Gemfaire.com

here's my favorite link for gem fairs to go to in person (though there are a great deal that have their websites linked up with the parent site)

gemfaire.com publicizes the bead and gem fairs around the US, mostly in CA, AZ, and I've even seen it as far as OK.

I've been to some in CA, and there's oftentimes a LOT in the way of non-bead crystals, copper wire, and super cool fossils. There's also a lot of really great deals but I would recommend a) doubling your initial budget, b) wearing sneakers and comfy clothing (and aim for light clothing as these are often in tents or buildings that get stuffy later on, c) get your resale license (you can get it for free but you have to plan in advance about five-weeks tops to get it to you in the mail-- this means you don't get charged sales tax AND you get to take advantage of sneak previews.) and d) plan on circling all the booths before making purchases, or even setting aside back-to-back days. You may walk away from some bone beads and find that after thinking about it overnight, you're really like to have them. I subscribe to the walk-away theory of economics. Walk-away, think about it, and if you have to go back or even want to go back seriously enough to put time and energy into it-- then that's a buy you probably won't regret.



p.s. some vendors are REALLY great! use this as an advantage to collect business cards. Tweet