Tucson 2013 was a huge SUCCESS!. This is Dan Chase, VP of Merchandising; I will be sharing some behind the scenes glimpses of this wonderfully crazy show. This how has been around since 1955 and is truly a "Treasure Hunt"!
Each year, gem lovers, cutters, retailers, wholesalers and even miners travel from literally all over the world into this otherwise peaceful desert town.
This is one of my favorite landmarks in Tucson. It sits simply in the middle of a median in the road. This was my 16th year to visit this show - this sign is a fun reminder of my memories and friends made here over the years.
This year's visit to Tucson was bittersweet. We at JTV, as well as the overall gem industry made the trip this year without our beloved Jerry Sisk whom we lost suddenly on January 13. It will never be the same without him. This photo was taken during the Tucson Show last year with Vicki Hall, wife of co-founder - Bob Hall.
During our first night night in Tucson, our global gemstone team met to conduct a stategic overview of our goals for next year. This is Tim Matthews our CEO who led the discussion. We discussed opportunities and market leadership.
This is my friend Clement Sabbagh from Brazil. He is the one that brought us Colheita Fire Opal from Brazil - at this same time last year. It has been wildly successful and this year he did not disappoint us as he has brought forward another new gemstone treasure that I can't wait for you to see on air!
This spectacular specimen is a Fossil Crinoid Plate from Morrocco
While admiring the many treasures in Clement's booth - I noticed these beauties. The "needles" were absolutely glowing in the showcase lights.
These stones reminded me of Jerry - he loved our "Internal Treasures" brand that included many of these unique stones.
A treasure of Brazilian beauties.
We met a talented designer who favors natural, organic designs. She actually molds the jewelry from actual leaves or flower blossoms. She was very fun to talk to, and is very passionate about her work.
These beauties were carved from Sardonyx and are truly pieces of art. We purchased a beautiful assortment of cameos which has been hand carved by Italian artisans.
In this booth we made an exciting find - this Brazilian family owns an Apatite mine.
These unique cabachons feature Apatie in quartz. Notice the beautiful pattens and vibrant colors. An example of rough prior to cutting, slicing and polishing.
This familiar sign was posted at the entrance to the Tucson Convention Center where the AGTA show was held. Each year there are over 40 different show venues around Tucson that feature Gems and Minerals.
Inside the lobby - a tribute to industry leaders who have been lost since the last Tucson Show. Note JTV's own Jerry Sisk is noted on the bottom.
Each year the JTV Gemstone Department awards outstanding partners for contributions in various initiatives. The Sabbagh Brothers won an award for outstanding product concept for their beautiful Colheita Fire Opal. Tom Ahles presented the award on behalf of JTV.
Tom then presented the award for Operational Excellence to our partner Anil.
Dr. Jack Ogden from the Gemological Association of Great Britian was awarded an award for product innovation. Together with JTV, Gem-A worked closely to create online classes from the Worlds oldest Gemological instituion.
Tom awarded another Gem Congress award to our partner Ashish for Team Work.
Our most honored award was presented to Bear and Cara Williams. We call it our Lapidary Legend - Lifetime Achievement Award. This honor is reserved for organizations with a long term,productive relationship with JTV. Bear and Cara operate an independent laboratory which does testing on gemstones so that we may know if any treatments are present in the materials we sell.
Beautiful citrus shades of Sapphire.
Lush green Tsavorite!
Chassidy Morrow, JTV Gemstone buyer inspects a parcel of Tanzanite.
A spectacular suite of incredible Tanzanite stones.
This photo does not do this stone justice. It was big, beautifully cut, with incredible flashes of red.
Incredible Tanzanite stones...laid out like a box of candy.
Tanzanite dreams.....
Shawn O'Sullivan tells us about a new Opal find from Mexico.
Carmel Spice Opal rough from Mexico.
Carmel Spice Opal cabs - a new find, will be on air shortly.
A brilliant 15+ carat oval mint garnet! The following images highlight some of the incredible sights seen during my visit to the various Gem Shows.
Beautiful Mexican Turquiose beads.
A unique stone from the infamous Kingman Turqoise Mine in Arizona.
These beautiful beads show the incredible colors that the mine yields.
Yet another color from the Kingman Mine.
Very special Turquoise specimens from the Kingman Mine. They are unique due to their pattern of their matrix.
