This year, I travelled to Tucson, AZ again, and a friend joined me. Six days of uninterrupted "girl time" shopping for sparkly things - I can't think of a more fun way to spend my time. We worked from morning until dusk gem hunting and picking fabulous stones, pendants, and beads. A memorable dinner was had at Mama Lousia's, a very traditional, family style Italian Restaurant that makes their own home made pasta (and pretty much everything else) from scratch every day.

There were many great finds from both existing and new suppliers from all over the world, and I can't wait to share these beautiful finds with you in the coming months in new designs and some one of a kind pieces at local Artisan markets.

A particular highlight this year was the incredible quartz specimens from Columbia I discovered at one of the shows - shown in the image pictured. These clusters left me breathless with their extraordinary, unmatched beauty! It was also very exciting to visit a boulder opal company from Australia who were breaking boulders to expose gorgeous opals right before our eyes.

Thank you Tucson, for a memorable and productive trip - till next time!