I hope I remember the weights correctly. 157 grams and 186 grams. These are very nice specimens!

This one is actually orange, and pristine (thank you, TAS!)...at Rodeway last weekend, one could pay 150.00 for 3, or 350.00 for ONE RED ZEN BEAD. Oh my, which would I chose?!!! Some dealers try to be fair, and others......well, you know.

Next is a very rare red "french cross'. It's a good deal larger than most beads of similar design.

Bully is one of the most gracious dealers around. His trade bead stock is always orderly and easy to view, and all are strung in strands of uniform length. Condition is always very good as well. Here are a few beads from his display, showing a speos first.

of of a few less-plentiful items, missed that - !

As well as Czech wedding beads...

I believe the small oval red chevs are from the Luigi studio, as well as the familiar red elbows.

The oval mille - early 20th c. Venetian.

More of Bully's selections.

Was going for a minimalist look this year. However, plenty of ancient treasure is to be found with Bassem, from high-karat gold embellished Roman bronze rings to fine and rare ancient mosaic glass beads.

Here's a Roman bronze (double!) phallus with suspension loop.

Sort of an abstract view of small ancient Roman glass vessels. I had hoped to be much more arty, but have limited skills with digital, sorry!

Here's the Tasart display. Plus Bodom, which lured Basket back to check 'em over! Note Bob's cap..."Basket Bob's Bead Shop". He used to make baskets. Please be assured he is not a basket case! He sells beads at summer rendezvous here in the U.S., and mentioned having the pleasure of meeting Mr. Dog Bone Crazy and Mr. Rick Rice last year!

Adham has a really nice selection of silver jewelry from Turkey and other parts of the globe, new and old as well as lovely prayer strands, antique Venetians and fabrics. Here's Adham, and a shot of myself holding one of Adham's killer strands.

It was the fifth consecutive year that BCN forumites got together for dinner two nights in a row. It's always so much fun to see everyone who comes! It's also hard to catch multiple people in good shots. My one very good shot here is of Russ Nobbs (aka Uncle Russ, of Rings and Things, Spokane, WA, and of John Picard. These are two sparkling stars in my bead world, I'm proud to say!

Marisco's has very soft mood lighting. It just wasn't working very well for bead viewing! We were passing items around with our little lighted loupes, struggling. We asked the restaurant manager if he could help. He returned with this shop light and hung it from the decorative net above one of the tables. It struck me as funny, and it did help! While past years have been very busy at this restaurant, and we have had to wait for some time to get this nice semi-private room, this year it was not the case. Basket Bob and Walter Chavez were first to arrive, a bit early, and secured the room with ease. Management had the time to notice that we have now been doing this "for years"!

sorry I did not shoot many pictures, thank you Joyce and Rosanna for taking the pictures and writing your travelogues!

Ethiopian Heritage has a fabulous selection of genuine Ethiopian artifacts. Here is the largest processional cross I have ever seen.

The Rodeway show has a really nice "bazaar" feeling to it. The displays, including warm fabrics and carpets, almost make you forget that you are inside a large temporary building. To me, the show looked nicer and more inviting than ever this year.

Phil has been a seller of antique and contemporary ethnic material for quite a few years already. I think he's barely 30, so I see him as one of "our bead collecting youth"....and we need to bring in more people to this passionate love of ours! Phil lives in San Diego and travels the world to bring his interesting selections. And he hasn't shaved since the Tucson shows last year!

and...."What are we going to do with him?!" Meant affectionately of course, he's a great guy!

Many here know and adore Alan Curtis, who attended the show with great dedication. He remembered that I had hoped to get a pair of his small "nugget" grind chevrons to accent a larger one I got from him a few years ago. I am delighted! I love his beads and the 8-layer 1970s cane is fun material!

Bringing you fine Thai silver and Indonesian glass beads! You'll find fancies, feathers, new lampworked "Pseudo-Kiffa" among others. Lovely selection, reasonable prices!

Very attractive products!

Abdul was still in Nigeria for this show, but his younger brother Ebrahim was there. I hadn't seen him in about 5 years, very nice guy, he's been living in Togo and now Bronx, NY, running a new business.

Here are some antique bronze jewelry pieces from Nigeria believed to have been currency items. Beautiful texture and patina! Interesting contrast to the new Krobo powderglass.

I don't think I had seen these before.

Also, Ebrahim had a nice bunch of these pretty green (pulled? combed?) Venetians. If I'm not mistaken, I think he said this type were heavily traded in the Congo.

Omar is the uncle of the Tourays and always has some items no one else seems to. Here are his mostly new Tuareg items, great looking! I think the tcherot is older.

Also snazzy Czech triangles, a variety associated with "Mali Wedding Beads."

These are genuine aqua Venetian whitehearts and new Kiffa made in Mauritania.

Kamol imports a fine array, from Thai silver to new stone from India and shell beads from Nepal.

Here is a nice "bazaar" assortment, including some delicious new blue chalcedony.

Everything from bright white to oxidized to vermeil here.

Oh my.....thanks for your patience, it's almost over!

Here's a nice strand of Euro-traded Venetian fancies. But the big black floral seems to have been African traded. These were used and appreciated in Egypt. The strand belongs to Tiger-Tiger and was spotted in Rodeway.

There was also a nice large exhibit of just about every new Czech bead you could imagine. Nice to see they are still out there and available.

I am tempted to hop in the car and drive back for a few more days! - yes, the Grant Inn tent was a really, really wonderful place to shop. I stopped at a few other venues but this was the best place if you are a "collectibles" person.

First, Krobo recycled bicones of new material from Bully.

