First Bead Show

A week ago, my sister (http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ashar) and I went to the Puget Sound Bead Festival in Tacoma WA.  We had always heard that you can go crazy at these sales so we made a game plan. We decided what we wanted to purchase and took only $50.00 each.

We found free parking which was great and decided on just an hour or two then lunch.  We paid for our fee and went to the show room. It was breathtaking....about 100 vendors.  I was looking for handmade lampwork glass beads and pendants and my sister was looking for copper and bronze findings.

We looked at every shop in the first hour, then went back to the booths that captured our eyes and bought our products.  We each got what we wanted and were able to have a tiny bit of money left in our wallets. Actually I came back with $20.00 and had purchased 15 pieces!

We also ran into some old friends, made some new friends....collected business cards for shops that were of interest so we can visit them online.  We also talked to vendors and received some great tips.

A good day!

Red Jade

Until my friend Alicia had a red jade necklace that she gotta compliment on, I didn't know that Jade came in any other color than green. I didn't even know that there was a difference between Jade and something called Jadeite, and that Jadeite was a natural stone.  I thought it was something made up in a lab.

Well, I have learned that Jade is so strong it was once used for weapons and tools.  On a Mohs scale of hardness it rates a 7 which means it is harder than steel.  Jadeite is the higher quality of Jade and it comes in a variety of colors: Red, Green, Blue and Lavender.

My bracelet I call Red Jade but it is surely Red Jadeite.



This might need to have a trip out of the jewelry box today...It is so pretty.