Fab Feb. Finds!
Thanks to all of you who took advantage of our 20% off special. It was as usual a big success. Who doesn't like a good sale, anyway?

My trips to India, Thailand and the Tucson Gem Show were once again fruitful. There was lots to see and buy. I found some great shell pieces in Thailand, along with some really cute Hilltribe necklaces that are sure to be a hit. In India I found some really nice "Bali style" jewelry, with delicate cast silver work.

My textile suppliers had some great ideas for handbags. I also found some really nice cushion covers, as usual. Most of the fabric products I bought won't be ready until next month, but I did buy some ready goods that will be here shortly.

As for new jewelry items, check the site. We've added over 50 new pieces for you to peruse. There are new chains, new Hilltribe jewelry, several new amber designs, in addition to a bunch of assorted jewelry that can be seen under the new arrivals section. Over the next several days we'll be adding more, including lots of new amber that I got as closeouts while in Tucson. I know the prices will appeal to everyone, and the quality is top notch.

Exhibitors come from all over the world to exhibit their wares. At the Tucson Show you can find everything from fossils and mineral specimens to beads to high end diamond jewelry. If it's made from stone, chances are you can find it in Tucson. This year was the largest show ever.

Probably the most noticeable trend this year was turquoise. Everyone had it in some form or another. There was sky blue turquoise from the US, apple green, brown, or yellow varieties from China, and even lime green dyed turquoise processed in Hong Kong. It seems the forecasts have everyone ready to move huge quantities of this fun and attractive mineral during the resurgence in popularity.

Also notable were the amount of bead wholesalers. Having just opened a retail store with about 1/3 of the square footage devoted to beads, I was obviously on the look out, but it really seemed like this year every other booth had beads for sale. The variety and price range was truly staggering. Some of the Indian wholesalers were offering low end semiprecious beads for $1 per strand. Other vendors specialized in high end faceted gemstones sold in the hundreds of dollars per half-strand. There were also silver, gold, vermeil and even copper findings. The number of vendors is a testament to the widespread interest among hobbyists in making their own jewelry.

I was also struck by the confluence of current events and how they are impacting the jewelry industry. Precious metals prices, especially silver, have fluctuated wildly over the past year. As I have mentioned before, the overall trend is on an upward trajectory. For literally a decade, silver hovered in the $5 per ounce range. Over the past year price has varied between $5.50 and $8 per ounce. In truth it has rarely dipped below $6 per ounce, and often tops $7. Today silver opened at $6.60 and closed at $7.17!

In addition to rising silver, the US Dollar is currently coming off some historic lows. In 2003 for example, $1 bought almost 43 Thai baht. Today it buys just 38.5 Thai baht, a difference of almost 12%. My Thai vendors charge more now for silver, and my dollar buys 12% less than it used to. The dollar versus Euro story is even more dramatic.

In the end, I finally saw "bottom line" prices rising. Sure, there were still the 29¢/gram signs, but the selection was a sorry state of old close outs and very limited quantity. The price increases are gaining traction and I doubt we'll see any drop until and if silver prices settle down and the dollar recovers.

The silver lining (pardon the pun) to this cloud is that in the grand scheme of things silver is still inexpensive compared to many other commodities. Retailers will continue to have plenty of room for mark up while keeping prices affordable in the eyes of our customers.

Aloha,

Mike McGinnis
Whirled Planet
808-822-2335 tel.
888-408-0072 toll free (US only)
http://indiasilver.com/index.asp