VENDORS - NEW!!! Database From Creators of Tucson EZ-Guide

Be sure your company and products are listed in this search directory if you sell gems, minerals, fossils, jewelry, or related services and supplies at a gem show!

Here's how to get listed:

First, do a quick search for your company on this page. If you are not listed, you are eligible for a FREE listing in this searchable directory, so send us your company name and one product that you sell, and we will list it right away at no charge. (If your product is not already listed in the "Search By Product" box, we'll add it.) Or if you want to take full advantage of this, the world's only searchable directory to locate rock and gem vendors and products, you may purchase a Complete Listing of your searchable contact and product information for potential buyers and customers to easily find you all year long.

• Your FREE listing includes . . .
  • Company name
  • Gem shows where you sell your products
  • One product that you sell

Or purchase a Complete Listing so the 25,000 viewers who visit this site every month can contact you immediately. Here are the annual rates:

• $99/year to list any or all of your contact information, and two more products, in addition to your FREE listing . . .
  • Contact Person
  • Address (choice of any or all: street or box number, city, state, country)
  • Phone
  • Fax
  • E-Mail, linked
  • Website, linked
  • A second and third product that you sell
• $15/year . . .
  • Per product, for your fourth and fifth product listings
• $5/year...
  • Per product, for for each Product listing after your fifth

So email or call Xpo Press today to order your free or purchased directory listing. We will post your information immediately for the many potential customers who are hoping to locate you (and the unique rocks, gems and jewelry that you sell) in this directory right here and now!

Xpo Press, Inc.

1-720-946-2808 (International)
1-877-621-6143 (Toll Free)
1-303-428-5592 (Fax)

Tucson's Fall Season...Stock up for the Holidays

Did you know that there is a Fall Season in Tucson?  ...no I am not talking about the leaves turning - cactus doesn't have many leaves and the sage is pretty much the same color all year long!

What I am referring to is the Tucson Gem Show - the Fall version!

While this groups of shows is no where near the size of the Spring Shows (which some see as a benefit), it does the trick!  For locals and people in the Southwest area this is the perfect option for restocking needs just prior to the busy Holiday Season.  

So if you have run out of a favorite bead or need more Chrysoprase Cabs (you know that Green is an important color for Spring & Summer 2013 - right?) this is your opportunity to shop three (3) of the larger shows from Spring!

Your selection includes the popular Holidome Show presented by G&LW  - the giant JOGS Show at the ExpoCenter and the Best Bead Show at Kino Memorial Center!

If you aren't able to pick up a Tucson EZ-Guide to the Fall Shows in person click through for a download-able Flip Book!  

If It's Franklin - It's Time For The Franklin Faceters Frolic!

Roy Kersey and Will Smith started the idea for the Faceters’ Frolic in 2007 and the first Frolic was held during the Summer 2008 Gem Shows in Franklin, NC.

This year the 5th Annual Franklin Faceters Frolic will be a two-day event on Friday July 27th & Saturday 28th of 2012 at the Fun Factory.


Highlights include:
> two GemCad Classes offered by the creator of GemCad, Robert Strickland. Starting at 9AM, Robert will offer a Beginner Class, which will go until Noon. At 1 PM he will start another GemCad Class for Intermediate/Advanced level students. This will be your chance to learn from the Master.
> a fabulous line up of dealers is available on the FFF5 website, dealers will start offering items for sale at 1PM on Friday. Dealers will be available all day on Saturday. 
> and the great list of Demos from equipment manufacturers grows every year.


Program Features Include:
>  from the home of Topaz - "Selecting & Faceting Topaz" by Diane Eames GG, past president of Texas Faceters Guild
> "Faceting for Competition" by Dr. Howard Bromley, the new USFG Editor and the newest member of the USA Team competing in 2012 Australian International Faceting Challenge

Special Guest and Premiere Unveiling:


"NEW GemRay for Windows" by Robert Strickland the creater of GemCad and GemRay. Robert will show how it works and go over things you need to know. It is a powerful addition to GemCad.


