This is not quite how I thought the week prior to Tucson would play out. Very little is happening on the bench as Atlanta has been effectively shut down by the weather.
Jewelry is a collaborative art and when shipments don't arrive on schedule, train wrecks ensue. Or at least my carefully laid plans get thwarted. Design and making dovetails so closely that you learn the patterns of your colleagues and vendors and it all got thrown out the window Tuesday afternoon.
Packing Philosophy
Packing has been done mentally for weeks and I have always made it a point that I can go anywhere for any length of time with one carry on. This coming week will be no different. Layers will be the order of the day. Layers will be the order of the night. And comfortable shoes, of course.
Packing should never be stressful. The corollary to my "one carry on rule" is that unless traveling to a third world country, anything that didn't make it into the one carry on can be purchased upon arrival. Or I really can live without it for the duration.
Anticipation
I anticipate a little "small world" clashing with a sense of being overwhelmed by the sheer scale. I've received emails from dozens of vendors from everywhere telling me which tent they'll be in and their booth number. So there will be the old home week quality of seeing friends exhibiting there and the fun of meeting new people who are passionate about gemstones, lapidary and natural wonders. It's the surprise that I can't wait to discover!
The Shopping List
The remainder of my studio time in Atlanta will be reviewing designs, especially those where I have some stones or pearls that are waiting to be completed by another element. At that point, I continue to sketch but in a hypothetical way. Essentially I make a shopping list of stones and cuts that may or may not work, the colors and images that keep drawing me back and from here I write a bit of a visual script and I'll be casting more "characters" in Tucson to bring these designs to life!
So referring to my sketchbooks, the short list: rose cut moonstones, Herkimer diamonds, opals... Ethiopian rose cuts AND Lightning Ridge. ORANGE. Drops. Gemstone companions for natural American river pearls... Rose cut labradorite. Opaque beauties. Surprises.
Please. Someone hold me accountable.
And I had better start packing for real.
