The largest bead/gem/mineral event of the year, as every year, took place at the end of January and beginning of February in Tucson. This time of year is always very nice there. Spring starts and the desert comes to life. It is a great time for a hike off the beaten path, after a busy day of work, and the hustle and bustle of the shows. The desert always amazes me by its surreal beauty.

Another thing that amazes me is the international crowd which descends on Tucson at this time of year. You can literally find people from all corners of the world, vendors from Africa selling clay beads, from Italy selling gold chain, from Poland selling amber jewelry, from Israel selling silver, from the Philippines selling wooden beads, from Germany selling cameos, from China selling natural stones , etc.

For the past 5 years Swarovski was part of the show scene. Create Your Style with Swarovski Elements showroom was located at 525 North Bonita Avenue. You could see there on display some of the newest designs, incorporating Swarovski Crystal and you could take a jewelry class.

Classes were run by Swarovski Ambassadors – a team of equally talented and beautiful designers working closely with Swarovski. Martha Stewart representative participated in some of the classes this year and right afterwards two of the teachers/designers had their pieces featured on MarthaStewart.com. One of them was our dear friend, the extremely talented Val Hirata. 

The most anticipated event of the week was, as always, a Swarovski party where our large “family” of Swarovski product lovers and users was able to have a little bit of fun in a relaxed atmosphere.  

For more pictures of the event, check out our Facebook Photo Album.

Walter