Whether you are a beginning faceter or an advanced cutter this is your opportunity to talk to the man who wrote the book (or should that be program?)...and get up close and personal in two GemCad Classes!


So take a moment to check out the Franklin EZ-Guide and add the Frolic to your schedule!

Make it a Gemmy Summer in Franklin, NC…

Whether you are a rockhound, geologist or you just love the beauty Mother Nature provides…you must, just once in your lifetime hit the scene in Franklin.

Curious? take a minute to download the online edition of the Franklin EZ-Guide and see if there isn’t something that catches your attention.

With maps of the area, dining suggestions, show dates and hours, vendor lists and more Gem Show EZ-Guides are the choice of travelers and attendees across the country…why?   …because “we know the shows”.

The EZ-Guide describes it this way: “During the summer months rockhounds and tourists converge on the tiny town of Franklin, North Carolina to attend gem shows, do some fluming at the local gem mines, and simply spend their vacations in this stunningly beautiful area at the southern foothills of the great Smoky Mountains. There is plenty to do for everyone who comes to Franklin and Macon County, but rockhounds who come to this area know that it is one of the only places in the world where it is not rare on a casual hike in the hills—if you know what you’re looking for—to return home with a pocketful of precious stones, even rubies, sapphires and garnets! This is what makes Franklin, truly, the Gem Capital of the World.”

…and for those looking for something to do outside the show, the Chamber of Commerce offers these options: “Whether you’re looking for high adventure, fun places for the kids, beautiful scenery, a week on the greens, or the natural wonders of the Smoky mountains, Franklin provides a multitude of wonderful activities. For lovers of gems and minerals, you won’t want to miss the open-to-the-public gem mining in and near Franklin and the amazing collection at the Franklin Gem & Mineral Museum.

The Chamber provides a monthly Calendar of Events for some ideas of ways to spend your time during your stay in Franklin, North Carolina – home of mountain treasures and simple pleasures.”

See you in Franklin?

NEW EZ-Guide! Meet the NYC Metro Show Guide!

Have you met the new kid in town? The 2012 New York City Metropolitan Area Gem Show AKA “NYC Metro Show”!

Download the complete NYCMetro Show Guide at: http://www.xpopress.com/NYC-show-schedule.html

The show may be new but the promoter is a Tucson & Denver veteran…with exhibitors of fine minerals, exquisite fossils, real dinosaurs, meteorites, gems, jewelry, gold, silver, turquoise, opals, petrified wood, and much more.

So stop in – but bring you running shoes for the 65,000 sq. foot Meadowlands Exposition Center. Located in Secaucus New Jersey, just four miles from New York City via the Lincoln Tunnel.

Start planning your show visit TODAY – download the complete NYCMetro Show Guide…view exhibitors, check out floor plans and more!

Triebold Paleontology will be setting up five dinosaur skeletons to include an Appalachiosaurus (Eastern Tyrannosaurid) and Lephorothon in a “kill scene” in the lobby, as well as a Triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and  Thescelosaurus on the main exhibition floor.

NEW ANNOUNCEMENT! Heritage Auctions, the world’s premier natural history auction house, will display a 23-foot long Tyrannosaurus at the show. This specimen is expected to exceed $1 million at their New York City auction one week later. See it here first!

See the New York debut of the life-size “American Woman” sculpture by Francisco Sotomayor. She reclines on a life-size grand piano and was carved from a single 21-ton block of marble. She has been to 26 western US cities, but never before east of the Mississippi. Meet the artist and have him sign a free marble chip that came from the original block of marble. She will be featured on the NY morning shows, but come see her in person! If you missed out on viewing this amazing work of art at the Tucson Gem Show a while back – catch it here!

SHOW THEME: “Mexican Minerals”
GUEST SPEAKERS: Tom Moore (Editor, The Mineralogical Record), Bob Jones (Senior Editor, Rock & Gem Magazine), Debra Colodner (Education Director, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum), and Mark Candee (Curator, University of Arizona Mineral Museum).
Please Sign Up at the Lecture Area to Ensure a Seat!

