Marty Magic Blog

I look forward to the Tucson show each year.  The various venues  take over much of Tucson and this year, Alisha, John and I go together. Three sets of trained eyes are an asset when ticking off  the gemstones and fossils on our shopping lists.  We start each day early and don’t quit until the shows close.

We hope this picture blog is both informative and amusing.

We go to Tucson to buy, learn and find inspiration for new designs. Many hotel rooms are turned into temporary show rooms. We consider buying an Opalized Belemnite Squid Fossil to set in a piece of jewelry. The ones below right are from Coober Pedy, Australia. The vendor has a few freed from the rock but I stick to my shopping list and pass on this expensive whim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In one of the hotel suites,  the vendor has set up a dark room area to showcase the florescent minerals. Under ultraviolet light, they glow with an amazing array of vibrant colors. The below right photo is of the rocks under normal lighting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hotel fossil shows are some of our favorite venues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alisha plans to design a shark tooth pendant so we are on the hunt for fossilized shark’s teeth. Planus Shark Teeth seem to be the right size for her design and she buys many. We learn that the hooked-tooth mako shark lived during the Miocene era and are found in marine deposits along the Pacific Rim, predominately on the west coast of the United States. These prehistoric sharks were about the size of our modern day great white shark. Later in our hotel room, Alisha models the teeth for us. Shopping with my daughter is so much fun!

We spend another prehistoric day at the 22nd Street Show, an immense tented venue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the end of each day we find a place to unwind over dinner and drinks where we discuss design ideas and cross reference our gemstone and fossil shopping list to plan our strategy for the next day.

High priority on my shopping list are Mexican Matrix Opals and Mexican Fire Opals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Immense crystals fill almost every parking lot in Tucson. It’s like walking through a museum where you are allowed to touch the exhibits.

On Tuesday, Feb 4th, the AGTA show opens to verified buyers. Much documentation is needed to be allowed entry and the security is high. Our badges are scanned when we enter and we peruse the high end gemstones and designer jewelry booths.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the evening of the Super Bowl, we return to our hotel to find a Super Bead-a-Thon in progress in our hotel atrium. Many professional beaders have entered this event that Rio Grande and Tierra Cast, among others, have sponsored. All the participants are given an identical bag of findings and beads and have one hour to create a unique jewelry design.  We arrive half way through the timed event and even John finds it interesting and suspenseful. There is an open bar and we order drinks and with mounting excitement, we watch the designs unfold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The short video below is of the Beadathon:

On our final morning in Tucson, we go to the Kino show and stumble upon a tent with enormous amethyst crystals and geodes. For the modest price of $10 donated to a kids foundation, Alisha and John sit inside a larger than life geode and are closed inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The video below is of Alisha being enclosed inside an enormous Amethyst Geode.

Did I mention that our work is our play and that we always manage to have fun?

Nowadays, three sets of paws come to work with three humans to begin the Marty Magic day. Alisha arrives with Luna, Jackie with Bonzi and Avira with Ellie-Bean. As we humans pour our first cups of coffee, the dogs frolic excitedly and sniff each other’s butts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because I have visiting canines almost daily, I do not need to own a dog. I prefer scales to hair or fur and the Marty Magic studio mascot has always been a bearded dragon. This past December, the third of my venerable dragons soared into lizard heaven. In spite of the scuffling of dogs, the studio has felt strangely quiet and I recently adopted a male bearded dragon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At ‘his’ first wellness check I was surprised at his sex change. I am informed that that the golden dragon that I had mindfully named Huitzilopochtli, after the Aztec Sun God is actually female. Because all of us had difficulty pronouncing Huitzilopochtli, we had already given ‘him’ the nick name of Hoochie Poochie. The name sticks and she is a sweet girl who is not inclined to eat her vegetables but wants only to gobble down cockroaches and mealy worms. Yummy!

Luna was a dumpster puppy adopted 3 years ago by my daughter Alisha. She is a Pitsky and I call her Lunatic because she sings instead of barks and is full of boundless energy. She is going to dog training to learn impulse control. Because of her big ears she is named after the Stellaluna Bat from the Janell Cannon picture book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonzi, a German Shepard/ Greyhound mix is Jackie’s sweet and loyal canine companion of almost 11 years. He looks forward to coming to work and flirting with Luna and catching table scraps at lunchtime.

For the time being, Ellie Bean is a bundle of puppy wrinkles. She is a Shortybull and at only 14 weeks old, already has her own instagram page.