Tucson Bead Shows 2013 - here I come!

Whew!  It seems like only last year I was at the Tucson gem and bead shows.  Oh wait.  It was only last year that I was.  :)  I'm excited to go back, it's so much fun and I'm really looking forward to picking up amazing things to bring back.  I'm also excited to eat at one of my favorite breakfast places (Sunrise cafe), meet new and exciting beaders, maybe make a few friends along the way, and generally, have a good time.  You can follow along here (on the blog) and through this photo album.

One of my favorite booths!  It's HUGE and amazing.  See the front table on the left?  Coral.  Piles of coral.

Today I need to get ready.  I need to make our itinerary, what shows we're going to hit, make sure everything is printed (our wholesale badges, etc), and leave notes for the team here.

To take/pack (other than clothes and personal items):

• a budget - this is particularly important because it's easy to get overwhelmed and fall in love with literally everything.
• itinerary.  I like having an idea of the exact hours shows are open and their location/addresses.  This helps me plan our trip fairly effectively and efficiently.  I'm not staying long, so I have to use the time as wisely as possible. 
• bag with wheels - I typically take a backpack style bag, so I can roll it when it gets really heavy, and I can pick it up and carry it if I need, or if I'm feeling particularly guilty about the deliciousness I had for breakfast and to gear up for dinner. 

Uhm, so yum!

• notebook - I've been making notes about what we need/what to look for/special requests for the last few months.  Can't forget this!
• copies of our Sales Tax License - we go to primarily wholesale shows and need this to register and get in, some vendors also ask for it when we buy, so it's good to have a few copies, just in case)
• checkbook - this is the one I usually forget.  I just don't keep a checkbook with me, ever.  However, some vendors will only take checks or cash.
• badges -  Some shows we can pre-register for, which we typically do.  I like having all of that stuff pre-printed and ready to go, that way we can just walk in when we show up.  Saves time.
• sticky labels - this one might not be as important for you, but for us, it's really important.  This means that when we purchasing something, we can tag the item exactly as it's sold to us.  There are some stones that can look a lot like other stones, or things that have fancy names that I might not remember later.  I tag them on the spot.
• business cards - another thing I sometimes forget.
• comfortable shoes.  So much walking!
• heart rate monitor/calorie counter.  Might as well find out what my actual exertion is!  It's feels like it's a lot. 

Gosh, what else.  I feel like there's so much, but there's not really.  So, here's a picture of some mother of pearl beads.  :)  (want more pictures from last year?  Check out this album.)

- Anne

P.S. - the store is open this week!  Check in on Aimee while I'm away, don't let her be lonely.  There's a sale on gemstone strands this week too (Monday - Wednesday), 30% off. 

How to tell if amber is real or resin

Amber is beautiful, but with so many imitations (a lot of them very good imitations), how can you tell if it's real or not?  We recently got some amber into the store that was... suspicious.  So I decided to find out. 

I did some researching (which means that I called my dad and he Googled it while I was on the phone with him).  From AmberGallery.net, we found an article about how to test amber and decide if it's real or fake.  Here's an excerpt.

Testing: It's not really difficult to tell real amber from fake plastic or copal.  You can try just a few simple tests:

1.Copal (immature resin) and plastic fake amber do not hold up to solvents.  Take a few drops of acetone (fingernail polish remover) or alcohol and drip it over the surface of your piece.  If the surface becomes tacky, or the fluid takes on the honey golden color of the substance, you can bet it's not amber.  Amber is not harmed and will not dissolve under these solvents.

2.Amber does not melt.  It will burn away like incense.  Copal will melt, as will plastic. However, the plastic will release a horrible chemical smell upon burning, while copal may release a smell similar to that of amber.  Amber smells sweet, piney and pleasant when burnt, the very reason it has been used for centuries as incense.

3.Amber is buoyant in salt water.  That's why it is easy for locals on the Baltic Coast to find it washed up on beaches, especially after storm events. The amber gets stirred up from a layer known as blue earth, which is beneath layers of silt and clay on the ocean floor. To do this test, mix about 1 part salt to 2 parts water and dissolve the salt completely.  Drop your piece into the mixture.  Plastic and copal will drop out, while amber floats. 

I decided to go for #2.  Robin, an awesome customer, also recommended this method, and to be honest, it sounded like the most fun.  I took a bead and stuck it to a knotting awl so I could light it on fire and not injure myself.  However, I don't have a lighter in the store, no matches either.  Thankfully, our friends at Fat Jack's sandwiches did have a lighter that they so kindly let me borrow. 

The result:  NOT AMBER, these beads are resin.  They definitively smelled like burning plastic.  It was also not as cool as I would have thought, I thought the bead would actually catch fire, but it didn't, it just, got warm.  Lame.