FRIDAY
10 am: Debra Colodner - The Geology and Minerals of Baja California (30 min)
11 am:  Bob Jones - The Giant Selenite Cave in Mexico (45 minutes)
1 pm:    Mark Candee - Early Collecting: Recollecting Dr. Charles ‘Slim’ Thompson’s 1947 Oujela Mine Adventures (35 min)
2 pm:   Tom Moore - History & Minerals of the Ojuela Mine (120 min w/break)

SATURDAY
10 am: Debra Colodner - The Geology and Minerals of Baja California (30 min)
11 am:  Bob Jones - Mexican Azurite – Among the World’s Best (45 minutes)
1 pm:   Mark Candee - Early Collecting: Recollecting Dr. Charles ‘Slim’ Thompson’s 1947 Oujela Mine Adventures (35 min)
2 pm:   Tom Moore - History & Minerals of the Ojuela Mine (120 min w/break)

SUNDAY
10 am: Bob Jones - Mineral Collecting in Mexico (45 minutes)
11 am:  Mark Candee - Early Collecting: Recollecting Dr. Charles ‘Slim’ Thompson’s 1947 Oujela Mine Adventures (35 min)
1 pm:   Tom Moore - History & Minerals of the Ojuela Mine (120 min w/break)

May 10, Thursday (5 pm – 9 pm) Professionals Only**
May 11, Friday (9 am – 7 pm) EVERYONE Welcome!
May 12, Saturday (9 am – 7 pm) EVERYONE Welcome!
May 13, Sunday (9 am – 4 pm) EVERYONE Welcome!

Meadowlands Exposition Center
355 Plaza Drive, Secaucus, New Jersey 07094
Port Authority Bus #320 to our Front Door!

Free Parking, $5 Entrance, Children under 12 Free with Adult!

A Decade of EZ-Guides, International Shows and QR Codes!

What a Whirlwind of a Show! 

What a YEAR!   


What do you mean it is only February?


OK - I am of to hibernate for a while...with the glow of the desert still warming my skin....WHAT? 


I need to write a show wrap up? OK...


It has been an amazing couple of months from working on and gathering the information for a brand new International Edition of the EZ-Guide (did you pick up your copy in Tucson?) - to getting the annual Tucson EZ-Guide out!


Did you notice that the Tucson EZ Guide has gone "high tech"?  QR Codes made it possible to include more info without the EZ-Guide ending up so big you couldn't carry it with you! 


Here is a  quickie guide for those of you who I didn't talk to in Tucson!!!  


A QR (Quick Response) Code  is much like the Bar Codes on the goods you purchase from most stores today.


Here is an easy explanation from the Master of Explanation, Lee LeFever of Common Craft:

"In our online world, everything is linked together. You visit a website, and click a link to visit another site, send a message, view a photo or download a video.  A simple click makes everything possible.On the other hand, our physical world is what you see walking down the street.   The problem is – nothing is clickable. You can’t click a URL on a container to see recipes.  You can’t click a statue to read about it on Wikipedia. So, you end up having to type in a link, take notes or just keep walking. But that’s starting to change.
You may have seen codes like these. They’re called QR or “quick response” codes and they mean
your camera phone can now be a little like a cashier’s scanner.
Once you have an QR reader app on your smartphone, you can point your camera phone at these codes and immediately grab useful information.
Let’s say you’re running errands and walk by a sign that says “New Show Coming Soon” and there’s a QR code.   You can just open your QR reader app, point your camera phone at the code and the app will automatically give you options.
No links to remember, no notes - just point your phone at the QR code and the real world becomes clickable."

So now the question becomes where do you find a QR Scanner for your Smart Phone?

Turns out that today you have a couple options - there are 291 options on Download.com

...or for those of you that are Microsoft users - Mashable recently wrote up the new MS Tag system...check out a couple and find the one that works for you!

OK - wrap up coming in the next day or so...

The Munich Show or Mineralientage München

Thought you might enjoy a preview of what we have envisioned for the International EZ-Guide!  Let us know if something is missing!

