4 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
My Turn
From the EditorTYPIFIED BY SUEDE FRINGE, cowboy boots, and
silver and turquoise jewelry, classic Western style
is always in. Sometimes it’s extra in, also inspiring
designs of Western influence that aren’t quite so typi-
cal. This is one of those times, as jewelry style expert
Deborah Yonick details in Trends, page 22. But the
American West and Southwest in particular have an
extra special and perennial connection with jewelry.
The region owes its permanent ties to this community as an historic and
current source of silver, gold, copper, a long list of gems that are popular or
rare, and outstanding crystal and fossil specimens for collectors and scien-
tists. As much as anything else, mining drove U.S. history and development
westward. It’s no coincidence, then, that in our world “Tucson” has become
short for the Tucson show(s) and for “gems, minerals, fossils, beads, jewelry,
tools, and equipment.”
Sure, warm weather in February adds to the lure of this desert loca-
tion, especially for those enthusiasts and trade members who come from
cooler climes. But the Tucson shows started there because local interest
in local mining prompted the organization of the Tucson Gem and Mineral
Society that launched its own show in 1955. Sixty-five years later, the next
Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is nearly upon us. This club show will take
place February 13-16, 2020, at the Tucson Convention Center, preceded
and surrounded by many other shows selling all those digging-in-the-
ground-related items starting in late January.
You can shop, sell, learn, make new contacts, and meet the friends you’ve
made before — but even a long-time veteran could use some help figuring
it all out. “Tucson” spans more than two weeks, is spread all over town,
and attracts buyers, sellers, and products from all over the world. Wares
are on offer from about 3,000 retail and wholesale vendors exhibiting at
some 40 venues presented by about 30 promoters. “The Tucson Show
Survival Guide,” page 38, by veteran reporter and Tucson shopper Betsy
Lehnsdorff, offers great tips and sage advice on how to make the most of
your visit.
Get in the spirit of things now with a pair of kickin’ cowboy boot ear-
rings (page 26) you can make. Or create the quieter and quite spiritual
Southwestern pendant design shown on the cover (project, page 34). To
me, this dragonfly cross, with its Native American and European roots, is
the most moving of all.
Beautiful in its sleek lines and finish, strong in its simplicity, haunting in
its culturally conflicting origins, and hopeful in its exquisite union of their
design motifs, it invokes awe, humility, and hope. With that lovely and
uplifting image in mind, we wish you and yours a happy, healthy, prosper-
ous, and peaceful holiday season and new year.P.S.w ebsite at http://www.interweave.com/article/jewelry/tucson-shows-got-start-history. For more on the history of the Tucson shows, visit our Tucson Show Guide
P. P. S .available in January for purchase at http://www.interweave.com/jewelry and on For more on the 2020 mega-event, the 2020 Tucson Show Guide will be
site for free during the shows.EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tamara Honoman
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Merle White
MANAGING EDITOR Karla A. Rosenbusch
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Lexi Erickson, Sharon Elaine Thompson
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