As I reported a couple of blogs ago, this year I took a big step forward for me in my gemstone endeavors because I went to Tucson for the first time. Hosting over 55 shows with more than 20,000 vendors, the relatively small Arizona town turns into a theater of tents, cramped with visitors from all over the world, buying and selling gems, fossils, minerals. You have to plan your trip carefully,...

I am so excited.  On February 2^nd, I am leaving for my first Tucson show ever.  I will be there for the entire week, working part time and shopping part time, making new connections and getting a better sense of availability and pricing of gems.

For those of you who don’t know that much about Tucson, it is thelargest gem show of the world. It takes place once a year, from mid-late January to...

Yes, there are rules when you buy gems.  And if you don’t know what they are, you can easily offend or, much to your disadvantage, drive up the price at which you buy.  These ten tips will save you some grief, and hopefully also some $$$ at your next gem buying spree.  Remember also that strict rules are established because it is easy to cheat in the gem business.  Trust, therefore, is everything.

In one word: overwhelming.  I was at the Jeweler’s Association Summer show at the Javitt’s Convention Center last weekend.  I had a long list of things I needed and a smaller customer wish list.  I had a good night’s sleep and got there 5 minutes after they opened.  Eight hours later, I was completely wiped out. 

The show I went to is mainly for jewelry but the AGTA pavilion has about 50 gem and...