Keeping Up

It seems as though every person I've talked with in the last few days has been running. No, not the kind of running that keeps you fit, but the kind of running you do when you're trying to catch up with yourself. Maybe you have children and are trying to juggle all the school activities while maintaining some semblance of your jewelry making. Perhaps your customers have suddenly realized it really is Spring and they need new jewelry to perk them up. There's also the possibility that all manner of other activities have you running hither and yon.

Here at Magpie Gemstones, we feel like we've been running too. As I write this blog entry, I really wanted to show you the new stones that are going into the store, but I can't keep up. Every time I think I know just which pictures to show you, owner, Szarka, puts in more beauties and I'm afraid to show them to you for fear they will disappear before you read this. That's how fast things are moving around here. So, if you want some of the new stones, put your running shoes on and trot to the website to grab some. Here are just a very few of the new beauties. They are apatite, lemon quartz and multicolored spiney oyster, from left to right.

You might also need your running shoes to race on out to Alpine, Texas in April. Kateri will be there in a booth loaded with gemstones for your viewing pleasure. The date is April 15 and you can come and celebrate the completion of your taxes with Magpie Gemstones.

I hope you realize that Szarka isn't just the owner of Magpie Gemstones, but is also a jewelry artist. I think that must be why she is able to acquire what we need for our own designs. Lately, she has keep quite busy with her own jewelry orders and I've been able to grab some inspiration from the photos she displays. It's neat that she always encourages us to shamelessly copy her work. Hmm . . . I don't recall every being told that before. Oh well, things are just really different around this business. You can see her work at http://www.szarkas.com/ Also, I hope you enjoy seeing the client blog wherein we find pictures of jewelry designed with gemstones from this store and submitted for posting by clients like you. http://www.turquoisemagpie.blogspot.com/

It's late in the evening as I finish this post, but in the morning, let's put on our running shoes and I'll race you to the corner. I've got to stay in shape to keep up around here!

Remember, we're all running and working for you at Magpie Gemstones!

Spring Swimming

"Too cold for swimming?" No, not really. It's Spring! The birds are singing. The flowers and trees are budding. The pollen is flying and Magpie Gemstones is swimming in beads. So come on in, the water is fine!

As you know from last week's Tick Tock post, Magpie owner, Szarka, has been gone and has just returned from a big buying trip. This was a really, truly B I G buying trip. After a full week of anticipating her return from the trip, I then had to wait again for the beads to arrive. When the truck containing them got here, I thought the boxes would never stop coming out of it.There were 1100 pounds of beauties. Yesterday, I had an opportunity to finally see what came in the boxes and let me tell you, it was pretty cool! I wish I had a video to show you what I saw, but then you would have to listen to all my oohs and aahs as each bag of beads was opened. They were gorgeous - simply gorgeous and there was an excellent range of colors, types, sizes and prices. I think Szarka found something for each of us and this has left the entire staff swimming in beads. The photos display a mere a smidgen of what awaits us when the beads make their way into the Magpie store.

Are you drooling yet? My mind keeps racing back to the gemstones I saw and the myriad of opportunities they hold for making beautiful pieces of jewelry. I guess that means I'm just going to have to start that "tick, tock" again as I wait for the beads to show up on line. All I can say is I hope the staff can "work harder FASTER" so we customers can also be swimming in beads.

. . . still working for you, we are Magpie Gemstones.

Tick, Tock . . .

I'm just sitting around waiting for Magpie owner, Szarka, to return from this week's buying trip in Los Angeles. Her facebook page has tempted us with a few of the goodies that she has acquired, but I want to get the whole story. It's always exciting to learn about the finds from these trips, but it does mean a rush at the job. For example, once the gemstones and other goodies arrives, they don't just hop right into the store. Everyone has their own job pertaining to the new beads and this can mean anything from completing the inventory, photoing the loot to writing the descriptions and getting them onto a webpage in the store. Whew, it's times like this that I'm glad I'm only the writer!

Have you looked at the green kyanite that is in the store now? It's a great color for this Spring when everything seems to be sporting at least a touch of green.

I worked with some Magpie blue kyanite last night and am ready to grab some of the green. You can see the beautiful blue kyanite creations of Bead Spirit Designs on the customer's blog at http://www.turquoisemagpie.blogspot.com/. My customers like kyanite largely due to the muted colors and because it has such a different look to the other gemstones. The more I write about it, the more I know that I'd better go get that green!

All is well on the home front this week where we find Mapie husband recovering nicely from his recent heart attack and everyone else holding their own. We hope you and yours are doing the same.

. . . still working for you at Magpie Gemstones.