latter with glass beads in every color of the rainbow and every shape imaginable.
Jewelry and supplies to make jewelry are not the only things you will find there. The Russians always bring wonderful art with them as well as diamonds. Hand carved Santa Clauses and nesting dolls abound. You can also find small gem carvings and larger statuary. I remember one year just being swept away by a carving of an eagle done in Ruby Zoisite. It must have been at least three feet from wing tip to wing tip. True to its name, there are mineral specimens for the die hard collector.
Many of the venues will allow the hobbyist to attend. However, most are designed for the jewelry designers, manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers. These require certain credentials for admittance. It is a good idea to get that settled in advance.
If you can attend only one of the shows, I recommend attending the bigger of the two. Do not plan on getting it all done in one day, but do have a plan. Printed and on-line show guides will let you know who will be there and where they will be. Map out where you would like to go. Try not to spend all of your money on the first day at the first venue. Look around a bit first and take notes of what you saw and where you saw it. If you think that you might like to attend, but need more information, just type Tucson Gem and Mineral Show into your search box. Plenty of information will pop up.
My husband and I are always exhausted after the Tucson show, but we are always happy we went. The people are always nice. The products are always beautiful and inspiring. What more could you want?
Dianne Lehmann is a jewelry designer who has been in business since January of 2000. Her interest in designing and manufacturing jewelry goes back beyond that to 1994. It took her many years of trying various creative outlets to finally figure out that making jewelry is where she could really shine. Dianne began with simply stringing beads onto cable and has progressed from there. She is now an accomplished lapidary (cuts and polishes stones) and silversmith. Dianne and her husband, Bernd, live in northern Arizona and both love to hike. Dianne can not help but pick up rocks (they are her first love) and some of these find their way into her jewelry. Dianne makes one-of-a-kind pieces that she hopes give people as much joy to view as she gets from the making of them.If you like, you may view her work at http://www.syzygyjewelry.com
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