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Friday, January 25, 2002
A gem of an opportunity
Illustration by Chiara Bautista / Staff
Have a plan
Enjoying the shows you want to see requires a plan. Here's one that Joan Johnson uses (she and her husband are longtime showcase buyers and manage the Bead Renaissance Show):
* Decide in advance what shows to attend and map out a route.
* Wear comfy shoes and clothing, and try to bring just the right type of outerwear for the weather.
* Park and take the shuttle.
* Consume multivitamins and plenty of fluids to ward off germs in close quarters.
* Rest over a leisurely lunch.
* Carry a checkbook and only a small amount of cash in a waist pack each day.
* Carry all your purchases in a backpack or a lightweight tote.
* Collect vendors' business cards and write on the back what you're interested in. You can order later if the exhibitor is busy or you can't return to the booth.
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More tips
* Avoid trying to park in hotel lots; they're usually full.
* Make a shopping list and compare prices.
* Plan to spend one day each at the bigger venues.
* Be a smart shopper. Ask for receipts and about return policies, seek appraisals for expensive items, and know the general worth of items you're shopping for.
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Show bargains also awaiting general public
By Elena Acoba
SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Tucson is in for a rocky 18 days as one of the world's larger gatherings of the gem trade gets under way Thursday.
But the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, which runs until Feb. 17, isn't just for the insider world of designers, jewelry makers and inventory buyers.
Nineteen of the show's 35 sites are open to the public. They allow those of us who normally shop at retail outlets to buy loose and uncut gems, rare or contemporary beads, rough and collector mineral and fossil specimens, and next holiday season's hot jewelry. Maybe even at great prices.
That doesn't mean you get to shop like a wholesaler or trade buyer, however. Their resale purchases are exempt from sales taxes. Because they spend scads of money looking to replenish stock headed for the retail market, dealers tend to spend a lot of time with them.
Take the Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show, for example. "The public is welcome," show manager Martin Zinn wrote in an e-mail note, "but our dealers cater to members of the trade."
Organizers of shows that are open to both wholesale and retail markets often let individual dealers or exhibitors decide whether they want to sell to the general public. Sometimes dealers won't bother with retail shoppers until the wholesale market appears tapped for the show.
"February 13 to 16 offers a good time to shop, when exhibitors have finished with the trade buyers," suggested George Zraket, who runs Atrium Productions' Gem-Mineral-Jewelry-Fossil Show.
* Elena Acoba, a free-lance writer,
is a former Arizona Daily Star
reporter.
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