"Agates and Jaspers" - New Book

For millions of years Mother Nature has tried her hand at natural scenes and abstract paintings. The incredible fruits of her labors can be seen in the hundreds of varieties of agates and jaspers found mostly in America but also in far-flung places like Northern Africa and the outer-limits of China. Quartz enthusiast, Ron Gibbs, has prepared a much-needed photo-identification guide to jasper as well as non-banded agate, “Agates and Jaspers,” that will help jewelers become knowledgeable about the many localities for these gems as well as their unique patterns and other visual characteristics. Priced at $40, this color photo-crammed 230-page paperback provides the detailed jasper and agate panorama jewelers and consumers new to (and even acquainted with) these wonderful stones need.

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The photographs are terrific and Ron even shows how to make photographs of these fabulous rocks.

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To purchase the book please contact Ron at www.theimagebooks.com where there are more interior images from the book and a little about the author and the history of the book.
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Show and Craft Fair Set-up !

There has always been a delima as to how one sets up a sales display for Craft Fairs, Bazaars and Shows. I am sure there is no right or wrong way, but over the years we have come to find certain ways seem to be preferred by customers. This may be a regional thing also. What works in Texas may not in Oregon or New York, but may in Georgia.
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When we first started out other vendors seemed to use the "L" or "U" shape, where the customers came directly into the sales area. So we started out with a "U" shape at the first show (pic #1), which wasn't too bad in a 12x10 space, but it made for very close quarters when using a 10x10 tent outside (pic #2 & 3). Outside events generally mean vendors use tents in a 10x10 or 10x20 ft vendor space. However, we have found inside spaces can be 10x10, 12x10, 15x10 and in some case 10x8 ft in size.
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.Using the larger 12x10 or 15x10 ft spaces inside, we tried several different varients on this theme for a while (pic #4, 5 & 6), but being so close to and almost in the face of someone looking at the items, seemed to be a bit awkard and intimidating to the customer.

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A Visit to the Tuscon Gem Show was an eye opener. Although those with very large booths had the come-in and look around set-up, the majority of the smaller booths (pic #7 & #8)seemed to be set up where the customer stayed to the outside and the vendor inside the tables. These pictures of two of the major shows at Tucson show this concept.

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Now after several years of trial and error, we have decided that usually the best presentation is where the items being sold are placed on a table towards the customers, and we stay behind the table to discuss their options and purchases with them (pic #9 & #10). We then leave a walkway, where once they are pretty sure what they want, we can go outside the tables to help them try items on and hold a mirror for them.

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Placing display tables along the outside even works well when using the 10x10 ft tent (pic #11).

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However the ideal situation ocurrs when one is lucky enough to be able to obtain a corner location (Pic #12 & #13), even if it has a pole as seen in the last picture.

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As can also be noticed in the later photos, backdrops and draps, if not against a wall, also greatly enhance the displays so customers are not looking through your displays into those behind or beside you.

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Just remember each time you setup, be prepared for a whole new experience and things happen that have never happened before.

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'Cool Blue' for Spring

"Cool Blue" for Spring and Mother's Day
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See these "Cool Blue" Necklace and Earring Sets at the
St Helena Spring Craft Fair
Sat May 2nd 2009
10AM until 3PM

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QUARTZ with "Inclusions"

Pieces of 'Clear Quartz' with inclusions can be a facinating study. I am not about to attempt to list or go into the many types of inclusions that can occur in Quartz, because for each one I mention, someone will be able to name a dozen more. For the purpose of this article we will talk about 'Rutilated Quartz', 'Dendritic Quartz' and 'Tourmalinated Quartz'. I will also present some pictures I have been provided of some other interesting included Quartz pieces.
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A piece of clear crystal Quartz known as a Sceptor.

Dendritic Quartz. The stains are found in microscopic fissures that cause them to branch out like tree limbs or fern like inclusions. Of course in nature no two things are alike, making each gem one of a kind. Like most of the included quartz, the primary sources of Dendritic Quartz are Brazil and Africa, but some have been found in the western United Satates and Arkansas.

