2011 Tucson

wow! I went, I saw, and I bought a lot....I attended Jan 31-Feb 3rd. Who knew it snowed in Arizona?? Weirdest weather ever experienced in 20 years of going I tell ya. At the Riverpark/Pueblo show, (which is one of my favorites) Ethiopian opal rough was EVERYWHERE, and fire agate from the mine there in Arizona; it was reasonably priced too. The GJX show....ehhh did not do it for me this year. Too pricey on all their materials. Electric Park was deserted when I got there due to the cold. I observed buckets of rough sitting in frozen ice. So, I went to the Gem Mall to blow my last hour of shopping. Boy am I glad i did. It is a wholesale only show, so bring your id, anyway, went in and found the most lovely Red River Jaspar cut by Intrinsic Trading. Go see these guys because they are gonna get big fast is my opinion. Top notch stuff in quantity and beautifully cut and polished. There was a good bit of all kinds of opal there too, and i bought accordingly.....Tucson is once a year heaven on earth for a jeweler, and i can't wait 'till next year