Kaleidoscope Beads Blog

Lab-grown gemstones are now practically indistinguishable from mined diamonds. Scientists and engineers see a world of possibilities; jewelers are less enthusiastic.

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If you’re in the Hillsboro, OR, area this weekend, January 18th-20th, be sure to check out the Gem Faire! Lots of classes and demonstrations are planned for the event, so don’t miss out! Please visit their website for further information.

Gem Faire also has dates coming up very soon for Roseville, CA, and San Rafael, CA. The Roseville dates are January 25th - 27th, and San Rafael is scheduled for February 1st - 3rd. Please check the Gem Faire website for times and details.

Happy beading!
Sharon

Surprise, Arizona, is having its 5th annual Surprise Winter Festival this weekend, January 18th through 20th. Here’s a map that’ll help you find the festival. For more information please contact Roberta Toombs, Magic Bird Festivals.

Happy beading!
Sharon

Jupiter, Florida, will be home to the 2008 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival from February 16 - 18, 2008. The festival, in it’s 23rd year, was recently named one of the top fifty fine arts festivals in the US. There will be a lot to see and do there, so don’t miss it! Visit the ArtiGras website for all the details!

Happy beading!
Sharon

The Pasadena Bead and Design Show will be held Thursday, January 17th through Sunday, 20th, 2008, at the Pasadena Hilton. Please be sure to check out their beautiful website for all the details! Quoting from their site:

“Pasadena Bead and Design Show is comprised of 250 exhibitors, workshops, and forums, which are chosen by juried application and by invitation, from wearable art, jewelry, fiber, bead making, lapidary, art couture, glass, textile, embellishment, metalwork, ceramics, enameling, collectibles, interior décor, and decorative arts –together with wholesale artisan suppliers to the trade. Exhibitors are located in the ballrooms, showrooms, and conference rooms on the ground floor inside the Pasadena Hilton.”

They have a fantastic lineup of exhibitors, and some great workshops scheduled!

Happy beading!
Sharon

EBay announced yesterday that insertion fees on auctions and fixed-price format listings will be reduced by 33% from October 18th through November 5th, 2007. The temporary price reduction applies to listings made through the US eBay site, US eBay Motors, and eBay’s Canadian site. The 33% off applies to listings that start during the price reduction period only. Final value fees and any optional listing add-ons will still be charged at full price. The savings are even better for listings with a starting price below $1.00. There are some items excluded, so check here for the official US announcement, and here for the official Canadian announcement.

The 33% off announcement was made on the same day that eBay announced a 3rd quarter loss of $936.6 million, blamed on an overvaluation of their Skype acquisition. Does that mean that we’ll see more reduced prices between now and Christmas? Will the final value fees go down? One can hope…

Ebay has been a good marketplace for my beads and jewelry in past years, particularly during the holiday season. The increasing price of doing business there spurred me to look for other venues which although less costly, have had the downside of also getting less traffic. I’m optimistic about this year, though, since the 33% off announcement. Maybe it’s time to do a little listing.

Happy beading!
Sharon