11/14 Gem Faire Tacoma Dome
Hey everyone, thank you for stopping by my jewelry blog :) Are you excited to take an inside look at the Gem Faire? But...
First things first, I'd like to let you know that my plate is full on custom ordering. I want to be able to finish pieces in time for everyone who ordered to receive their jewelry pieces before Christmas arrives. Also, tomorrow is the last day to buy the sterling & Swarovski "lil plump earrings" (butterflies, flowers, stars) for the sale price of $10. (You can't beat $10 with free shipping on my work).
All other orders, please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to process. Any piece with an "Add to Cart" button is still available for purchase (unless sold out appears), I'm just not accepting custom orders.
I've been receiving an influx of e-mails regarding shipping. Paypal will send you a confirmation e-mail the day your package is shipped. I do make all my jewelry to order, and please note it is a the holiday shopping season. I wish I was Super Woman, but sadly I'm not (yet). I do want everyone to get their jewelry before Christmas, therefore I apologize if I can't take your custom orders until after the Holidays.
Now time for a more fun jewelry news.
I attended the Gem Faire, spelled "Faire" yes. They came through the city, and was held at the Tacoma Dome here in Washington. This was my first "big" fair, and let me tell you I was overwhelmed! I just didn't know where to start, how to work with vendors because the people at these stands were the actually owners of the crystals, gems, silver, gold, jade, and the list goes on! They aren't just representatives or dealers.
I guess the Gem Faire is a big deal in the "jewelry world. (mostly consists of old mean ladies..and gay guys) Minh thought that was interesting. Some ladies are so mean when they negotiate prices. It's scary.
I went with Minh and his sister Van. Van also beads and makes jewelry ^_^, but she's very versatile & likes to work with all sorts of materials unlike me. I'm pretty stubborn and use mostly Sterling Silver & Swarovski. I'm brand loyal ^_~ But I'm going to introduce a more upscale line in the near future with gem stones.
She's came up 3 hrs from Vancouver for the weekend. I'm glad Minh has sisters, I have instant friends since I moved here. I'm glad that there's someone else in our "family" who makes jewelry, it's just great to have someone to relate to, and know what you're talking about. Sometimes we speak in "jewelry language." Minh's definitely catching up, which is great. I taught my grasshopper well :) He was all being overly cocky with his new founded jewelry knowledge a few months ago. Van tested him, "Minh, what is a headpin?" lol
Back to topic, Gem Faire ~ Tacoma Dome ~ Photos are Prohibited, but Blackberry's have cameras ~ : ) So here is an inside peak at a jewelry fair.
Gem Faire Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma Dome
11/14/09
Friday-Sunday (whole weekend event) General Admission: $5
Wholesalers Admission was free 10am-12pm Friday ...but yeah I was sleeping hahaha
We didn't go until yesterday (Saturday)
Tacoma is about 45 minutes from Bellevue
I had a weekend pass, but I couldn't use it anyways
They give every guest a shopping bag, how nice right?
Like this x 100, it was like a career fair at college LOL
There were at least a hundred booths like this one above.
24 K GOLD
(as Holly would say, "ye-yeahhhh")
You buy this by the weight, not quantity
This pic reminds me of Aladdin for some reason lol
They're a business from Oregon, but they import these goods from Africa.
CAVE OF WONDERS!
(Yes, I did buy from them, and got a contact ^_~)
Loose Swarovski Crystals
(more than one booth sold them, so imagine this place...)
I needed to sneak a picture of these for sure.
No vendor gave discounts on Swarovski..reason? Swarovski is raising their prices soon, so the vendors rather hold on to them because they're going to be worth more.
If you own Swarovski jewelry, your pieces are worth more now at the pawn shop lol jk.
That's the "inside" info that we got from the owners of almost every stand.
Talk about selection!
I think you could buy a few houses with all those crystals.
Random findings, lol I'm not interested in beads, I'm into crystals, silver, and now stones.
TASSEL=EXPENSIVE
I learned that from Van ^_~ She's gone to more bead fairs than me.
I'm originally from Michigan...and yeah..large fairs don't come by too often.
