Eugene Mueller
The Pace of Business

I am often asked when stating that I was in Tucson for the Gem and Mineral Show the past four weeks: "Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy the weather? Did you visit any interesting places?" Being gone from Wisconsin in the depth of winter somehow can only be seen in the raps of a vacation. In an effort to describe what it is actually like, I say this: Suppose you take the events of an entire year, select 40% of them, and put that 40% of an entire year into three weeks time. That’s it – it is intense. Of course I did have a good time seeing new rocks and old friends. There is a constant flow of rock oriented information, stories, rumors, and opportunities (both presented and lost). The weather? Any January or February Arizona weather is better than any January or February Wisconsin weather – or, if not better, at least it is warmer. The weather in Tucson this year actually was kind of lousy – lots of rain. "Visit interesting places?" I don’t think so – most days there was not enough time to finish breakfast!

Trends

An interesting trend this year is that foreign manufactures are buying more US and Mexican rock. Rocks from North America are generally more expensive than rocks produced in other parts of the world. Most manufactured stone products are also sold in the US. The idea seems to be that the company selling stone products in the US made from US rock will have an edge on sales. Foreign buyers were not buying a lot but at least they were buying something.

Mooka Jasper

Every year TGS buys some Mooka Jasper from a friend of mine who mines it in Australia. Most of what he mines goes directly to Hong Kong but some of the better material comes into the US. This year the overall quality seemed to be better than the last few years. It is a little hard to describe but the patterns of color seem to be a little more dense or complicated — better suited for cabochons. I told my friend this and he said, "Oh yeah, we hit another layer."

The Mooka Jasper is formed in a horizontal layer under a large flat plane. In the mining operation once you break through the layer the jasper pulls up fairly easily. A little further down in the ground there is another layer of jasper. It was never mined because it was too hard to get through with the equipment they were using. This year they got through to the second, lower layer. What a pleasant surprise to find all the land that you had mined for years could now be mined again a little deeper with better material being produced.

Veronica

I am just amazed at how different the Tucson show is every year. This was my 8th year participating in the Tucson Show. Once again, we unloaded TONS of rock, packed orders, took care of customers, and did a lot of cleaning – Tucson is dusty! These activities are a constant, but the big business opportunities are always different. The reason may be because the Tucson Show acts as a hub. Business opportunities always boom during Tucson because of the camaraderie the large, international gathering provides. I was pleased with the success of The Gem Shop, Inc.’s various business meetings. The chance to "make things happen" in the business is most thrilling to me.

This year we had the opportunity to introduce our new jewelry line, Escape. I enjoyed being part of this project from its core beginning. I look forward to marketing the line and making it grow in its popularity. It is a special opportunity to be a part of a project which embodies the spirit of the cabochons The Gem Shop, Inc. has been cutting for so long!

The Tucson Show is always a lot of work preparing for and working, but it also has its rewards. Apart from all of the new rock, it is a lot of fun to be submersed in an environment full of rocks, lapidary artists, miners, and collectors. Being at the Tucson Show also allows us to hear direct feedback from our customers regarding our advertising and marketing efforts through the year. Tucson held a lot of familiar faces and a few new ones. It is always nice to see customers you spend time with over the phone during the year in person and put a face to the name. I think the best compliment I heard was, "we came here first."

Chris

This year was my first experience with the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show. I had heard Tucson was more work and less sleep than I could imagine jamming into several weeks. Yet, the weather would be nicer – why not.

After long plane rides from the grueling tundra of Wisconsin, the walk out of the terminal into the balmy, placid 42 degrees of the Tucson evening was a great relief. Yet, before my alarm sounded the next morning, I was awakened by shouts of, "Truck’s here!" As I stumbled outside, still dressing, I realized this show would throttle me like a marathon on steroids.

The rest of the show did not disappoint. Visitors and customers of all kinds – including the legendary Darrell "Jake" Jacobitz, Thom Lane, Michael Carlson, Frank Daniels, and Brad Cross to name a few – peppered the show, inspiring a mystique of ecstatic reverence. The work – like the people – was colossal in spirit. None of the last minute weight-lifting or mental fortification I did before the show came close to preparing me for the truck that would arrive my second week – a full container load. Inside were 16 tons of 66 lb. sacks of Imperial Jasper, piled at least four sacks high, with a narrow aisle cutting through the center. Two – and near the end of the venture, three – of us grabbed sacks and, lurching, palletized them. The pallets were then snatched off the truck with a forklift – rinse, repeat. Luckily the interior of the truck was becoming dustier and hot, so we sped through the second half of the truck – an only two hour job total!

Later, Veronica received a call that the first pieces of The Gem Shop, Inc.’s new jewelry line had arrived! Normally I am more excited by new rough that tumbles in, but these pieces were fascinating! Scenic jasper cabochons with a high polish on both sides with a minimalist silver bail: novel.

Even the stoic panorama of Tucson reflected the monstrous spirit of the show. Whenever the exuberant ticker in my chest battered me for reprieve, tired of all the excitement, the glinting sun called me to visions of temporary escape, standing not really alone, gazing at the mountainous postcard-scenes which boarder Tucson.

Linda

After going to the Tucson Show for the second year, I think the best way to explain what working at the show is like is: in the morning you get ready for the day, opening up the register, sweeping, and you get a rock in your shoe. This you just have to live with until the end of the day when you are getting ready for bed because there simply isn’t time to get it out.

Despite the long days (with rocks in your shoes), Tucson is always one of the best experiences of my life. I think the thing I enjoy most about going to Tucson is getting to help customers find just what they need and make their day. Each day was filled with customers, both new faces and old, from all walks of life, and around the world looking for the right rough rock, cabochons, polished specimens, or beads. As a new treat for our customers we introduced our new jewelry line!

We also help customers get their materials together to ship to all corners of the earth. Though the paper work is tedious and long, when you get the email from the customers saying they have received their shipment and that you have made their importing process so pleasant, the big thank you that you get lets you know that you have helped make their Tucson enjoyable.

The thing that keeps me wanting to go to Tucson is the wonderful people I get to meet. I think that the friendships you get to make with customers, other vendors, and miners are truly the best part of Tucson. The one person that sticks out the most in my mind that I got to meet in Tucson is Gene’s mining buddy Jake. He is probably one of the most friendly and knowledgeable people about mining. In the few minuets that I got to speak with him, I realized why he is one of Gene’s best friends. I have also made friends with people from other states and far off places like Australia, Morocco, Hong Kong, India, and Austria. So here’s to looking forward to another Tucson, helping customers find the perfect stone, long hours preparing paperwork for containers going to far off places and the continuing friendships awaiting us.