ART JEWELRy
BLOG
Shopping at the Mall Gem Show Style
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The GLW Gem mall show has over 200 vendors. Most of them sell beads. Millions and millions of beads. For us bonafide bead junkies this is heaven on earth. Beads, things made out of beads, things for making things out of beads, things that are not beads, but you might be able to use them for beads...this is what all malls would look like if bead artists ran the world. This show alone is a full day of play. And it even has its own food court, complete with miniature doughnuts that remind me of big beads.
The vendors are accommodated in two football field sized tents. No frills and for the most part no fancy displays. Just tables mounded high with beads made of every mineral you can imagine. Some deal in single beads and some only in kilos. Kilos of one style, no assorting. What does a person do with a kilo of 6mm aventurine beads? Every year there seems to be one stone that dominates the show. Last year it was ocean jasper. This year it is agate. Dyed agate, natural agate, cut and tumbled agate, banded agate, agates with crystals and without. Did Brazil put agate on sale this year? We will never know because all this Brazilian agate comes from...no not Brazil, silly...from China! And yes, today I succumbed and bought agate.
One of the two gigantic tents housing the Gem and Lapidary Wholesalers Gem Mall show. The vendors at this show mainly sell gemstone beads and pearls.
My Favorite Gem Mall Vendor
With more than 200 vendors to choose from you would think it would be difficult to have a favorite. For me there is no contest; its Stone Town. Owner Andrew Ho has an eye for the unique and beautiful and always brings high quality stones in unusual cuts. He and his staff are helpful and knowledgeable. Stone Town does not have a storefront location or an internet site. Andrew found that it was too difficult for people to choose gemstones without seeing and touching them. So for now
Stone Town remains an insiders secret. Stone Town does several wholesale shows a month in different U.S. cities. To receive a schedule of show dates, email Andrew at:
My Favorite Gem Mall artist
OK, I’m going to let the secret out: Meet jewelry artist Dale Levy a.k.a. The Lady From Venice. Up until today I only knew her by her company name and wasn’t even sure if there really was a lady behind the legend. Yes, Dale does live in Venice, Italy and creates stunning necklaces from venetian glass beads. Her intuitive and unusual combinations of shape and color bring the beads to life. I will post an interview with Dale in a future featured artist segment, where she will share more about her work and her creative process.
Until then please visit Dale at her website. These are just a few of the lovely designs you will find there. She does many shows throughout the U.S. where you can meet her in person and see her gorgeous work. Ask her where she will be next.