Notice the beautiful deep color of this Purple Chalcedony rough.
A "before and after" idea of druzy in it's natural state -then after color treatment.
Fossilized Coral
Rainbow Hematite
We found this new stone known as Saturn Jasper - note the beauty of mother nature's fingerprint!
Drusy cut in a unique manner -with a water laser!
Native Americans have cherished turquoise for thousands of years, revering it as a protection stone having a direct connection to the sea and sky. However you choose look at it, turquoise is certainly a beautiful treasure from the earth, which is why Jewelry Television is excited to offer you Tehya Oyama Turquoise (pronounced Tay-ah O yah muh). Meaning "precious gift," this line of jewelry truly is rare and precious because only natural turquoise from the prized area of Arizona is used in this collection. Each turquoise has its own unique characteristics making every piece of jewelry an individual in its appearance and history. Go ahead and give yourself a precious gift with Tehya Oyama Turquoise, only found in the American Southwest of Arizona and exclusively at Jewelry Television and jtv.com.
Located in southern Israel in the town of Eliat is an area rich in copper ore that has been actively mined since 6000 BC. Timna Valley, nicknamed "King Solomon's Mines," is full of history, especially in regard to copper mining. Inspired by these ancient mines, JTV's Timna Jewelry Collection features rich, glowing copper. Timna Valley is full of inspiration with its rare stone and sand formations ...in stunning reds, yellows, oranges and browns, even cool greens and blues. Timna Jewelry Collection reflects all this beauty with colorful gemstones set in extremely durable copper that will truly last a lifetime. Enjoy the history, color and glowing beauty of Timna jewelry collection. Exclusively on Jewelry Television and jtv.com
View from the Tucson Convention Center.
The three Musketeers...they say this wasn't planned! Dr. Jack Ogden - from Gem A in London...dressed appropriately in Tennessee Volunteer Orange ; greets Tim Matthews, JTV CEO along with Bob Hall JTV Co-Founder and Chairman.
Each year during our "family night" we celebrated Jerry Sisk's birthday. He would have been 60 on February 4th. To celebrate his birthday and life - we had these Tanzanite colored arm bands that were worn by the JTV team and multiple industry leaders.
Hayley from Tanzanite One shows her support.
Earl and Varshana
Sushil
Bill
Amit
Clement and Samuel
Ram
Ashish and Vivek
There was a special collection on display from the Smithsonian - this incedible item is known as the The Peterson Tanzanite Brooch. Each Tanzanite weighs approx 15 carats, with 24 carats of Diamonds.
The Maharaja of Indore Necklace; 374 diamonds, 15 Columbian Emeralds. The center emerald weighs 45 carats.
El Tiradito is a shrine in downtown Tucson. The shrine consists of the crumbling remains of a brick building, with a large metal rack for candles and desert plants now occupying the interior. Large, glass-encased candles, frequently depicting saints are lit and left burning at the shrine, both on the stand and along the ledges of the building. Small slips of paper containing prayers or messages of thanks are also often pressed into cracks in the walls or left elsewhere at the shrine, as are other memorial objects. In addition to the faithful who leave these religious objects, El Tiradito is frequented and favored by many Tucsonans, including writers, poets, and other members of the town's artistic community.
According to the Phoenix New Times publication, El Tiradito is the only Catholic shrine in the United States dedicated to a sinner buried in unconsecrated ground. It is said that the man buried there died fighting for the love of a woman. Visitors to this area light candles for the man, hoping his soul will be freed from purgatory. Some of the nooks and crannies of El Tiradito even house the notes and letters of the heartbroken, prayers asking for healing of the heart.
According to the Phoenix New Times publication, El Tiradito is the only Catholic shrine in the United States dedicated to a sinner buried in unconsecrated ground. It is said that the man buried there died fighting for the love of a woman. Visitors to this area light candles for the man, hoping his soul will be freed from purgatory. Some of the nooks and crannies of El Tiradito even house the notes and letters of the heartbroken, prayers asking for healing of the heart.
Specimens in every size and color!
Kristie stands next to an incredbile Amethyst geode. She was trying to figure out if she could make a necklace out of it!
The inside of the geode!
A fossil thought to be 33 million years old - was found in a river bed in Florida.
I hope you have enjoyed these pictures I was able to bring back from Tucson!
