So many beads - so little time

Bead Fest, sponsored by Interweave, was in King of Prussia this past weekend. These fantastic bead shows, so close to our house, are something we tend to take for granted. (Michael pointed that out to me. I hadn't thought about it. I guess I was taking it for granted.)

Watching so many people take their baggage upstairs to their hotel room made me realize that while there are tons of people who come from out of town and have to stay for the weekend (like that's a hardship??), Michael and I can just zip up the road - and in 40 minutes... we're there. Very cool!


We DO have our favorite vendors - for silver - for Swarovski crystals - and some for gemstones, although that's a little tougher. It's so hard to know when you're getting the truth. Like when you pick up some beads that are hot HOT pink and the vendor tells you that the beads are natural stone. Yeah... right!

We are finding that sometimes we have to pay a little more in order to know that we're buying from someone reputable. In case, you're looking for reputable vendors, our all time favorite is Atlantic Gems with Rahul and his family.

We went on Sunday and we had a GREAT day! As you can see, we got a few goodies! We are finding that if we're looking for something specific - it's not there. It never fails! I'm looking for some really pretty tourmaline chips and some pretty turquoise nuggets. Those should NOT be hard to find, but... they must be hiding from us. Anyone have any idea where I can find them?????



The new crystals from China are GORGEOUS - such pretty colors and shapes. We found some pretty gemstones, but not as many as I would have liked. I'd love to find a good source (or two) for gemstones. Suggestions, anyone?

I think we have another bead show coming to Philadelphia in October. We'll have to take our camera next time and get permission from some vendors to take pictures. It's amazing!!!