Tucson Gem/Bead Show Finds!!

Wow! The 2010 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (and, Bead Shows, too!) were fantastic this year - as usual.

Each year we try to find some super "fun" things to bring back and play with like these super-cool multi-colored stones pictured above and the mod peace signs you see at the bottom of this post - how fun are these!?!

We had a great time walking around and drooling over all the beautiful gemstones, beads, carvings, fossils and everything in between!

We met some new people and swapped stories of "Who's got the best,......and what show are they at this year?" We chatted with some familiar faces and trusted vendors, watched cool demonstrations on Kumihimo Braiding, Stamping, Metal Etching, Pearl Knotting and much more!

We've returned from Tucson and have finally 'cataloged' all our our items and wanted to share some of our cool treasures and also some of our "Just for the fun of it" finds with you as well.

We visited so many vendors and places and here are just a few:

Majestic Pearl - Pearls, Pearls, and MORE Pearls!!

Pearl Concepts - Your guessed it - Pearls!

Anil Kumar - Beautiful gemstones, silver and vermeil findings. (510-498-855)

The Realm of the Goddess - 24k gold dipped leaves, chain galore, pendants, and more.

Cargo Hold - Wonderful selection of pendants, chain and findings.

Beaducation - Geat supplier for metal stamping tools, online classes and jewelry supplies.

Hip Chick Beads - Charms, clasps, stamping tools, connectors, etc.

Object and Elements - Cool findings, great designs.

The Fiber Goddess - Exotic, hand-dyed fibers, kits for weaving/braiding cords, etc.

Rio Grande - Catalog in Motion - way cool tools!

Swarovski Crystal - Crystals, Crystals and more Crystals!!

Bokamo Designs - Boro Glass Beads - Beauitufl!!

Kent's Tools - Tools, tools, and more cool tools!

1239 Corp - Semi-Precious Stones and Pearls (212-889-0555)

Evergreen Trading Co - Freshwater Pearls (626-279-2723)

Shivam Imports - Precious and Semi-Precious Gemstones and Diamonds

Prominent Gems and Rough - Gemstone Beads and Loose Gem Stones (212-730-1562)

The Bead Palce - Beads, Beads, and more Beads!

Queenly Global Trading - Beads, Crystals, Pendants and More!

We've got some spring jewelry designs we'll be putting up on the website and our MiShel Designs Facebook Fan page in the next couple of weeks - so be on the look out!



Until Next Time,

Peace, Love and Pearls, Baby!!

(And all kinds of fun finds from the Tucson Gem/Mineral and Bead Shows!!)

Cheers!

~Shel~

Artbeads Components Review

We've been ordering components and supplies from Artbeads.com and using their items in our designs for about 5 or so years now, so it was really wonderful when they asked us to review some of their products here on our blog.

We create lots of jewelry using some very basic 'staples' (as we call them) such as 2mm seamless round beads, as well as various styles of chains, some pendants, Swarovski Crystals and more from Artbeads.com and we've chosen several items which we'll post over the next month or so to blog about. We're very lucky as Artbeads.com put no stipulations (include the "good, the bad, and the ugly") on how we review any of these produts.

Many of the items we will blog about will have not only the featured item included in the design, but several other items from artbeads as well. And, we're going to include links to all of the Artbeads.com items we use so you can easily find them for your own beading pleasures!

Since it's basically summer time (well, here in Arizona it is because it's already hit 100 degrees once this year and it's supposed to be 104 in a couple of days!) we decided to do our first review on a wonderful little Thai Silver Sun Design Pendant - in the Hill Tribe Silver Pendants Section of Artbeads.com - and it couldn't have pleased us more!

We wanted to create a lightweight, airy and fun pair of "summer" earrings - your 'go to' earrings for all summer - so, we paired these little beauties with some faceted citrine we picked up at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show this February and hand forged these large oval hoop ear-wires with sterling silver 20 gauge round, half hard wire for the beads and pendants to dangle freely from. Very simple, yet versitile and fun!

We were very pleased with these little pendants when they arrived. The thickness of the silver is quite nice - not too heavy, yet not so light they will bend. The antiqued (blackened) sun pattern in each pendant is quite nice and each one shows slight variations of the pattern due to the individual hand-crafted nature, allowing them a truly organic look and feel.

