Tucson Gem Show 2026

This past week marked our annual trip to the Tucson Gem Show. Because things were so chaotic with our move, I forgot to book an Airbnb early but I was able to find a home which met our requirements, most importantly sidewalks in the neighborhood so it is easy for Kuochun to walk the girls. Needing a pet-friendly rental does narrow down the choices significantly but I was able to find a mid-century modern home with good sidewalks. It is a 4-bedroom home which is two bedrooms more than we need but luckily the price was a third off their normal rate for Gem Show season. It was still expensive though but next time I will be sure to book early so I can try for a nice 2-bedroom home for a better price. I would give the home a 4 out of 5, the layout has worked well for us but the appliances are really old, the toaster has seen way better days and the dishes are a mish-mosh, except for the vintage flatware which I loved. My biggest Airbnb pet peeve is when the host does not provide anything for their guests' arrival. We were only making a 2-hour drive but I know from past experience after a long travel day the last thing you want to do is go grocery shopping. Even a couple of bottles of water would have been helpful to tide us over until we got to the store. Kuochun was disgusted by the super hazy plastic cups and we even bought a couple of glasses at Walmart but it turned out he found some drinking glasses in another kitchen cabinet. The home has a pool which the girls navigated around very well. Kuochun tried to get in and made it up to his waist but the water was just too cold. I said this has got to be the year he tries our community pool! We are just a short walk away and we have never even been inside the pool area.

After settling in Tuesday evening, we were hungry since we did not take time for lunch and beat it over to Sweet Tomatoes, which is still the only location in the country. It was only $13.75 and everything was great! I had Caesar and Greek salad, added some shredded cheddar and hard boiled egg, tried the mac & cheese, cheese bread and a cornbread muffin, then warm blueberry crumb cake for dessert. I suggested to Kuochun that he add some vanilla soft serve to the cake and he absolutely loved it, so much so that he wanted to go again at the end of the trip. We went back Sunday evening but overall it was not quite as good. A party of 6 got in ahead of us and there was only bottom of the barrel salad left.

I have a schedule I go by when visiting Tucson - I attend three shows, one which starts Wednesday, the second Thursday and the third Saturday. I did not know what to expect since silver prices are skyrocketing and was prepared not to purchase anything if the pricing did not make sense. Last year I visited Federico's first and then the Native American jewelry booth but this time I flip flopped and was glad I did. Discounting did not change on the Native American jewelry and I was still able to hunt down some fantastic items at "old" silver pricing. I also purchased special net pricing items which means no discount. I discovered a new to me artist, Dennis Hogan who is Anglo out of Santa Fe. His work was at net pricing but is utterly fantastic, the quality is amazing! I look forward to showing his pieces soon. I also picked up quite a few earrings by Navajo artist Dakota T Willie. I did not purchase any of his charm necklaces or bracelets but probably should have. Hearts and stars are my favorite motifs and both were on hand. I splurged on this special necklace by Navajo artist Betty Tom made with charoite, red spiny oyster shell and turquoise. It will a priority to get this one posted!

Unfortunately Federico's increased their prices by a whopping 30% and also upped pricing significantly on all of their new items. I was not happy, this means a person who buys one piece for themselves pays the same price as someone who spends $10,000. I walked away. I found a few pieces at another Native American vendor I enjoy including this weighty 3-dimensional floral pendant with a bumblebee accent and Golden Hills turquoise center by Navajo artist Patricia Yazzie. I also found couple of classic starshot cuff bracelets by Navajo silversmith Happy Piasso and a couple pairs of onyx and pink shell dangle earrings by Navajo artist Jacqueline Silver. There was one heart pendant with white mother of pearl by Jacqueline Silver but I think it will be a keeper. It is a great summer pendant, not too big which is good for warmer weather. I checked out the amber booth but nothing called out to me (and I still have pieces from past years to post) so I passed on it for a second year in a row.

I love Thursday's show because it is a mix of items, not just jewelry. There were some fantastic new vendors with wonderful garden pieces and artwork. I really wanted to buy a little statue but it was too heavy for Kuochun and I to lift into and then out of the car. We ran into a familiar face while perusing the aisles - a wonderful woman originally from Colombia that we purchased matching hats from at the Fountain Hills Art Festival last year. I was so surprised to see here there because I did not know she sold wholesale. Kuochun remembered that she lives in Tucson. I ended up getting Kuochun a new hat and a selection of her hand-crocheted purses in various shapes, sizes and colors, made by indigenous people in Colombia. They will add a great bohemian touch to the Prescott boutique! Pricing did not change for one of my favorite people at this show. I have not touched the box of Mexican pottery I purchased from her last year but it will look great in Prescott. She did not have as much jewelry as usual and said she sold it during the year. She actually sent me a bunch of photos to see if I was interested but they went to the business phone and I never received them. I gave her my cell phone number so that does not happen again. She is such a cool and sweet lady, she really knows how to stack her jewelry!