Mineralientage Munchen

The Munich Show
World of Minerals, Gems, Jewelry and Fossils

October 26 – 28, 2012
Friday & Saturday 9am – 7pm  

Sunday 9am – 6pm
Friday – Trade Only  

Saturday & Sunday Open To The Public

2012 Theme:  African SecretsFor close to 49 years the Munich Mineral Show has positioned itself as Europe’s most important trade show, attracting the Who’s Who of the International Mineral & Fossil fields. After an extensive restructuring in 2009, the Gem and Jewelry “worlds” have begun to play an increasingly important role. With over 1250 vendors from 56 countries this is the largest show in Europe.  Mineralientage Munchen or The Munich Show handles the size issue by dividing exhibitors into “worlds” in separate halls.The Mineral World Munich – the fantastic world of minerals
The Gem World Munich – the most precious stones of the world
The Fossil World Munich – Witnesses of Earth’s History
The Stone World Munich – Nicest stone for wellness and home accessories

YouTube Video – The Munich Show 2011 Explains this multi faceted event:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G89kSL4P2sg

	online ticket price	price at fair
day ticket(Sa./So.)	EUR 11,-	EUR 12,-
half day ticket (from 3 pm)	EUR 7,-	EUR 8,-
kids (7-14 jears)	EUR 5,-	EUR 6,-

Contact Info:
Email:    info@munichshow.com
Phone:  +49 896134711
New Munich Trade Fair Centre 
Bayern , An der point, 81829 München, Germany
+49 89/94920720
Website for the New Munich Trade Fair Center
The Munich Show – Mineralientage München takes place on the grounds of the Neuen Messe München or the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.Google Map at:  http://g.co/maps/p4sua

Following a day filled with activities at theTrade Show you will find Munich to be very accommodating. One of the most popular European destinations the city of Munich offers visitors everything from a thriving nightlife to beautiful hiking trails and everything between. Fabulous restaurants and a wealth of Hotels – more information is available to visitors through the Munich Tourist Office.

The Hotel Guide of Messe München, with options near the fairgrounds – or centrally located in the nightlife of the trendy district of Munich – or a recreational value close to the mountains – you will find a wide range of accommodation in and around Munich and in the adjacent foothills.
Munich International Trade Fairs’ Hotel Guide

EZ-Guide Goes INTERNATIONAL!!!

Have you heard the news?

Your favorite Gem Show Guides will soon bring you “guides” for most of the larger Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Shows throughout Europe and Asia!

“Xpo Press is Going Global! This year we have expanded our vision to become a world-leader in publishing updated and accurate information for major gem and mineral shows throughout the world.”  Brad Hicks, CEO, Xpo Press

Which Shows you ask?   Check the web page at:  http://xpopress.com/international.html

Individual Show pages will feature the same complete information you have come to expect from Xpo Press EZ-Guides and will post as soon as we collect it!

The Tucson Show in 2012 will mark a decade – 10 Years of service to you!  We work hard to offer you the most complete and current information available…and with our expanded web-based features we are doing just that.

Our most complete information on the Event’s webpage, with click through to individual shows, floor plans, contact info and more, coupled with the downloadable version available online.  

We give you last minute updates and answer your questions on our Facebook page:  http://www.facebook.com/GemShowEZGuides  

If you are on Twitter our info posts to the @Gemshows feed…and for larger events we set up a Twitter Hub at Twubs – which aggregates tweets from the shows!

“We’ve specialized over these past ten years in providing information for the largest and most important gem, mineral and jewelry shows exclusively in the U.S.A. — among them, Tucson, Denver, Las Vegas, Quartzsite, Franklin, and West Springfield.   In keeping with that vision, premiering at the 2012 Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase, Jan. 25 – Feb. 12, will be Xpo Press’s new International EZ-Guide, which will be distributed on racks side-by-side with the popular Tucson EZ-Guide. 40,000 International EZ-Guides will be printed, with 10,000 being distributed during the 2012 Tucson show; then the remaining 30,000 will be distributed throughout 2012 at many of the gem and mineral shows that will be featured in the premiere issue of the International EZ-Guide” reports Brad.

Do you attend shows in other countries?  Do you exhibit at International Shows?  …let us know if you feel we are missing an important one!