Sold by the weight, not the quantity.
I think it's because the price fluctuates aka goes up all the time.
Buying from the direct source/supplier is nice because they are there to answer all of your questions, about where the item was made, what style cuts gems are, etc.
It's a great learning experience : )
If you see tassels on the strands it means the jewelry is expensive, but that's part of the attraction....am I right? It looks so fancy.
Prior to going, Van told me that there is a crystal that's more expensive than Swarovski.
I was like..WHAT?! I tried to research and research, and it turns out they're gem stones. lol
I never got into stones because they're expensive and I never had the overhead to splurge.
I wish I got a sweet pic of them,
The owner was right there...
He travels to the US from India 3 times a year to sell at this fair (they are a West Coast fair).
California, Oregon, and Washington. (maybe more?)
This particular owner doesn't have a website unlike most of the other vendors. He only sells here, and to designers. SWEET RIGHT?
I was like "WOWWWWWWWWWW"
I bought a few strands from him, it was too expensive for my pockets.
I bought a variety of Lemon Quartz, Amethyst (as in the real deal not the color), and Rainbow Moonstones. You'll see them in the future when I introduce the website which is still going...the launch is on the web developer's time, he's a perfectionist. I can't really say much because he works on $5k-$37,000 projects..and then he works on my tiny website..and I don't pay him $37,000 lol, but when it's launch I'll definitely introduce him to you all.
Overall, I just wanted to share this post to show you bits & pieces of my life.
I also want you to see that the possibilities are endless when it comes to jewelry art, or design.
You shouldn't copy or imitate other's work. There's endless possibilities, use your mind.
Don't make it mindless cause then you're a factory worker.
(Trust me, I've spent a summer working on the assembly line at Amyway making Artistry cosmetics ^_~)
In other life news, Minh scored a job at one of the United State's largest law firms.
lol, he has a 9-5 style job like everyone else now.
: )
Congrats hunnie!
To bad you can't be your own boss anymore, like me :P
Life for us may change again pretty soon for the better.
We may say goodbye to Bellevue and move closer to Downtown Seattle.
Unfortunately, DSK will lose a valuable worker... :' (
Oh well, time to hire a pool boy. (and we don't have a pool).
jk jk
He now works right near the Space Needle in downtown Seattle!
If you look to the right, it's the edge of the building he works in...LOOK how close he is to the Space Needle. And...Louis Vuitton is only a few blocks away from him lol
I wouldn't mind going to work everyday~! Minh loves LV btw...it's kind of scary.
I get excited every time I see the Space Needle. (I'm such a tourist still)!!!
But hey...I've lived here for only 2 and 1/2 months, and came from a small town!
We had no LV store, we had no SEPHORA, we had the supermarket lol.
I love my life now : )
I do miss my friends & family though.
My mommy & sister are visiting Nov 23rd-Dec 1st
And I'm flying back to Michigan to spend Christmas.
(He's a 3 month old Maltipoo Mix Mystery!)
His mom was adopted & they found out she was preggers
I baby sat my nephew Happy while Van & her bf Tony were out.
He was staring at me as I took pictures of my new pride & joy.
...109 pairs of Shisem lashes.
Should last me a while!
I bought a variety too, I want to get back into makeup blogging more
I spent all year looking for these damn lashes!
I had wonderful friends who sent me some, but I really wanted to see them in RL for myself lol.
For those who don't know Shisem are a brand of quality Korean False Lashes.
Each pair comes with 2 little bottles of lash glue.
I won't have to buy more for a while : )
My year long hunger for Shisem is now satisfied.
Red Mango... = YUMMMMMMY
You city people are so lucky, you grew up your whole life privileged!
You get to have the newest and greatest first.
People like me grew up watching you city girls on TV or following your lives on the internet lol
I am so happy to live in a big city, I can't say it enough!
Blue Fin Sushi @ Northgate Mall (Seattle)
This is a sushi buffet, and look how nice everything looks! lol
Ok, you probably had enough of me.
I will post a lot more Triple Heart Necklaces tomorrow.
Stay tuned!
I've been really stressed with the amount of holiday orders, so please bare with me.