Every year I search this show for my favorite Tibetan jewelry vendor and every year since the pandemic she has not been there. I did find another Tibetan vendor and although their pricing is higher than the vendor I used to work with, it was not out of reach so I purchased a bunch of necklaces along with some earrings and pendants. I also let them know that I am specifically looking for Southwest Style Tibetan pieces and showed them some photos. They said they can definitely make them for me and will be in touch.

Buffalo Dancer is a company I really believe in - even though I have a bunch of jewelry already from them from past years I did buy a few pieces this year. Pricing has gone up but discounting was the same. They are known for their use of coins and their Mercury Dime earrings have been popular in the past. I still have some so this time I decided to try a couple of the copper penny earrings with coins from the late 1800s-1901. They are really cute! I also selected something I have never tried to sell before - a handkerchief slide. This was one of only two pieces available. I thought the design was so charming that I would give it a try. However I did not spend with Buffalo Dancer like I usually do. There were some interesting new statement necklaces but the pricing was out of reach.

Last year we tried to go to what many Tucson folks call the best Mexican restaurant in town, La Frida. However they do not take reservations and the wait was two hours. Kuochun was not having it so we went elsewhere. This year he really wanted to go so we tried again, but earlier in the evening. This time the wait was "only" an hour and ten minutes but we got in. I do not crave Mexican food but can usually find something I like. We could not find a menu online and the restaurant is up for a James Beard award so I was hoping it was not going to be too fine dining for me. I was good though because they had a 3-taco platter. The only difference from other restaurants is that all three tacos have to be the same. I asked for a side order of rice as well but I did not need it, the tacos were huge! I ate one with my hands but it was a challenge so I used a knife and fork on the other two. They were delicious and the price was so reasonable at only $16.00. I encouraged Kuochun to order the monthly special which was sea bass with a pork rind crust, served over corn. I said I really did not think anything crusted with pork rinds could be deep fried but it turned out it was so Kuochun did not love it. He ate half of it and made a sandwich out of the other half. I felt bad for suggesting it but he does normally love sea bass.

After leaving Green Monkey, we noticed some signs for a church sale. We ran to Blessingdales first and then went back to follow the signs. It was around 1:00 PM but it was the first day of the sale. We are so glad we went there! The sale was absolutely amazing - such a charming location with all of the best smaller items inside the chapel and all kinds of furniture and household items outdoors on the grounds. It was a beautiful day and I did find some cute items for the Prescott boutique. Kuochun rarely buys anything but he fell for this piece of art and bought it. It was hung up high on the wall and I asked him if it was original. He said it was so I thought for $60 that was a good deal. It turned out to be a print but he is still OK with it. The nice ladies at checkout said they typically have this sale the same weekend every year so I signed up for the mailing list so I can be notified about next year. I can only imagine the great items they had at opening! We had such a good time there.

The next stop was American Antique Mall. I have not been there for several years because they are closed on Sundays and Mondays, so with Friday being a free day it was a good opportunity to go. There are no bargains there but they have an amazing assortment of vintage Native American jewelry. I purchased two pieces which will be offered for sale and they both happened to be four-way cross pendants. One is by Dean Sandoval who is a favorite Navajo artist of mine and has turquoise in the center. The other is a large cross with stampings on it. I am liking these large-scale pendants which are not heavy. I asked for a dealer discount, forgetting that they do not discount their jewelry under any circumstances. Then I remembered that Mother and I went there a few years ago. She had selected three pieces but when they would not discount, she got mad and left.

Kuochun was running out of steam so I scrapped the rest of my list and we went for lunch at a place called The District. I had an unusual burger with a little bit of mac & cheese on it. The bun was sealed around the edges and branded with a "D" for the restaurant name. Kuochun went with the most expensive item on the menu, the skirt steak and fries. He really enjoyed it so it was worthwhile.

For Saturday's show, after we checked in and received our passes in I visited a booth I have purchased from the past two years. They did not have quite as much as usual so I did not linger. Federico's has a larger booth at this show so I did take a more in-depth look. I only spent about a quarter of what I normally do due to the price increase but I was able to find some value items while searching. It is mostly earrings but after a number of years off I decided to get some of the 20-stone cuff bracelets. They were out of turquoise but I chose abalone in three different sizes and two white mother of pearl which will look stunning on someone who has a tan. I was able to find one pair of matching mother of pearl earrings, the two pieces make such an amazing set. I toured the Mexican booth but did not purchase anything because I have not even opened last year's bag. I said to Kuochun every year you run out of gas and I am never able to see the other tents at this show so he agreed to let me walk through a new tent. I am so glad I did because there was a Tibetan vendor there with so many Southwest Style pieces! The quality control was not as good but I took a good amount of time examining each piece to be sure I chose the best quality of the bunch. So much fun stuff, too much to list here but I was able to find the exact turquoise flower pendants that were high up on my list!

