The Northern Lights in nature is a spectacle of color and light found in the northern areas of the world. The wonderful stones referred to as Aurora Borealis in jewelry making also have dazzling display of color and shimmer. They sparkle and have a myriad of stone coatings to give us this nature in jewelry look.

"The" Tucson Gem Show is actually an amalgamation of multiple trade show organizations, with each organization taking over a complete hotel, sometimes with large tents in the parking lots to accommodate all the dealers who usually are at the same booths each year, making it easier for you to find your favorites quickly.

It’s about this time each year that I find my New Year’s resolutions fading. It’s amazing how they become subject to revision. To keep that from happening, I’ve been making sturdier and sturdier ones every year. Ones that presumably can’t fail. Ha!

The name Emerald comes from the Greek word "Smaragdos " and the Latin  word "Smaragdus" meaning "Green", and is said to be a symbol of love, rebirth and eternal youth.  Known as
May's birthstone, it is also the stone for the zodiac signs of Taurus, Gemini and Cancer and can be given as a gem on the 20th, 35th, and 55th wedding anniversary.

The locket has been around for centuries, used to as a vessel to stow an item of value or a keepsake close to the owner’s heart such as hair, a photograph of beloved, powders or perfumes, even poisons. Lockets have been fashioned with many different metals through the years: brass, copper, gold and gold fill, sterling silver. Gold-filled lockets seem to be more common in the vintage market.

All home work spaces need to be functional, of course, but when one lives in a wheelchair for the bulk of each day, unique considerations come into play. The addition of a modest budget dictates an arranged marriage between fun and frustration! Enter good friend with a hammer.

I’m a long time jewelry dealer: but I have a bit of a conflict. It’s my tendency to hang on to those wonderful whimsical novelty Bakelite pieces from the 1940s. Admittedly, I’ve paid some rather high prices for a few pieces in my collection: but part of the fun of collecting is finding Bakelite jewelry at bargain prices in unexpected places.

For years was a professor of Creative Writing. I still publish my poetry, although my focus has shifted to jewelry design.

When I was in graduate school, and we were just starting to publish poems, a classmate submitted a draft to workshop with a copyright sign at the bottom. Our teacher said, “What’s up? Do you think you are T.S. Eliot? (Teachers were tough in those days—more like wrestling coaches than teachers.) His point was that it was unnecessary for us to believe that anyone would want to steal our work. The implication was that we’d need to be as great as T.S. Eliot before we’d need to worry about it.

The name Aquamarine comes from the Greek "Beryllos" and the Latin "Aqua Marine" meaning "Sea Water" and is considered to symbolize peace, hope, youth, foresight, courage and happiness. Known as March's birthstone, it is also the stone for the zodiac sign of Scorpio and can be given as a gem on the 16th and 19th wedding anniversary.

Go to most any vintage web site that has various categories and you are sure to see that vintage jewelry is the most in demand. Collectors, dealers, and people in general enjoy it. If you go to a modern shop or chain store today, and browse the costume jewelry section , you will soon understand why.