#idazzletravels

Ode to Las Vegas Jewelry Week: A Love Letter

Beginning. #vegasshoes packed, outfits sorted. Business cards and chargers and advil, but always always one thing forgotten. Eyes bright, voice fresh, words come easily. Never mind that we’ve never met; we are united in beauty, humbled by gems…

#idazzletravels: Kenya and Tanzania Part One: The Gems

I find myself saying “Asante” to people instead of thank you, and, like a narcoleptic, fall asleep mid-sentence after 8pm. I must be home from Africa.
I just returned from my 6th trip–in about 30 months–to Kenya and Tanzania. After so many trips…

Larger than Life: A Tribute to Gichuchu Okeno

I am numb. Stunned. Two weeks ago today I was FaceTiming with Gichuchu Okeno, gem dealer, mine owner, father, husband, and friend. And today he is gone. I’ll never hear his laugh again. It’s hard to reduce a life down to its essence, to mere words. Okeno…

#idazzletravels: AGTA GemFair Wrap Up of Gemstone Trends

It is a good thing it’s sunny in Seattle today (yes, that actually happens about 12 days a year), or my post-Tucson funk would be so much worse. After five days of non-stop gem overload in the sunny Sagauro-land of Tucson, it’s hard enough to adjust my eyes…

#idazzletravels: On my way to #JCKTucson

I’m in a candy-colored swirl getting ready for Tucson. If you haven’t read my post about the insane Tucson Gem Shows and the strange vortex you enter, this post captures it pretty well. I have a term I’ve coined for the Tucson experience: CISO, Color Induced Sensory…

Ciao Bellas! Attending VICENZAORO January 2016 #idazzletravels

I leave tomorrow for Italy, to attend the January VICENZAORO jewelry show! I attended last year, and was thrilled that they asked me to come back again! You can read about my 2015 adventures here, where I explored their brand new layout and the…

Happy New Year! Words, Numbers and Intentions

Wow, 2015. A blur of beauty, experiences and great moments, from my first week in January at the GEM Awards and then faceting my own gemstone, to winning the Award for Excellence in Media from the Women’s Jewelry Association, to ending the year officially launching…

#idazzletravels: #ChasingBijoux, A Jewelry Tour of Paris with Bijoux Society

I think it’s no surprise that I love Paris. If you follow my Instagram, you likely saw a recent lovefest stream of artfully cropped images of architecture, art, parks, and, of course, wine. Just looking at Paris feeds my aesthetic side. When I found out…

Women’s Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence 2015

On a balmy New York evening on July 27th, I attended the annual Women’s Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence Gala. I was nominated for an Award for Excellence in Editorial Media. For the third time. I joked that I was the Susan Lucci of jewelry editors…

#idazzletravels: Gem Hunting or Why I Go To Africa

I’m just back from my latest trip to Africa. I wish that I could post relatively live from Tanzania and Kenya, but it turns out that WIFI there is short for “Works In-Frequently and Intermittently”. I have some souvenirs: Maasai beadwork and some impressive bug bites. Despite…