International Gem & Jewelry

Great event to gather ideas, gems, and supplies at great prices

WOW! WHAT A SHOW!!!
My best friend is a jewelry designer/​maker, and she comes to this show often to buy raw materials. This time I decided to tag along… (what girl doesn’t love sparkly jewels?)
So off we went to Santa Monica, to the International gem and jewelry show. It was amazing. Everything you can imagine is there, and some things that you can’t. Sparking pearls as far as the eye could see. Loose stones. Gold plated leaves. Bulk chain. Literally EVERYTHING a jewelry lover could ever want. Most of the stuff was wholesale. Love it. Now I want to go EVERY TIME!

This is a great event for both professionals and people who make jewelry as a hobby (like me!). There are 3 – 4 huge rooms, each with just as many aisles of vendors so you can easily spend all day here. It’s also easy to spend a LOT of money so I would suggest giving yourself a limit before arriving and refusing to go over that amount. It helps to do a walk-​through of the whole show before buying anything so that you can make sure to get everything you want and need with your money. But be warned – my walk-​through took 3 hours!
At the show you can literally find any kind of pendant, mineral, chain, stone, setting, finding, strand, or tool you would need to make an amazing piece. My favorites were the one-​of-​a-​kind pendants that came from all around the world in different times in history. There’s also a plethora of lower-​end pieces that *look* nicer than what they cost. My favorite vendors were Suraj International, where they set ancient one-​of-​a-​kind coins and stamps in sterling silver; Mineral Art In Silver, where Bob Stringer crafts sterling rings inspired by armed services medals & pins (he also makes SICK wallet chains and belt buckles); and Goddess, where they sell a ton of different chains (gold, silver, copper, black metal, beaded, etc.) and gold-​brushed leaves that make awesome pendants. I also got some good-​priced, quality findings at All Season Company, and found the cheapest tools at Jemco. If I’d brought more money with me I would have bought some amber from Unique & Co as well!
A lot of booths had show discounts of 40−70% off of the marked prices. Don’t feel bad about talking down the prices either; most of the booths are manned by the owners who have the authority to change the price. They’re also very willing to make adjustments if you buy in bulk, or have a resale ID. Not to mention that in this economy I think they’re just trying to make a sale… I was able to get two rings for $ 40 when the price of one was originally $ 45, and I got a gorgeous pendant that was supposed to be $ 38 for $ 20.
Admission to this event is pretty cheap (under $ 10 in April ’09) but you can also get a cheaper ticket through Goldstar (
); they list it as free, and then with the service charge it’s only $ 3. Also if you want to go twice, make sure to pick up a re-​entry ticket on your way out and the next day will be free! Parking costs $ 8 at the Civic Center, but there was also free Saturday/​Sunday street parking on Main Street, or you could walk a little farther from the free lot by the 3^rd Street Promenade. Either bring food or don’t come hungry… there is a concession stand with nasty-​looking popcorn and french-​fries, and a smoothie stand outside that looks good but it’s on the pricier side.