Jewelry Artist Podcast: Discovering Treasures in Tucson with Lenka Bindzar

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Each winter, people gather in Tucson, Arizona to buy and sell beads, gems, and other treasures from around the world. There are over 40 shows in different venues across the city, each with their own flavor.

To me, the experience feels like part shopping adventure, part learning experience, and part family reunion. While I was in Tucson this year, I caught up with Lenka Bindzar, the owner of Raven’s Journey.

Above: Czech glass lotus coin beads from Raven’s Journey.

Lenka has specialized in selling unique, beautiful beads from the Czech Republic for 20 years. She’s originally from the Czech Republic but lives in Washington state. She started her wholesale bead business by searching for cottages in the Czech countryside that have two chimneys—one for heating the house and one for melting raw glass to be pressed into beads.

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To the Trade

I recorded an interview with Lenka outside the Cactus Tent at the Gem Mall during the Tucson gem shows. Lenka has been selling Czech glass here for the last two decades. We tried several different spots in the parking lot but it was a windy day and you might notice some variation in the sound. Just picture us sitting on folding chairs under a tree—Lenka in the sun and me in the shade.

Parking Lot Discovery

When we finished our conversation, the most amazing thing happened. Lenka looked down on the ground and carefully picked up something out of the dusty parking lot. It was a light green, briolette bead. One of hers! She knew right away because the color hasn’t been made for eight years. And she hasn’t sold any beads in this color for five years. Did it fall out of someone’s shopping bag years ago and survive all this time on the desert floor?

Breaking the Mold

Lenka remembers this green briolette bead because she really tries to create beads using unique or unusual glass colors that are available in limited supply. She says Czech glass beads are so unique that sometimes she can’t manufacture the same type of bead more than once because molds are broken or the original colors are no longer available. In addition to using vintage molds, Lenka works with Czech bead makers to create new styles of beads.

Tucson Time

What are the chances that Lenka and I would find ourselves on the edge of a dirt lot in Tucson and discover—not only a pretty glass bead—but one of the beads that she sold years ago?

We couldn’t believe it and yet it’s pretty much the perfect way to sum up the Tucson gem show experience: The magic of Tucson is that you very often bump into someone or something and find yourself exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Enjoy the journey,
Katie Hacker, Content Manager—Bead & Jewelry and Jewelry Artist podcast host

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