And large newer a speo-finished "melons" from Omar. You can see the average size in the upper left.

Walter from Canada made it to Tucson for the first time. Welcome! One of the most interesting beads I saw this year was with him - Rosanna has shown it also. Here's my attempt to photograph it. It is reportedly a 17th c. Venetian with a multitude of rosetta cane slices within it. It's mesmerizing to look at! Also the little 7L chevron beads and the multi-layer drawn blue cane beads are highly desirable. Thank you, Walter, for joining us!

Last year it went from the dollar tent to the buck-thirty tent......Across from the buck-thirty you can see the corner of the Rodeway tent.

The Gem and Lapidary Wholesalers venue that spent years as The Rodeway Inn, most recently Grant Inn, is coming to a close at the end of this show. This unfortunate news spread by the second day. Which is why I've posted a plethora of images as sort of a farewell.....it is the end of an era. Apparently this venue has been open since 1994 or thereabouts. Tasart may know for sure. It has evolved to be a main destination for collectible beads in Tucson.

The destiny of the sellers? Rumors will probably fly for months. Some will likely start doing the Gem Mall venue, also run by G & LW. Others may go do other shows such as the Pueblo. Some African dealers may go to the African Village.

The Rodeway dealers have evolved into a most unique group. I've only shown a small portion of the fine sources and material at this show. The closing days will be sad ones. I feel very fortunate to have been able to be there for a few days this last year.

Whatever happens this coming year, I wish everyone from dealers to collectors the best possible fortune. Thank you all for your patience with me while I peer at your beads, ever so dang slowly! I miss seeing those who didn't make it in recent years and delight in seeing bead friends through the years and meeting new ones.

THANKS, Joyce, for the pictures. Some of us can only imagine what Tucson must be like.

What a shame that this show will not be there again. I have only been to Tucson once, but this one really stood out. It was the first show I visited and I was completely overwhelmed.

Thanks for showing both the people and the beads. They are great.

Next year, I will certainly be there. And I am planning in advance: any recommendations for cheap accomodation are very welcome. We will not be driving ourselves, so location is key. The wonderful place we stayed in last time has gone bust.

Floor,
Until we get some idea of where the main vendors from the Grant Inn tent will relocate, one idea would be to stay right next to the African Art Village, aka African Village, at the Super 8, 715 West Starr Pass Blvd. The address of the African Village is 1134 S. Farmington Rd., which is right around the corner.

Within walking distance of this Super 8 are three more shows that I have never stopped at, since they are not known for collectible items:

Howard Johnson Gem & Mineral Show, 1010 S. Freeway Ave.
La Quinta / Clarion Gem & Mineral SHow, 750 West Starr Pass Blvd
Tucson Showplace, 1530 S. Freeway Ave.

The "Gem Mall" show that the Grant Inn people are being encouraged to join up with, is on 4475 S. Country Club Road, about 6 miles from the AFrican Village. There is a cluster of other shows in that general area, although I'm not sure about walking to them.

This year, the City of Tucson did not run any free shuttle busses, so several people that did not have cars shared taxis to get around. Some of the show promoters ran free shuttles between their venues, but I don't know which ones could be reached that way.

I'll scan the two-page map and list of show addresses and send it to you. If anyone else wants a copy, please shoot me an email.

A small addition to the dialogue.

For several years I have made it a point to go to the Howard Johnson Show, because it's the home base for TIKA—a business formerly run by Bill Boss and Julie Joynt, and now just by Julie. (She is also at the Best Bead Show, in one of the tents.)

Tika features a grand array of beads from all over Asia, old and new. This is a must-do destination for me, betwen the Riverpark and African Village venues.

This year, I was impressed by the number of other sellers who offered beads. The HJ is a worthwhile stop on your adventures around Tucson.

Jamey

Good advice.....
Last time our motel happened to be across from one of the fossil shows, and the shuttle stopped right outside. Both shuttles and the local bus worked fine for us.
Next year we intend to stay for two weeks: see everything, take our time and works on writing about the shows. So with a two week stay, it's pretty important the hotel is not too expensive. It all takes away from the bead budget!

Two years ago I did actually visit most shows, so also the ones you mention above. Considering then I was looking to buy wholesale beads for my business, collectible beads for myself and tools and material for goldsmithing and jewelrymaking, pretty much everything was interesting to me. I also found it fascinating how different the atmospheres were at the different shows. From the high-end fancy AGTA, to shows with use rocks sold on a parkig lot. I loved it!

One advantage of Gem Mall (A G&LW show) is that it has very large parking area, shuttles to nearby Holidome and most other shows. The property is owned by G&LW so it won't go away like some other locations.

I encouraged G&LW show staff to carve out an ethnic & African area because of the synergy these dealers have.

Free MS Transportation Co. shuttles were running between many shows. It's been a couple of years since the city provided the shuttles. G&LW provided some shuttles specific to their locations. There are several other shows between Gem Mall and Holidome with some Ethnic vendors this year. Aside from signs about the various routs at the shuttle stops, I did not see a good map of the shuttles.

The weather HAS warmed up in Tucson by Sunday 6 Feb.

To you, Joyce, and to all who edit and post photos and write prose for us to view and enjoy. I am most grateful!

This has been a great overview of the Grant Inn Show. In fact, you show more stuff than I managed to view myself.

Jamey

I am sad the show will not be at the Rodeway next year - I'll be interested in seeing where our "african trade beads" will land... I love it when all the historical bead people are in one central location. Linda and I have really missed coming - the economy hit and my new job started... three years later, well... priorities have intervened!

Joy B. in Utah