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Rutilated Quartz. Rutile is a major ore of titanium, which is a metal used for high tech alloys. It often forms needle-like crystal inclusions inside the Quartz crystal. This form of quartz looks like small bars of imbedded gold. Rutile is a 6 on the Mohs scale whereas Quartz is a 7. Because of the difference in hardness between the two materials and because of the way rutile forms inside, this can be a difficult stone to attain a smooth surface without pits. Most Rutilated Quartz is found is Brazil, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Madagascae, Brazil and several locations in the United States.

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Tourmalinated Quartz. As pointed out many minerals may be found as inclusions in quartz. When Tourmaline is found within quartz, the quartz is known as "tourmalinated". Most of this variety of Quartz is found in Brazil but large pockets have also been found in California.

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Here are some pictures of some other types of included Quartz.

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Quartz with included Pyrite........ Quartz with included Gilalite

Quartz with included Lepidocrocite and Hematite

Lodolite is a term used for a varity of Quartz with included minerals from Minas Gerais, Brazil. The colorations and patterns come from three main types of minerals, Chlorite, Iron, and Calcite.

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Some new Lapidary SLABS !

Some new finds in the way of rough lapidary materials. Hopefully they can be cut and polished to make interesting pendants and or pendant and earring sets.

Crystal Quartz from Arkansas---------Malachite from Arizona

Burrow Creek Agate from Arizona-----Tourtoise Shell Agate from Oregon

Polyhedroid Agate from Brazil

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NEW ITEMS for WINDFEST 2009

Windfest 2009 ---- taking place within TAKAS PARK, Windcreast, Texas ---- 18 April 2009 from 10am until 3pm.

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In addition to some new jewelry sets for Spring and especially Mother's Day, there will also be some lapidary, specimen items and faceted gemstones.

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TURQUOISE - OPALS - CHRYSOPRASE

One thing that is essential in the markets today is that one finds a good supplier, an honest supplier, a supplier who can get the unusual, and a supplier with whom one can become friends with. With these objectives all in place, it is fairly easy to obtain some of the unusual and hard to find gemstones to be able to be creative in ones jewelry making. It has also become a necessity that one be able to make some of ones own items, to get the size and style desired. To this end, it is great when one can find Kingman Turquoise, Australian Opal, Peruvian Pink Opal and California Green Chrysoprase available in sizes large enough that will make interesting pendants and beads.
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Not all Kingman AZ Turquoise is blue, each vein can be a bit different.
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Crystal Opals from the Australian Outback.
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Peruvian Pink Opals from the Andes Range.
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Green Crystal Chrysoprase from the California Coast.
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NO - Opals are not Organic Gemstones

Despite some e-mails telling me I left Opals out of the Orgainic Gemstone write-up, I must content Opals are not Organic.

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The Opal has been a popular gem for many centuries and has a very interesting structure. Opal is considered a mineraloid because this structure is not truly crystalline. The chemistry of Opal is primarily SiO2 and varying amounts of water. The amount of water varies from 5 -10% and greater. This water can help geologists determine the temperature of the host rock at the time the opal formed.

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Although there is no crystal structure, (meaning a regular arrangement of atoms) opal does possess a structure nonetheless. Random chains of silicon and oxygen are packed into extraordinarily tiny spheres. These spheres in most Opals are irregular in size and inconsistent in concentration. Yet in Precious Opal, the variety used most often in jewelry, there are many organized pockets of the spheres. These pockets contain spheres of approximately equal size and have a regular concentration, or structure, of the spheres. This has the effect of diffracting light at various wavelengths, creating colors. Each pocket produces a different color and with a different intensity, depending on the angle from which a viewer sees it. The multicolored flashes of light that Opal emits gives it a truly beautiful and valuable look. This effect is called a "play of light", and not "opalescence". The latter term describes the milky nature of the translucence of opal, and is more properly compared to the appearance of water to which a few drops of milk have been added.

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Please check my write-up from 10/07/2008 for more about Opals, especially Australian Opals.

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Thanks to Galleries.com for additional information on the Opal characteristics.

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