Wow I'm catching up quick on these posts (I've been too jealous to look but I'm better now)- looks like heaven.

On the Tucson front! It looks as though the "pearl talk" may not happen. Doug Fiske and I were going to do it together, but the powers that be determined it may be construed as GIA endorsement of a commercial enterprise (PearlParadise.com). After the diamond scandal that sort of thing is a no go! But I respect that if it does hold true across the board.

Jeremy, I kinda see GIA's point there, but still... You ARE an absolute expert in the field; it seems to me that anyone who attends the show would benefit from your experience there. It's not like you have an exhibition booth on site, so I am not really seeing where the commercial endorsement claims come in- Strack wrote a book, and she benefited (I'm sure) from hosting a lecture in Tucson, but so did everyone that came to hear her speak! You've spent years traveling all over the world buying and selling pearls- your experience more than trumps your online business.

I guess I'm just disappointed...