I hope you all enjoyed my blog from Tucson. I had a great time there and a fun time sharing it with you.
All the flat rate mailing boxes have arrived with nothing broken. I unpacked these boxes and it was just like Christmas. There were a few things I did not remember buying, but in general I was fairly conservative in my purchases. I did, sort of, stick with the shopping list I took out there with me.
A drop-dead gorgeous black opal triplet.
Pietersite with an opall simulant chaser.
Bonnie is delighted with all her new beads and seems to be spending more time in her beading room since we’ve been back. She has lots of new ideas for jewelry inspired by all the new stuff. All our bead fan buddies are going to be happy this year.
I laid everything out on the table and took a few photos for your viewing pleasure.
I can say that second to seeing all the rocks, meeting people at the shows is sometimes real interesting. It pays to chit-chat with people you see as you never know who is standing next to you. I always say something like “Are you from around here?” Most people at the shows are from another state or country. From that point we can talk about rock hunting in their neck of the woods, or any other thing that you are mutually interested in. I am the type of person that soaks up trivia like a sponge. I find it easy to talk to anyone and have found that most people respond in kind.
I loved these Lakers!
I met a guy from California that makes a business of enhancing crystals so they have more powers. This is a little beyond me, but to each his own. Since I’m not really into the metaphysical thing other then selling rocks to those that are, it’s always “interesting” talking to someone like this.
While waiting in line for the main show to open up I talked to a man who turned out to be one of the leading experts in flourescent minerals. I am designing a display for our rock club, and learned a lot about the subject.
I always try to pick the brains of the sellers, especially those that mine the rocks they sell. I think it is important that my customers get a great story with their jewelry. What better way to get a story then to talk to the source. Bonnie often is amazed by the trivia that I spew, and believe it or not, most of it is true. We like to share our stories and information with our customers. Because I cut most of my own gemstones, I can also tell my customers how hard the stone is, what it looks like before cutting, and the reason I cut it like I did.
I love just chatting about rocks, and I have learned a great deal from others as well as occasionally finding someone with “Grandpa’s old collection”, which always peaks my interest. I have obtained a lot of nice rocks over the years following up on old collections.
Check our shop and demonstration schedule from the main page occasionally, as we are getting acceptance letters from juried shows. We are doing a couple new shows this year. Hope to see you there!