Thank you for reading : )
First things first, I'd like to let you know that my plate is full on custom ordering. I want to be able to finish pieces in time for everyone who ordered to receive their jewelry pieces before Christmas arrives. Also, tomorrow is the last day to buy the sterling & Swarovski "lil plump earrings" (butterflies, flowers, stars) for the sale price of $10. (You can't beat $10 with free shipping on my work).
All other orders, please allow 1-2 weeks for your order to process. Any piece with an "Add to Cart" button is still available for purchase (unless sold out appears), I'm just not accepting custom orders.
I've been receiving an influx of e-mails regarding shipping. Paypal will send you a confirmation e-mail the day your package is shipped. I do make all my jewelry to order, and please note it is a the holiday shopping season. I wish I was Super Woman, but sadly I'm not (yet). I do want everyone to get their jewelry before Christmas, therefore I apologize if I can't take your custom orders until after the Holidays.
Now time for a more fun jewelry news.
I attended the Gem Faire, spelled "Faire" yes. They came through the city, and was held at the Tacoma Dome here in Washington. This was my first "big" fair, and let me tell you I was overwhelmed! I just didn't know where to start, how to work with vendors because the people at these stands were the actually owners of the crystals, gems, silver, gold, jade, and the list goes on! They aren't just representatives or dealers.
I guess the Gem Faire is a big deal in the "jewelry world. (mostly consists of old mean ladies..and gay guys) Minh thought that was interesting. Some ladies are so mean when they negotiate prices. It's scary.
I went with Minh and his sister Van. Van also beads and makes jewelry ^_^, but she's very versatile & likes to work with all sorts of materials unlike me. I'm pretty stubborn and use mostly Sterling Silver & Swarovski. I'm brand loyal ^_~ But I'm going to introduce a more upscale line in the near future with gem stones.
She's came up 3 hrs from Vancouver for the weekend. I'm glad Minh has sisters, I have instant friends since I moved here. I'm glad that there's someone else in our "family" who makes jewelry, it's just great to have someone to relate to, and know what you're talking about. Sometimes we speak in "jewelry language." Minh's definitely catching up, which is great. I taught my grasshopper well :) He was all being overly cocky with his new founded jewelry knowledge a few months ago. Van tested him, "Minh, what is a headpin?" lol
Back to topic, Gem Faire ~ Tacoma Dome ~ Photos are Prohibited, but Blackberry's have cameras ~ : ) So here is an inside peak at a jewelry fair.
Gem Faire Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma Dome
11/14/09
Friday-Sunday (whole weekend event) General Admission: $5
Wholesalers Admission was free 10am-12pm Friday ...but yeah I was sleeping hahaha
We didn't go until yesterday (Saturday)
Tacoma is about 45 minutes from Bellevue
I had a weekend pass, but I couldn't use it anyways
They give every guest a shopping bag, how nice right?
Like this x 100, it was like a career fair at college LOLThe general public is welcome to shop, but you do get charged higher prices & tax
There were at least a hundred booths like this one above.
24 K GOLD
(as Holly would say, "ye-yeahhhh")
You buy this by the weight, not quantity
This pic reminds me of Aladdin for some reason lol
They're a business from Oregon, but they import these goods from Africa.
CAVE OF WONDERS!
(Yes, I did buy from them, and got a contact ^_~)
Loose Swarovski Crystals(more than one booth sold them, so imagine this place...)
I needed to sneak a picture of these for sure.
No vendor gave discounts on Swarovski..reason? Swarovski is raising their prices soon, so the vendors rather hold on to them because they're going to be worth more.
If you own Swarovski jewelry, your pieces are worth more now at the pawn shop lol jk.
That's the "inside" info that we got from the owners of almost every stand.
Talk about selection!
I think you could buy a few houses with all those crystals.
Random findings, lol I'm not interested in beads, I'm into crystals, silver, and now stones.
TASSEL=EXPENSIVEI learned that from Van ^_~ She's gone to more bead fairs than me.
I'm originally from Michigan...and yeah..large fairs don't come by too often.
Sold by the weight, not the quantity.
