"My aunt's backyard is a textbook Tucson scene." (Right) "The colors of the city and my malachite earrings," Andrea Fohrman

All photos by Andrea Fohrman

"I started with beads at Tucson years ago and I still love picking through the amazing selection," Andrea Fohrman

"I select each piece of turquoise in my jewelry by hand," Andrea Fohrman

"Reenergizing my gemstone rings in Tucson." (Right) "My new favorite stone Cobalto Calcite," Andrea Fohrman

"The Gem Show is about energy in the earth. I love to discover uses of gemstones in other forms than jewelry," Andrea Fohrman

"It's easy to get lost in the trays, I go for color and shape." (Right) "I'm sure my rainbow motif comes from my love for the 70s and monsoon months in Tucson when there are rainbows every day!" Andrea Fohrman

"Rainbow stone shopping," Andrea Fohrman

"Malachite is one of my favorite gems to hand pick." (Right) "My Malachite Moon inspired by Cactus Forest," Andrea Fohrman

"Slabs upon slabs of my favorite gemstones," Andrea Fohrman

"I love handpicking unusual gem shapes to create stories." (Right) "Looking at my pieces with the Tucson back dropmakes sense to me now," Andrea Fohrman

"Rutilated quartz reminds me of shooting stars and I love to use it with my galaxy collection." (Right) "My charm necklace with the moon, stars, and lightening bolts on a cactus," Andrea Fohrman

"Took a selfie in front of my favorite deli in Tucson from my college days." (Right) "My diamond moon necklace in a Tucson backdrop," Andrea Fohrman

"The foothills give off a color at sunset that has inspired me since visiting Tucson as a little girl," Andrea Fohrman

Rocks My World

Andrea Fohrman’s Photo Diary From the Gem Show

The California girl has deep roots in the region

by Marion Fasel

Designers from all over the world descend on Tucson, Arizona for the for two weeks beginning at the end of January to attend the Gem Shows in the city of just over half a million. While the destination is universally beloved by rock hounds, no one I know has such a strong connection to the desert city as Andrea Fohrman. The Los Angeles based designer stays with her aunt who lives in Tucson while she works the show. She attended the University of Arizona in Tucson where she met her husband. And she fell in love with gems when she went to the Gem Show for fun while she was in college.

Despite the fact that she loved gems and even studied jewelry design during a year abroad in Florence, Andrea wasn’t clear it was her path and went to work in movie production after graduation. Well, it wasn’t long before she was stringing beads and starting her jewelry business. Flash ahead some thirteen years later, Andrea Fohrman has built a beloved brand that can be found at Net-a-Porter and Ylang 23. Yet she has never forgotten the enchanted desert city where it all began. Just look at her photo diary from four days at the 2017 Tucson Gem Show and you will see her themes in designs link back to the enchanted southwestern city.

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