Federico Jewelry Sale

Now that there is a little distance from the holidays I have started the big push to sell Tucson Gem Show jewelry so I can buy more! It is hard to believe but in a little more than two weeks we will be on our way to Tucson. I added an extra day to the trip so I would have the chance to hit any of the shows a second time if needed. Mother, Kuochun and I are all going. The original plan was to hire the pet sitter we have used a couple times in the past but this time she said she was thinking about renting her home out because the Super Bowl is in Phoenix this year. At the time I thought it was a bit odd because the game is not until February 12 and we will be back on January 31 but I did not say anything. A couple of times since she said she had not forgotten about us and will let me know what she decided. However with it coming up on only two weeks until it is time to leave, I thought I would reach out to her. I checked her availability on Rover first and found that she had Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the week we needed marked as unavailable. Chalk up another one on the list of Phoenix-area folks who have flaked out on us. When I booked the Airbnb it said pets were not allowed but for some reason I was compelled to look at the listing again. Now it says pets are allowed! I immediately put in the request to add Vivi and Margot to the reservation and found it was only $62.81 to add them! This is a fraction of what it would have cost to hire the pet sitter.

I am so glad I do not have to find another sitter because I think Margot had a hard time last month when we had our sale. It was her first time, there were two dogs there when we dropped them off and it sounds like one of the dogs stayed with them the whole time. We were lead to believe that our dogs were always the only ones there. We are staying on the second floor of a large home, the homeowners live on the first floor. The wife is an architect so I am hoping she really soundproofed the apartment so they do not hear any barking. It looks like a really cool place and it will be our first time to stay downtown so we will not be far from any of the shows. The only drawback is we cannot fit Mother's wheelchair plus the dogs in the car. The wheelchair takes up half the storage space and 2/3 of the back seat needs to be flipped down to accommodate it. Kuochun found a mobility place where we can rent a wheelchair for the week for less than $50.00, or we can make arrangements to get wheelchairs at each of the three shows that I would like to attend.

I got off track but as far as selling Gem Show jewelry is concerned, I am starting with the Federico collection. This is the only jewelry I do not present as part of the caravan because I am able to sell it at retail. I have been selling the jewelry online for three years and it is highly regarded and very collectible. I was not able to get all of it posted to the online store this year but sold a lot of what I did post. I divided the remaining pieces into three lots and marked them down 20%-50% off retail, the first time I have offered the jewelry on sale. This lot was a great success as 8 of 12 pieces sold. I still have the turquoise necklace and naja pendant on the left and the two large onyx rings. All of the other items have sold and the buyers were so happy and grateful to have the opportunity to purchase the jewelry at a discount. My plan is to post the remaining two lots next week. Many of the other pieces are not turquoise and turquoise always rules so we will see how things go. 

On Sunday evening Mother took us all out to ZuZu at the iconic Valley Ho Hotel which is only 5 minutes from home. I have been to ZuZu for breakfast, lunch and happy hour but never for dinner. Rachel and John were still in town so Mother considered it our holiday celebration. ZuZu never has a large menu, their offerings vary depending upon the time of day but I was able to find a pasta dish - bucatini with spicy marinara sauce. I added shrimp to the dish. Kuochun selected the pork belly and also ate the dark meat chicken from Mother's half chicken dinner. It was not something we normally do but it was a very nice occasion. Before we leave though I would like to get one of their showstopper milkshakes, they concoct a different one every month. This month the shake is called Nuts + Berries and has a blueberry theme. Next month it will be Cookie Butter Me Up. Examples are below...

I just have two more estate sale packages to finish for 2022 and then I will have my much anticipated annual two week break from it. This will definitely be a good time to crank out the jewelry to see what I can sell before the Gem Show. Ideally I will be able to present all of the new Native American pieces before the deadline!