My Jewelry Discoveries from the Tucson, New York, and Baltimore Shows

Welcome back to Jewelry Navigator Podcast!

It's been a few weeks since I last published a podcast episode and the last one was the pre-departure for my Tucson trip and that was in February.

We're rolling into the second week of March, and I wanted to catch you up on what and who I saw in  Tucson.

You can follow along with my Instagram feed as I’ve posted support content that will coordinate with the podcast.

Another thing I want to mention that I'm creating, I'm really excited about, it's sort of like a magazine feature that will be on a devoted page to the Tucson show. I started to create a new category on my website which will be devoted to shows and the designers that I meet and feature from the shows.

02:16 So let's get busy! If you're unfamiliar with what trade shows are for the jewelry industry, they're essentially the same as trade shows and conferences are to every other industry in that they offer a lifeline through which industries can learn the latest advancements and shop the latest products within their industry.

While the cost to attend or exhibit and an is an investment of time and money, trade shows are still a really good way to form a nurture relationships with industry peers and specialists.

I've had the privilege of meeting and getting to know gem and jewelry specialists and by attending these shows and conferences, mostly trade shows. Now the trade shows can be divided in a couple of different ways.

Many trade shows exclusively serve businesses in the trade, so you have to have a business or a business license in order to shop wholesale from these trade shows.

Some of the shows that I attended in Tucson are open to the public, so it's not necessary to have a business license to attend these shows.

Although if you want the, if you want the benefit of being able to shop at a wholesale price, then you have to have a resale license or own a business.

03:48 Okay. Onto my adventures in Tucson!

Tucson, Arizona becomes a Mecca for gem, mineral and jewelry fanatics collectors and buyers.

They all show up in Tucson anywhere from mid January through mid February and the entire downtown region transforms into a blanket of white event tents along with hotels that had been converted into venues for gem and jewelry vendors and a little bit of history for you.

The Tucson gem and mineral show began in 1955 originally it was held and an elementary school and the show was established by the Tucson gem and mineral society. But in 1973 it got too big, so they had to move it to the Tucson community center and by now it's basically taken over the city.

04:54 This was my second year attending the shows in Tucson and after establishing relationships in the past year with a few select designers who were attending Tucson, and also a couple of shows in New York at the New York now show, my focus was narrowed to supporting these designers who were exhibiting in these shows.

If you've been listening to jewelry navigator podcast, you know the dynamics and the purpose of why I share the stories of the designers and the gem information is because I want to bring an awareness and an education that these designers exist and that there are different kinds of gemstones that you can work with and select for jewelry.

I'm always always about supporting the small designer who is doing something different and unique for those people who do want to stand out.

And whenever I can, I visit the designers and feature them on the podcast. And most of the designers that I have featured on the podcast I've ever met, met them at a show or knew them before I started the podcast. So it's just been a delight to share their stories through through the past couple of years. And with this being international women's day just yesterday, but also celebrating it through the month of March. I just want to share a gratitude for the women designers who I have featured on the podcast and you can go through and listen to pa