Tucson Gem shows - last day 4

Tuesday was my last trip to Tucson, mainly for general supplies and gifts for some of my female family members. My feet are tired and I'm in complete sensory overload.

Every year I seem to come home with something that is pure impulse and haven't a clue what I'll ever do with them. When I put the newest ones away I fondle the buys from past years. Maybe some beads are just meant to be, looked at, played with, admired and put back away for another year. This time it was a couple of strands of the newest Chinese faceted crystals. I was told that these are handmade cane beads that are then machine faceted. The colors are rather unusual and very few of them are the same. They were just so different and happily colored that I couldn't resist. I can see summer earrings made with these - perhaps.

I need to try and get some good photos of my partner, Ken's, crystal flags though. He fell in love with the 3-4mm crystal faceted roundels at the shows and did a bead crocheted American flag to slide over a fringe on his motorcycle vest. Oh my, you can see it from across the room. He's been playing with flag and military designs in 10-14 around that are perfect as Biker regalia (can you call it that?), zipper pulls or key chains. I'm hoping I can get him to publish some of the designs on www.bead-patterns.com, both in BCED and PDF formats.

I'm sure there are things I'll wish I had gotten or stocked up on. Even with a list of needs, it's hard to stay focused with so many beautiful and different things from all over the world. I guess there is always next year.

Chains - chains, and more chains ...... I think we are going to see a lot more chains in bead stores and incorporated in with bead work this year. There were a lot of booths with fascinating and different inventories of chains. More than I have ever seen before.

Tucson Gem Shows - day3

My sister and I headed out for some power shopping and girl time yesterday. The Holidome Show opened and when we got off the freeway we saw traffic backed up to the freeway in 3 directions. OOPS, we decided it wasn't worth the wait and quickly changed plans.

We stopped at one of the smaller fossil shows to enjoy the sun and look at the neat things.

We did a couple of our favorite shows, buying very little a this year everything seemed to look the same. Nothing new and "oh wow!"

It was still early when we headed home and at the last minute decided to visit the Gem Mall. I had already been but it's always fun to help someone else spend their money. Besides I decided I really liked the Chinese faceted crystal rondells and needed some in a couple of other colors.

I guess everyone was over at the Holidome as it wasn't crowded at all in the Gem Mall. For those of you who have never been to Tucson, this is the smallest of 2 tents in this venue. This tent held 425 vendors and the main tend had 550 vendors. The Gem Mall is one of the "wholesale only" shows. There are around 40 different shows throughout Tucson.

Here is a map and general information on what is going on.

My feet are tired and I'm in sensory overload. I decided to cancel my trip for today and am not sure if I'll do another day or not.

Tucson Gem Showa - day 2

Today's impression was... Large, chunky & iridescent. I saw lots of large, freeform faceted beads that had various forms of an iridescent coating. Not my style at all. On the good side, the stones that are dyed shocking colors seem to have disappeared.

Got to visit with lots of old friends at the Best Bead Show. It has been quite a few years since I've had a chance to catch up with Jane at Jane's Fiber & Beads. Four of us NH snow birds met up and joked about having a Western meeting of the Bead Society of NH. It was good to see everybody.

Cameras aren't allowed in these shows so I couldn't take general photos of things that caught my eye. I almost got thrown out of the Gem Mall as I for got and whipped out my camera to take a photo of a sign.... Next thing I know this little Chinaman comes whirling at me yelling in Chinese & some English, "No Camera, No camera! You photo and policeman chop-chop you!" Anyway, the sign I wanted a picture of said, "Chinaworski - $1.50/strand." Chinese rendition of Swarovski crystals. The quality was very good and the colors were amazing. This photo just doesn't do the crisp sparkle and deep rich color any good. These are mine.... well I may share a strand or two of the deep plum with Bev over at No Easy Beads.
They are so her colors.




Found vaseline green leaves.

and a
Funky cross between a paddle and a leaf beads in pink & green.




Then some
great lentils in a matte turquoise and mottled purple/blue/pink


I wanted some 10/0 delicas, but refused to pay for 2.5 gram vials as I need a lot more than that. I also wanted to look at the permanent finish Miyuki galvanized seeds but nobody had more than a couple of colors.

Tomorrow the Holidome for some power shopping with my Sister. I'll look at more Chinese crystals and get needed supplies. Seeing as there is lots of blingy sparkle around I just may treat my younger female family members to some bling for their wrists.

2/5 addendum: These finds were all at the GL&W Gem Mall. Don't remember the name of the Czech pressed glass places, but it's one of 3 somewhere in one of the 2 tents. *sorry* They had a lot of lentils/drops, etc. by the mass. Should say that wholesale credentials are needed to get in and minimum purchases do apply.

Tucson Gem Shows - day 1

Monday I went to the African Art Village and where the large mineral specimens are to be seen. This is always my fun trip to just look at the beautiful rocks, minerals and ethnic stuff.



Lots of things to look at, but there really were not that many lookers. It did make for a leisurely day in the sunshine.




With the freeway project finished through downtown Tucson, the city shuttle buses were no longer running. Looks like some young men took up the slack.

I got a good giggle at this line up of painted wooden figures. Wouldn't it be a hoot to have a line of them standing at one end of the living room? You'd always have interesting company who didn't talk your ear off.

. .
This line up of brass cats were just so regal looking. I have a friend in Memphis that would love a couple of them for her sun room.

There were lots of African beaded objects. I saw clothing, accessories, furniture and these beaded panels. I found the white on white stunning. From a distance you couldn't see the patterns, but up close they were quite beautiful floral designs.

Some of these strands came home with me. They are heshi-like beads made from old vinyl records. Not only would they make a great necklace just as they are, but if you take them apart you have quite different looking sequins. The ones that I chose have stripes on them. The pattern is much more interesting as a flat disk than as a strung necklace. I need to see how they look in a bead embroidered piece.

Fossils, great fossils! They were all interesting to look at, but this specimen was outstanding. I don't know what it was and the vendor didn't speak enough English to tell me much of anything else than the price. Too many zeros for my pocketbook.

It was a great day in the sun, looking at what Mother Nature serves up. I'm glad I had that day for outside wandering as it's suposed to rain for the next 3 days.