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The phrase “like a kid in a candy store” never applied more to me than it did just a few days ago. I had the incredible opportunity to visit Tucson, Arizona for the massive Gem and Jewelry Shows! It’s been a dream of mine since I started here at QVC…

I tagged along as our buying and product development team scoured a few of the 45 (!!) gem, mineral and jewelry shows that took place in Tucson. You likely recognize our gemologist extraordinaire Peyton Kelly in some of the pics! I peppered him and our buying and product development team (Jennifer and Grace) with at least 10,000 questions during the trip. Their knowledge is endless!

Our first day had me digging through big buckets of turquoise and being dwarfed by massive geodes.  My head was spinning from the enormous piles of stones on acres of tables!

The next day was a different show, in which we met with gem dealers from all over the world. It was incredible to hear them tell the stories of the stones, how hard some are to source, how rare they are, and which stones they predict to be the hottest of 2016 (more on that later!)

It was on this day that our team dug deep to find our Vault Discoveries... those gems that are true rarities, once-in-a-lifetime pieces. And personally, it was my chance to drool over some of my favorites:

 

And yes, I did get to handle some of the stones myself. This is the “Kid in a candy store” part!

We ogled stones and brainstormed new designs. It was so fun to watch Jennifer, Grace and Peyton get extra excited when a certain stone they hadn’t seen in ages popped up in our search. Their energy was infectious!

Our last night was the icing on an already decadent cake: QVC was honored as E-tailer of the Year by the Indian Diamond and Colorstone Association! There was an incredible dinner with musical performances and a magic show. Guess who got pulled up on stage to participate!

On our last morning it was time for me to ask my last, and most important question of our group: What stones are you most excited about seeing and offering to our viewers in 2016?? Here’s what  Peyton, Jen and Grace said:

-Rubies, emeralds and sapphires

-pink spinel

-all colors of garnet

-opals, especially fire opals

-turquoise

-baguette and emerald-cut stones of all kinds

-jewelry with mixed colors of stones

Yes, please, to all right??? I boarded that plane swimming in new knowledge, new favorite stones, and an eagerness to share this with all of you. But most importantly, I left with an even stronger respect for what our QVC team does to ensure we source only the best, most beautiful stones at the best prices. This group worked tirelessly for four days, and are back at it as we speak making sure all their visions come to be realities for our jewelry lovers. I couldn’t be more proud and in awe.

Ready to see what these rockstars (see what I did there?) have in store from Tucson??

Tune in Wednesday, February 10^th for my three hours with Peyton at 1pm,  and also that same day at 4am and 10pm for even more. See you then!