2015 NY/NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show Recap!

Normally this weekend would have been spent at Bead Fest Spring but this year I decided to change things up.  Instead, I attended the 2015 NY/NJ Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show in Edison, NJ.

Scenes from the show floor

This was a large gem & mineral show held inside the Edison convention center.  There was booth after booth of mineral specimens, fossils and the occasional bead vendor.  I skipped most of the bead vendors because I do all my major (gem) bead shopping at Bead Fest in August.

Amethyst, petrified wood, rough green garnet

I found the show to be overwhelming.  I didn't go in with a game plan so I became distracted by the rows upon rows of vendors.

Faceted gems, metal detector finds from local properties, cabochons

There were plenty of faceted gems to be found in a wide range of prices but the cabochon selection at the show was lacking. I only found 3 vendors selling cabs.  

Fun finds at the show

On a positive note, they had some wonderful fossil and mineral displays.  The dinosaur fossils were great and they were brought in by a broker who rents/sells them for private collections and museums.  Yes, we could have come home with our own dinosaur...ok, maybe part of one (a REALLY small part).  They were waaaaaay out of my price range.  

Fossils on display

Overall, we had a good time and I picked up a few things (which I can't show you because they are gifts).  I probably wouldn't go back though as the bead scene is really my thing.  

What fun things did you do this weekend?

Happy Beading!

Crazy for Clay

Just another in the continuing series of updates from Starry Road Studio.... Needless to say, I have been knee deep in clay, relishing with joy the ability to work in this medium again after a so long a time away while transitioning from KY to NY over the past year. Yes, that's right, it has been nearly a YEAR since I packed up and left KY to return to NY. Most of my studio has been packed up in storage and only in recent weeks have I begun the slow process of getting everything set up here. I was dying to get my pottery wheel set up and thankfully I managed to throw a few pots this past week. I still have to get my spray booth set up for glazing, but for now I'll use some dipping glazes for these pots.

I am continuing to explore beads, creating a variety of new forms and ideas.

Continuing in my series of woodland-themed beads, I finally got started on a new design for "Camping Beads", based on sketches from late last summer. I blogged about it here.

I am having a blast playing with various textures. I am especially LOVING wood. This started with some woodland themed pieces (logs, trees, etc.). I am carrying it over into my line of ancient amulets and beads. I wanted to convey the sense of the ancient along with the wood texture, so I created a texture I am calling "Petrified Wood" (as seen in the dark brown pieces below). I love the mossy old stone (in the lighter, greenish pieces), and ancient wood look of these...

I plan to explore these textures in pottery. I can't wait! Here's an idea with a sort of plant form growing out of a "tree" base. I will throw this in porcelain and sculpt it after. I'll post pictures when I get around to it. And perhaps it will inform new designs for beads too. Stay tuned!

Treasures from the Desert

I just got back from a week and a half visit with my parents in southern Utah.  While I was out there I got to do two of my favorite things; visit the best rock shop EVER and go rockhounding.

What's nice about my parents house is that you can explore the Mojave Desert by either walking down the road or just off-roading a couple miles out.

Some of the wonderful things you can find out there include; petrified wood, jasper, quartz and agate.  As you can see, I picked up some great pieces while wandering about.

I also got to visit my favorite rock shop located in Springdale, right outside of Zion National Park.  This place is always full of cabochons, fossils, jewelry and more! It's a family run operation and the husband cuts most of the cabochons himself.

On this trip, I picked up several pieces local to Utah including septarian nodule, picasso stone (picture marble) and some trilobite fossils.  I also purchased some ammonites (for mold-making), turquoise and snowflake obsidian (for bead embroidery...Ooooo) and an orthoceras pendant.

The desert is full of treasures and I'm excited I was able to find and bring some home with me.

Happy Beading!

Diana P.
Suburban Girl Studio LLC