August 12, 2010

More New Earrings

I finally made a few new pairs of earrings! I seem to have a love for smoky quartz...I use it a lot.
Ok, that was a short post. Off to make yet more earrings!

New earrings

August 08, 2010

Some Gem Faire Finds...

I attended my second Gem Faire a few days ago. I am always overwhelmed by the massive amount of gems and beads at these events! I am pretty good at controlling myself ...I don't buy a ton of items. This time, I bought eight strands of gems and three strands of pearls. Here are my tips for tackling a Gem Faire:

  1. Set a budget for yourself. This should include an amount for any "oh my gosh, I just HAVE to have that" items that you find.
  2. Find out what you need/want before you go. This is a hard one for me, since I make one-of-a-kind pieces and I never know what I might make next. Make a list if you need to.
  3. Do some research ahead of time. I always check out the dealer list and floor plan, which is listed on the Gem Faire website. See if you can find out a little about some of the vendors. I also printed out a copy of the floor plan during my first visit to the Gem Faire (I don't know if they provide copies at the door).
  4. Arrive early. I don't care for crowds, and it makes it harder to look at items when there are a lot of people. I'm just impatient!
  5. Take a quick stroll around the Faire before you actually purchase anything. Take notes if you need to.
  6. Keep track of what you buy. If you plan on re-selling your gems or selling handmade jewelry, it's important to know what you buy. Many vendors don't list the names of their gems, and it can be confusing to know exactly what is what. Ask questions!
Here are the gems that I purchased at the Gem Faire a few days ago. Like I mentioned, I didn't buy a whole lot: