Being around all these great gems, I often find myself getting very blasé about them. I SHOULD be excited, having all these fabulous gems in my possession (at least until they go to their new homes), but now and then I need a little reminder of why I love selling these things.

My 6-year-old son enjoys making jewelry out of my beads, but he has never been gaga over them. But the other day, he decided to invite a couple of his friends over to make bracelets. These two little girls saw my bead collection and truly freaked out. They couldn't get over the beautiful colors, the luscious darks and the clear lights, the perfect crystals and the smooth knobs. They each made a bracelet, but they spent MOST of their time just ohhing and ahhing over the fabulous gems.

Watching them, I started to get excited too! I mean, I have DOZENS of gemstones, right in my house! When the girls were gone, I looked at all the leftover beads on the floor. We had opened quite a few different bags, and the remainders were scattered about. I scooped them up and looked at them glittering in my hands. And then I remembered why I love this job so much!

Suzanne