Tucson Gem Show
Did you know Tucson, Arizona is home to the World's Largest Gem Show? Every February the city of Tucson gets completely taken over by gem lovers- like me!
I am so excited to show you a little bit of the process of how I find gems to turn into jewelry! First of all I find it crazy that this is my job and you guys make it possible for me to hunt for gemstones and design all the beautiful things. Thanks again for supporting this small business!
Several weeks ago I traveled from Southern California to Tucson to witness this incredible show. "Show" doesn't really describe it. Think tents covering every empty space and stretching all across the city. Shows are set up in conference halls, outside of hotels, and in empty parking lots. This was legit rock hunting, meaning there was dust everywhere! Haha. I think most people picture me browsing through beautifully curated shops with glass cases and polished stones, and that is just not it! This is nitty, gritty, driving across town, dirt under your nails shopping! I LOVED it!
Mostly what I was there for was to establish some relationships with sellers. These shows have lots of large, raw, uncut gemstones and completely finished jewelry. I need gems that are cut and finished and so going to these shows allows me to find sellers who can make or source what we need to create jewelry.
See these big pieces, we don’t use these for jewelry.
We use smaller chunks. Then they are electroplated with gold or silver and a pendant or bail is attached. Voila it is a quartz chunk that can be used for a pendant necklace.
Other vendors offer beads that we use for our Gemstone Affirmation Beads.
I must admit I was disappointed to find there weren't as many vendors selling polished gemstones ready to be turned into jewelry but I saw that as an opportunity to make some relationships and find vendors who are ethically sourcing gemstones to make my visions come to life!
Check out some of these other crazy huge gems we saw!!
And these were some of my favorites- Himalayan Quartz. I fell in love with this one and planned to come back and get it the following day. Well I ended up having to cut my trip short because my boys were sick at home and knew I needed to be with them. Haylee from Whimsy and Wellness went back and found it and sent it to me! It will forever hold a special place in my heart. I am so thankful I get the opportunity to take trips like this but also drop everything to get back to my family!
Even with all the setbacks I found some amazing pieces and I am super excited to bring them to you. We will be releasing them every Thursday through the month of March and calling it- The Tucson Collection. They will all be one-of-a-kind designs in *super* limited quantities that I hand-selected in Tucson, AZ. They will go quickly but I loved them so much I had to bring them home to you!