Packing, Packing & More Packing

It has been a hectic week packing up for our driving trip. Luckily there were a bunch of great new long and narrow reclosable bags in the estate sale supplies stash, perfect for keeping groups of jewelry pieces organized. I filled up a medium size Hulken bag with sterling silver jewelry, including the entire online store as well as pieces that I have not had the chance to list yet. The weight limit for the bag is 66 pounds so I hope that I did not go over. I also packed up all of the vintage costume jewelry, the remaining pieces from Tibet and Thailand and the leftovers from Mother's moving sale. All that is remaining in the garage to move out are the packets of beads, our handmade clearance collection and some budget-friendly costume jewelry. I am also going to leave the case with the vintage Christmas pins and add it to the caravan.

While we are gone, there will be sterling silver jewelry for the caravan in two categories - regular price $90 or less and regular price $100 and up, before the 50% discount. The only exception will be rings which will be mixed pricing as I do not separate them by price. This past week I polished a lot of pieces and I am in the process of carding and pricing. I am going to complete as many pieces as possible before we go so I do not have to take them with us and ship them back when they are finished. I also have about 30 shoeboxes in Scottsdale filled with sterling silver pieces that need to be polished, carded and priced. My winter project will be to catch up with this backlog and then next time be able to work on the costume jewelry. I believe I have about a dozen shoeboxes filled to the brim with costume jewelry which needs minor repairs that I should be able to do myself. I had hoped to work on the costume jewelry last winter but did not get to it as the silver must be the priority. It does take me longer to get through the jewelry without having Mother make the cards for me anymore. Hopefully she will be able to do it again in the future.

I will definitely continue to list jewelry online as it has been going well and when we drive back to Mount Prospect in the spring, I will only bring back the current online offerings (and the pasta bowls I have wanted to have here in Mount Prospect for two years now!)

Because of the focus on packing I did not take as much time out for listing, especially during the latter part of the week. I was able to finish up the Federico 2024 collection with the posting of three amazing pairs of onyx statement earrings, including the pair above.

I also listed this beautiful turquoise and CZ cuff bracelet by Barse. It just sparkles in person, the photo does not do it justice!

Finally, it took a long time but I listed this Heidi Daus jewelry set as well. It comes with a presentation box and when I picked up the box, I was surprised to hear something rattling around inside. I opened it and these little rings came flying out! Somehow one strand of the bracelet started to fall apart. I actually used the chain maille technique and made a bracelet out of sterling silver in this same pattern back in the day but it has been so long I do not remember how to do it. I could also tell that there were not enough rings to complete the bracelet. I decided to proceed and post the set, throwing in the bracelet for free. Heidi Daus does have a jewelry repair program so if someone does not purchase it within a month or so, I will send the bracelet in, have it repaired and then relist the set.

As far as sales are concerned, I sold the second of four Purple Mojave butterfly rings and a pair of earrings for Mother through my website, a quirky pair of turquoise earrings that I found on our trip to the pawn shop at the Mexican border a couple of years ago on eBay, a cute pair of vintage Navajo turquoise earrings and the second pair of fabulous vintage Zuni owl watch tips on Etsy and a Federico turquoise cross on Poshmark. If I had an Apple Watch, I definitely would have kept these tips for it and I told the customer so!

On Monday I made the decision to book the 2025 Tuscon Gem Show trip, sadly this time without Mother. I went with this 2 bedroom, 1 bath townhome - this location is the closest we will ever be to the shows. The cost is about half of what I paid in the past to accommodate all three of us. It does not have the super "wow" factor but it looks very pleasant and will meet our needs. One of the reviews was from a woman from Gurnee who stayed there last year for the Gem Show and loved the proximity to the shows. She said she was going to stay there again, I booked my usual Tuesday through Monday and noticed the following Tuesday and on was booked. I figured that Kuochun can start the show day with me and when it is time to walk the girls, he can bring back anything I have purchased and either come back right away or pick me up later. At most, the shows should be 10-12 minutes away.

It seems that the Airbnb requirements revolve around the girls. Most importantly, Kuochun likes to have a sidewalk so it is easier to walk them around the neighborhood. A fenced in backyard is not a necessity but is very helpful to have and this one is not only fenced in but solid so the girls will not be able to see whatever they feel the need to bark at. Kuochun also wants the bed to not be too tall so the girls can use the travel pet steps to get to the bed themselves. He really liked having a park close by when we stayed in Milwaukee and there is a park right across the street. I like to have a solid regular height dining table with comfortable chairs (not the fake MCM rickety plastic chairs) so there is a good workspace. This time I will be sure to price each jewelry piece individually before leaving Tucson. In the past, I always think I am going to remember all of the little details the vendors tell me and months later when I try to price and identify the pieces the process is more difficult than it needs to be.

Time is short so I am going to stop here. See you next time from sunny Scottsdale!