I thought about going to Tubac on Sunday but in the end I decided that I wanted to go back to the show which started on Wednesday. I was able to find more value items including the most wonderful Native American-made cuff bracelet I have ever seen. I had picked up a cuff bracelet by this same artist last year but was not able to determine the artist. The hallmarks were so contemporary and if there is even an ounce of doubt I do not list an item as Native American made. However this time when I researched again I was able to find the Navajo artist, Cody Willie. Above is last year's cuff which I delisted and relisted with the correct information. As good as this one is, the one I just found is even better! I just need to polish it and then I can post it online.

I thought I would also look for some baroque pearls which I want to pair with the turquoise flower pendants I found the day before. I randomly chose a booth and they had exactly what I wanted! I purchased eleven strands which I can not only use on the flowers but on some of the other pendants as well. I also purchased two strands of larimar which I will use on some plain (no stone) pendants I found and one strand of purple spiny oyster shell. I am not sure what I will do with it yet. I know Kuochun was more than ready to leave so I inquired about some multi-gem rondelle beads I stumbled across. The price was too good to pass up so I grabbed the entire hank! Plus, they are genuine stones of all sorts and will go with everything. In the evening, I tried them out and they are the perfect size. I especially love the multi-gems with the pink conch shell cactus pendants! Not bad for 5 minutes worth of shopping. Kuochun did not have the patience for me to look anymore but I just need to find some accent beads and clasps with adjuster chains and I will be ready to whip up some cute necklaces. I am so glad I found this vendor and will get more next year if the necklaces are a success.

Last year there was a lot of downtime and I was able to write up many of the items I purchased last year, so that when I returned all I needed to do was shoot and add the photos. I was only able to write up five items this time but my goal for this year will be to catch up all of my Gem Show purchases, starting with this year and working my way backwards. I will probably work in some of the vintage items as well, and as long as we are slower with estate sales, I would like to get back to posting some of the household items again as I had great success with it in December.

While we were gone, I purposely scheduled the handyman to come on Saturday to close up this weird hole in the first floor bedroom. I probably have mentioned it before but when I purchased the home, this bedroom had no windows except for a large rectangular hole in the wall above the double doors way up in the air, as the room has high ceilings. It was like a big cubby with carpeting on the "floor" and windows on one side. At certain times of year, early in the morning the sun shines right in my eyes and wakes me up. Then I feel exhausted the rest of the day and sometimes need to take a nap. The first designer I had arranged to have a window installed on the wall and also suggested to put a window covering over the area. I knew I was never going to use that space for storage and thought the idea of a window covering flapping around did not make sense so I never did anything with it. The second designer who only did a floor plan for me suggested drywalling it up so that is what I decided to do. The handyman was able to complete the job in eight hours on Saturday. He covered the windows with a special solar plywood, then framed out the opening, added insulation, drywalled and then gave the area the same orange peel finish as the walls. I do not have a before photo, this is as close as I have after the plywood was applied to the windows and the framing built in the opening. I cannot wait to see it and more importantly try it out to see if I can sleep better! He is scheduled to come back Monday for the second part of this project which is to change the double door to a single pocket door so I can hang the TV inside the bedroom over a dresser and then have more wall space on the other side because eventually my office furniture will go there. I think for now I will just get an inexpensive pocket door from Home Depot and then once I sell my living room sofa and can put my grey sectional back in the living room, I can put my office furniture in place and choose a decorative pocket door down the line. I was looking on Etsy and found some beautiful doors that are hand carved either in Turkey or Morocco. I just need to decide which look I would like to go with.

I am very encouraged because this job cost $950 with labor and materials and I just know a designer/contractor would have wanted to charge a good $5,000! I was talking to Rachel about how the second designer wanted to charge me more than the house is worth to finish the design and she said "you are a designer, you don't need a designer!" That was a very nice thing for her to say. I think this handyman will be able to help me finish Scottsdale and as we go, I will keep giving him more and more challenging projects over time, ending up with the laundry room and second floor bathroom. But first we need to get Prescott done!

This entire month of January has been a whirlwind and we are both looking forward to getting home. I know I am anxious to get going with posting items online again. I was not able to post anything while we have been in Tucson. I did bring all of the jewelry which is online with me because that is way easier than shutting down all of the different venues for vacation time. I also brought my label printer, scale and all of the shipping supplies needed. I did sell three items during the week including the gorgeous necklace above on eBay by Navajo artist Herman Smith.

I also sold two of the items from last year's Gem Show which came from one of my favorite Thursday show people - this concho ring on Etsy and this pair of earrings on Depop, both Navajo-made. The ring was a size 9.25 - I still have one more concho ring in a size 9.75. I asked the vendor about it, she works directly with the artist and she told me the conchos came from a belt and the artist repurposed them into rings. I was thinking of doing that with a heart concho belt I purchased last year but to have pendants made as well. In the end I decided to try and sell it as it because it is just so pretty and if it does not sell I could always repurpose it later. I had just posted the earrings along with five others from this grouping and still have one more pair available.