gems from the JAA trade fair

and not the gems we expected to find. Mel and I spent Monday cruising the exhibition halls at Darling harbour, overwhelmed by glitz and, and……searching for something different, a new exciting tool, some great display options….something…..and here’s what we discovered……a handy hint passed on to us by an exhibitor, told to him by an ancient jeweller….if ever you need a tiny stainless steel spring (for those days when you just HAVE to make a parrot clasp – eesh)…then use part of the ‘E’ string from a guitar. Not sure what the ‘E’ string is, or whether an ‘A’ string would work as well but sounded like a potentially useful bit of info….We were also shown a really neat contemporary ring band – beautifully made (German?) with a tiny dimple in it that you press with a pen to open a hidden hinge – allowing the ring to open fully….for people with arthritis….and lastly, we found a supplier (Euromount) for sterling silver pin ends (those little bullet things)….there was a moment of weakness at Ajit, where we came away with a string of sparkly  gems to play with….and then it was all over.