Many people know that the SaddleBrooke Silversmith and Lapidary Club had a display of over 20 of our members’ creations in the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show at the Tucson Convention Center; however, not as many know that one of our members – our President Gloria Quigg – entered a display for competition in the Education category. Gloria’s display of beautiful stones in a variety of shapes and settings won second place. Congratulations, Gloria!
So how does one of our residents get to this level? Actually, Gloria started out with a degree in Informational Science, not gemology; however, out of curiosity and an interest in stones and gems she took a course from the Gemological Institute of America. GIA has many offices, but its headquarters is in Carlsbad, California and they are an international institution. Needless to say, Gloria quickly became hooked on this fascinating science and started taking courses at the Tucson Parks and Recreation and also the Pima County Parks and Recreation. She really liked the idea of creating her own jewelry designs using the stones she liked and she joined the SaddleBrooke Silversmith and Lapidary Club in 2000 when it was just a fledgling club.
As her interest grew, she joined the Tucson Gem and Mineral Society and began putting her creations in various shows all around the Tucson area. That led to volunteering to help with the TGMS Show, which she did for several years. Then, seven years ago her skills were quite apparent to the Show Committee, and she was asked to take the position of Publicity Chair, which she has held ever since. She now has a co-chair, because it is quite an overwhelming job – what with ads and articles in a wide variety of publications, as well as radio and television spots. It’s a good thing this is a labor of love because, while most of us see the Gem Show as being a fun way to see many unique and beautiful things (and spend money), Gloria actually lives down there for about a week. Some days she has to be at the TCC as early as 6:00 a.m., so she takes a room downtown to accommodate all the long days.
If you ever want to know about various stones and gems, just ask Gloria. She has a wealth of information to share and we’re proud to have Gloria be a representative of SaddleBrooke on such an impressive stage!