I'll start this off with the following caveat...
1) I did not make any of these cabochons, they are the work of numerous other people who have mastered the art of cabochon making. (Armando Custom Rock Cutters, Village Silversmith, Kris Rowe, Mia Benson, Otteson Turquoise...)
2) You may need to replace your keyboard after you are done viewing these cabs from the drool factor. You have been warned.
So I shared a booth with my friend Mia Benson of Spirit Bear Rocks at the Pow Wow show in Quartzsite. The show was for all intents and purposes a bust. The weather sucked, so no one came out to buy much of anything - it was the single biggest complaint of any vendor I talked to - cold, wet, and windy, no one wanted to be out in it. Not a typical Quartzsite winter by any means. I froze my butt off at the booth which faced the I-10 so it was exposed to the elements. I still have to grab Peter's air compressor and blast the dried caked on mud off my earring racks.
Add to this the failed entry that never made it into the most recent contest because the clay wouldn't fire properly in the kiln. Throw in health problems of my own..
I decided to self medicate at the Pow Wow...
My medicine happens to be pretty cabs. Spent more cash than I took in.
Lots of gorgeous things in these photos...
K2, Seraphinite, Charoite, Ammolite, pyritized Ammonite, Marcasite in agate, Dendritic opal, Kingman turquoise, Purple Mojave Turquoise, Navada Variscite, Pietersite, Parrotwing Chrysocolla, Sonoran Sunset Chrysocolla, Blue G, Poppy Jasper with hematite, faceted Mystic fire topaz, Atlantisite, malachite...And several wooden carvings - that largest looks like Sarumon from LOTR to me. Also have other assorted cabs of Rhyolite, Serpentine, and unidentified Jaspers and Agates.