I have to tell you — If you make jewelry, you have to go to a gem show. It is incredible what is there, the people you meet and the great finds you can get. We had a grand plan to go to the show, look at everything, make a decision and get the best buys and the best stone. We were equipt with bags, water, money and sheer excitement.
Well I have to tell you that is not what happened.
It was mesmerizing, the lighting was fantastic, the sales people were experts and we were buying beads at the very first booth where we stopped to take a look.
His name was Wu, and we fell in love with Wu’s beads, he had beautiful stones with wonderful quality and he was dealing and we were buying. I must say Wu did not take advantage of us and are delighted with everything we purchased from him and when we got home and figured the price per bead, I must admit we got some great deals from Wu. I have even started a Wu line of Jewelry.
The great thing about the show is there are a lot of vendors, if you don’t connect with one, move on to the next one, because there are many vendors selling what you want to buy.
We also met Kuney, he sold us some beautiful pearls they are about 12mm and all the same size with no flaws. I have really enjoyed working with them. In the booth with Kuney, was a woman who was razor sharp. She did not miss a trick and knew her merchandise. We did buy a lot from her also.
All in all, it was a great experience and I’m working with elements I’ve never worked with. I love the Ruby’s and I’ve been working with Vermeil also. It really is true, buy the best you can afford to buy, then price accordingly. I truly believe that if you price too low, people don’t believe you really have the stones you say you have. Then they question everything about you.
I did not take pics at the show, but I have a few of a plate full of beads — I hope you enjoy
