Mi-Shell
01-08-2009, 13:47
The town of Bancroft is 165 km east of where I live; about a 21/2 hour drive on country roads... A nice drive on a day when it did not rain....
I much prefer to buy beads directly, see the colours, clarity, cut and finish... catalogues and websites just may show one thing and what arrives here in the bush is quite something else...
The Bancroft Gemboree however is great fun. There are 3 areas: A big hall with lots of large companies selling wholesale as well as to the public. Most vendors ther are long time participants at the show and arrive from all over canada. My favorite bead store is Capilano from Vancouver. We deal with them since 20 years....
Then there is another building with smaller local vendors and artisans. many beautiful individual pieces are to be found there. And then there is the "Swap/ Meet" outside, where rockhounds can trade with other rockhounds and great deals can be found...
I was looking for Beads: Jade, Aventurine, Garnet, Amethyst and good quality Turquoise beads and also cabochons for our business.
Peter was more interested in Labradorite , Jasper and Agate slabs -and also tools and findings. We had a lot of vendors to compare and desicions to make, but slowly our backpacks filled with treasures! :)
Another treat is that I can visit one of my favorite vendors, who sells carved stone Animals. I always look for Owls, Bears, maybe a Wolf - if it is portrayed realistically- and also for critters that I can ad to my little collection of Medicine wheel Animals.
This year I got very lucky!
I found not only a small Turtle carved from Opal, small snakes made of Rose Quartz and Amethyst but also a neat little Bat and , surprise, surprise: A Moose and a magnificent Ibex!
There were also a few neat dogs and cats I am planning to use as gifts for friends..... And come to think of it, there was also a teny tiny chicken.....!!
At another booth I found tiny delicately carved replicas of the Venus of Willendorf, rendered in different kinds of semiprecious stone!
And at yet another booth I could hardly belief my eyes! a magnificent large Mountain Lion, sleek and smooth, carved from chalcedony and Someone I would never have guessed I would find:
Ee’ren Omsür, the Snow Leopard!!!
The magnificent Snow Leopard is a VERY special Guardian for the Medicine people of my dad’s clan!
Of course I bought both of them and now they are on our Family Altar, getting to know all the ones, we already have.
We do have a vendor’s -wholesaler's license and so usually only pay half of the retail price, but still, we spend every penny we brought with us and had to leave sooooo many nice things behind.....
I much prefer to buy beads directly, see the colours, clarity, cut and finish... catalogues and websites just may show one thing and what arrives here in the bush is quite something else...
The Bancroft Gemboree however is great fun. There are 3 areas: A big hall with lots of large companies selling wholesale as well as to the public. Most vendors ther are long time participants at the show and arrive from all over canada. My favorite bead store is Capilano from Vancouver. We deal with them since 20 years....
Then there is another building with smaller local vendors and artisans. many beautiful individual pieces are to be found there. And then there is the "Swap/ Meet" outside, where rockhounds can trade with other rockhounds and great deals can be found...
I was looking for Beads: Jade, Aventurine, Garnet, Amethyst and good quality Turquoise beads and also cabochons for our business.
Peter was more interested in Labradorite , Jasper and Agate slabs -and also tools and findings. We had a lot of vendors to compare and desicions to make, but slowly our backpacks filled with treasures! :)
Another treat is that I can visit one of my favorite vendors, who sells carved stone Animals. I always look for Owls, Bears, maybe a Wolf - if it is portrayed realistically- and also for critters that I can ad to my little collection of Medicine wheel Animals.
This year I got very lucky!
I found not only a small Turtle carved from Opal, small snakes made of Rose Quartz and Amethyst but also a neat little Bat and , surprise, surprise: A Moose and a magnificent Ibex!
There were also a few neat dogs and cats I am planning to use as gifts for friends..... And come to think of it, there was also a teny tiny chicken.....!!
At another booth I found tiny delicately carved replicas of the Venus of Willendorf, rendered in different kinds of semiprecious stone!
And at yet another booth I could hardly belief my eyes! a magnificent large Mountain Lion, sleek and smooth, carved from chalcedony and Someone I would never have guessed I would find:
Ee’ren Omsür, the Snow Leopard!!!
The magnificent Snow Leopard is a VERY special Guardian for the Medicine people of my dad’s clan!
Of course I bought both of them and now they are on our Family Altar, getting to know all the ones, we already have.
We do have a vendor’s -wholesaler's license and so usually only pay half of the retail price, but still, we spend every penny we brought with us and had to leave sooooo many nice things behind.....