I think it's because the price fluctuates aka goes up all the time.
Buying from the direct source/supplier is nice because they are there to answer all of your questions, about where the item was made, what style cuts gems are, etc.
It's a great learning experience : )
If you see tassels on the strands it means the jewelry is expensive, but that's part of the attraction....am I right? It looks so fancy.
Prior to going, Van told me that there is a crystal that's more expensive than Swarovski.
I was like..WHAT?! I tried to research and research, and it turns out they're gem stones. lol
I never got into stones because they're expensive and I never had the overhead to splurge.
I wish I got a sweet pic of them,
The owner was right there...
He travels to the US from India 3 times a year to sell at this fair (they are a West Coast fair).
California, Oregon, and Washington. (maybe more?)
This particular owner doesn't have a website unlike most of the other vendors. He only sells here, and to designers. SWEET RIGHT?
I was like "WOWWWWWWWWWW"
I bought a few strands from him, it was too expensive for my pockets.
I bought a variety of Lemon Quartz, Amethyst (as in the real deal not the color), and Rainbow Moonstones. You'll see them in the future when I introduce the website which is still going...the launch is on the web developer's time, he's a perfectionist. I can't really say much because he works on $5k-$37,000 projects..and then he works on my tiny website..and I don't pay him $37,000 lol, but when it's launch I'll definitely introduce him to you all.
Overall, I just wanted to share this post to show you bits & pieces of my life.
I also want you to see that the possibilities are endless when it comes to jewelry art, or design.
You shouldn't copy or imitate other's work. There's endless possibilities, use your mind.
Don't make it mindless cause then you're a factory worker.
(Trust me, I've spent a summer working on the assembly line at Amyway making Artistry cosmetics ^_~)
In other life news, Minh scored a job at one of the United State's largest law firms.
lol, he has a 9-5 style job like everyone else now.
: )
Congrats hunnie!
To bad you can't be your own boss anymore, like me :P
Life for us may change again pretty soon for the better.
We may say goodbye to Bellevue and move closer to Downtown Seattle.
Unfortunately, DSK will lose a valuable worker... :' (
Oh well, time to hire a pool boy. (and we don't have a pool).
jk jk
He now works right near the Space Needle in downtown Seattle!If you look to the right, it's the edge of the building he works in...LOOK how close he is to the Space Needle. And...Louis Vuitton is only a few blocks away from him lol
I wouldn't mind going to work everyday~! Minh loves LV btw...it's kind of scary.
I get excited every time I see the Space Needle. (I'm such a tourist still)!!!But hey...I've lived here for only 2 and 1/2 months, and came from a small town!
We had no LV store, we had no SEPHORA, we had the supermarket lol.
I love my life now : )
I do miss my friends & family though.
My mommy & sister are visiting Nov 23rd-Dec 1st
And I'm flying back to Michigan to spend Christmas.
(He's a 3 month old Maltipoo Mix Mystery!)His mom was adopted & they found out she was preggers
I baby sat my nephew Happy while Van & her bf Tony were out.
He was staring at me as I took pictures of my new pride & joy.
...109 pairs of Shisem lashes.
Should last me a while!
I bought a variety too, I want to get back into makeup blogging more
I spent all year looking for these damn lashes!
I had wonderful friends who sent me some, but I really wanted to see them in RL for myself lol.
For those who don't know Shisem are a brand of quality Korean False Lashes.
Each pair comes with 2 little bottles of lash glue.
I won't have to buy more for a while : )
My year long hunger for Shisem is now satisfied.
Red Mango... = YUMMMMMMY
You city people are so lucky, you grew up your whole life privileged!You get to have the newest and greatest first.
People like me grew up watching you city girls on TV or following your lives on the internet lol
I am so happy to live in a big city, I can't say it enough!
Blue Fin Sushi @ Northgate Mall (Seattle)
This is a sushi buffet, and look how nice everything looks! lol
Ok, you probably had enough of me.
I will post a lot more Triple Heart Necklaces tomorrow.
Stay tuned!
I've been really stressed with the amount of holiday orders, so please bare with me.
Thank you for reading : )