The 'bail' on each tiny pendant is perfectly suited for the size of the pendant, yet is still large enough to be strung with seed beads, or anchored on to flexible beading wire for a multiple-strand necklace or bracelet.

These little pendants/charms are perfect for designing a cute pair of earrings (our choice), hanging them on a bracelet with other small pendants and/or charms to create a really cute 'moving' bracelet or for putting one center stage on a small chain with a few natural stones, beads or gems (pearls!!) to have a simple, yet striking necklace.

Rating these (our idea - not artbeads.com) on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best and something we'd highly recommend) we'd give these little Thai Silver Sun Designs Pendants a perfect 10 and not only because they're right up our alley as far as their style goes, but for their durability and quality, their fantastic price - only $3.89 each! - and their unlimited design options. Plus they're super stylish and fashionable right now, too!

Please weigh in and let us know what your impression of these earrings are using Artbeads.com's Sun Design Pendants.

Until next time,

Peace, Love and Artbeads.com baby!!

~Shel~

We're Back From the Gem and Mineral Show

We're back from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show with all our 'treasures' - lots of pretty pearls, gemstones and more! (pictures in another entry - I promise)

We're going to be posting some links and photos of a few of the great people/vendors we met while at the gem show, too - so stay tuned for that as well. We would like you to have the opportunity to visit their websites or local shops if you're in their area - so we'll get some of these up with in the week.

Also, come March, we're going to be doing some jewelry fashion reviews, telling you about some really cool designers (both established ones and up-and-coming ones!), and gathering information to share with you regarding spring and summer's latest trends and what to watch for through out the year, so check back often!

Until next time!

Peace, Love and Pearls!

~Shel~

The Good, The Positive and the Abundant!

Okay, so one of my models and I are out walking some of the shows at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and one thing we hear over and over is "The Economy". From vendors selling, to shop owners, to designers and manufacturers, to all the buyers and shoppers - everyone's got those words coming off their lips. Yes, we all know about "The Economy",...don't we?!

However, here's where we're going to stay focused on the good, the positive and the abundant (that's a switch from the latest on the news, isn't it?!). To quote Mike Dooley, " Thoughts become things. Choose the good ones!"

In this "economy" (the word that should only be whispered!) one thing you can focus on to bring about positive change to your business is "What can I do that will help this situation and bring about the results I want".

Here's some things to think about whether your business is jewelry design, manufacturing, retail sales, etc. so you can have the good, the posititve and the all abundance you deserve. I mean, we're ALL looking for a very prosperous 2009 and beyond, right?!

Remain focused on your goals. Remaining focused will point you in the right direction, helping you maintain and grow your business through this "economy" so you can see those goals become reality.

This is a fantastic time to build relationships. Be sure to ask yourself, "How can I help my vendors?" Just one of the many ways you can help is to communicate what you see in the 'field'. Let them know what your clients are looking for; what trends you see from your clients (not just what the fashion mags/companies tell you - they've already heard those, too!) and then ask your vendors how, other than spending more money on their products, YOU can help THEM. Their answers might surprise you.

The answers we received were VERY different than what we expected - and we'll share some of these answers in another entry at a later time....remember, I promised to not ramble too much!

Try "New Thinking" (instead of 'stinkin' thinkin') and look into the social networking that everyone is telling you about and doing themselves (i.e. - blog spot, myspace, facebook, linkedin, virb, etc. - the list IS virtually endless!)

Cross Reference - think on how you can link your connections up with each other or how maybe someone they know, or have a relationship with, could be beneficial to you or those in your business circle.

Our "ecomony" (I whispered, honest!) will thrive again and, like everything else, we should work now to be prepared so when it does happen we aren't left with words like "Should have", Wanted to, but", etc. coming off our lips. (ooohhh, those will sting!)

So,...build relationships, network (which is truly just relationship building, not "how can I use you to make another sale"), ask questions of "How can I help you?", advise on how others can help you or your business should they get the opportunity, and try new thinking and ways of doing things to grow your business . And then there's the oldie but goodie "Attitude is everything!

Yes, it really is!!