Last week I had a chance to go to a wholesale bead show… Rings and Things, based in Spokane, WA, does a circuit of traveling shows. Holy extravaganza, Batman!

I went after work (Clay camp) with a beader friend/colleague. We headed to Bal’mur, Hon. The show was only open from 1 pm until 5 pm. Yikes! A double conference room, rows of tables, heaped with gemstones.

Please pause for this reality check: I plan to start creating, selling, and otherwise exhibiting necklaces featuring my ceramic pendants. So this is a planned expenditure – and yet still a splurge!

 From the top: emerald, angelite, pyrite, Zambian aquamarine, ambrolite, tiger jasper, citrine, poppy jasper. (Never heard of angelite or ambrolite. Will have to research them in my crystals/gemstones book.)

Aventurine, aquamarine, ocean jasper, smoky quartz, bone, rhyolite.

Moonstone, mystery glass, garnet, blue ribbon jasper. (Love the last two – look like polished river stones.)

And lastly, in a jumble: olive jade, smoky quartz, African turquoise, amazonite, goldstone, blue goldstone, amethyst, tourmilated green quartz. And sterling owl beads – really! Yes, please.

I had a batch of pendants with me at the show and I am quite excited to pair these stones with some of the glazes I use. I will post pix here as they come to be…Right now I just like gazing at the pretties, my preciousssss.