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In June of 1995, Paul took samples of our material to Dr. Fischer's home to show him our achievement. One of these specimens was mounted in a bola tie for Dr. Fischer, and one as a pendant for his wife. Paul also went with the news that we had decided to
honor him by renaming the materials after him. Sadly, Dr. Fischer would pass away shortly after Paul's visit on July 25, 1995.
With the successes of the first two shows under our belts, we set our sights on bigger markets. For the next seven months, we would search out suppliers with quantities of the raw agate, negotiate and obtain booth space at the 1996 Quartzsite Pow-Wow,
while continuing to research the designer inclusion. Our techniques were adolescent in nature, thereby restricting us to the styles of designs that we would attempt. Crosses, simple initials, and the saguaro cactus were the mainstay of our trials during
this time. Using the medium we had, success percentage rates were in the upper teens, to low 20 percentiles. It was also during this period that we realized a terrible truth that has plagued many businesses, the supply just wasn't coming fast
enough.
September was quickly approaching, accompanying it the Tucson gem and mineral shows. It was decided that we should go and discuss our material with the national and international dealers who would be attending. With the assistance of my cousin, Garry
Wahl, an avid mineral collector, we hit as many shows as possible in the two days I had available. It was such a pleasure to show off our material, and have these people light up, asking where we got it from. Most of them were familiar with the materials
from the 70's, and lamented the lack of it during the early 80's and beyond. Even more exhilarating were the few vendors that brought forth bola ties and rings they had in their personal collections from Dr. Fischer's original material. An analogy that
rings true is comparable to a automotive worker at the Ford facilities being able to step into a Model A and take it for a spin. I also enjoyed listening to their theories of this material's genesis.
The two most common theories were a copper pellet lazed into the material, and the other being in the same vein, a copper pellet was dissolved and absorbed into the stone. The short time spent at this event provided us with more distribution channels,
greater exposure, but best of all, encouragement.
Paul and I continued to assemble materials for the fast approaching Quartzsite show with the exuberance that would be found in two school-age kids gettin' ready for a weekend at the fishin' hole. We were to be a part of a gathering of Rockhounds,
Lapidary, and Mineral Collectors from around the world that would approach 1.5 million in attendance!
We had to determine the feasibility of this venture, and we arrived knowing that our
showing here would determine whether or not we could continue with this project. For the last four years we had been feeding the baby, so to speak, it was now time to see if it could stand on its own merit. We were not disappointed. When we arrived, we
were accompanied by four tubs of gem rough. By show's end, we would be going home with one, less than half full. We had almost underestimated its popularity. We were now sure there was room in this world for more Fischerstone.
The few Designer inclusions we had available drew much attention. The crosses and saguaro cactus were the most popular. Because of the difficulty in creating initials, there were limited options in the initialized stones; these did not fare too well. But
when you've only got "V", "Y", and "C" available, the market has been narrowed by a huge margin, unless you're name happens to be Vince, or Yvonne. Knowing that there were still some bugs to be worked out in the designer inclusion arena, and the upcoming
introduction of the third species of Fischerstone, Paul and I were confident of the direction we'd be taking.
During those short five days in attendance at the Quartzsite Pow-Wow, we had the opportunity to meet people from around the world. To our knowledge, the countries that our material would be going to were Germany, France, Australia, and Canada, as well as
coast to coast in the continental United States and Alaska. There should come a time in all of our lives when we get to experience this type of event from both sides of the table. The talk of collecting, cutting and mounting,and as well, the one that got
away was more reminiscent of a family gathering than it was a trade show.
After the gates had closed to the public, it was time for the vendors to meet their neighbors. It was during this time that we would get our best information on product presentation, and assessing the wants of the public.
The exhilaration of the show will remain with us for many years to come. The memories of our successes, and failures. One instance is on the very first night of set-up.
After all had been prepared for the next day's opening, we set about to cook dinner, only to find out the bottom of the camp-stove would erupt in flames when the burners were lit. Now that was very exciting! Needless to say, for the next several days and
nights, we'd be visiting the local eateries, but that's another story.
Not everyone was overwhelmed with Fischerstone. There were those who would show initial excitement over our offerings, only to lose interest when full disclosure was presented. Or those who knew that our material was included chrysophrase, without even
asking a question. What made the show for us was the young lady and gentleman who drove in from San Diego, only with the hopes of finding us at one of the events that were going on at the time. They had read the article in "Rock and Gem," and were to say
the least, excited. We were also pleased to offer a school discount to the teacher and students who had come to the show from L.A. Recently, I received word back that some of this material ended up on display in the Los Angeles County Fair.
The drive home would be full of reflection on the future of Fischerstone. It had proven once again that there is a market for the unique. We only needed to solve the mystery for increasing yield on designer stones, which would prove to be just around the
corner.
It would take us only a matter of weeks to devise a solution to inducing thin lined growth within the stone matrix. The first test lot with this revision would provide in excess of 90% yield, and allow us to attempt more intricate designs. This new
scheme would ultimately conclude in the picture of a rose, highly defined with petals, a leaf, and thorn on a stem. We attempted five of these, and were rewarded with five beautifully shaped roses, grown into aqua agate. The designer Fischerstone is a
reality.
Fearing complacency, we returned to Dr. Fischer's book in search of another of the included agates that we might be able to add to our repertoire. Settling on "Tin in Agate", we began the test lots. Successes were garnered from the start with some minor
setbacks. Somewhere in the process these inclusions proved to be more than the stone could handle resulting in unwanted fracturing of the matrix. This is a problem that we believe we have solved. It would prove to be a shame should we not be able to
correct this, as this gem material is striking in its own right. The stone itself remains its natural color white, with inclusions that range from charcoal gray to silver branching out in dendrite patterns rarely seen in nature. Cut polished and mounted
it's truly an awesome sight.
We may never see the Fischerstone family of cabochon rough reaching the levels of acceptance that its natural counterparts enjoy. For Paul and me, it's something that we do to remember those who came before us, showing the way. The next time we set down
to create a masterpiece out of a lump of stone, ponder a moment if you will, those who took the time to figure it all out allowing us to travel down that road with a little less hindrance and a lot more enjoyment.
Thank you Dr. George W. Fischer, 1906-1995.
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Copyright, 1997 by Vince King
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Vincent T. King was born July 15, 1962 at the now closed Williams Air
Force Base in Arizona. He is the father of three girls, (Brittney,
Trinity, and Lillian), and husband to Yvonne, all of whom he describes as
"God's gifts to my life." Currently living in Phoenix, Arizona, Vince
King is employed as a Driller/Router Technician in the rigid/flex
circuit board industry, by Dyanco, a division of Palomar Medical
Technologies.
Primarily a faceter, Vince King also enjoys gems and minerals of all
types. With his partner Paul Rabbitt, he continues to work on producing
Fischerstone, and developing even more types of designer inclusions.
You can reach Vince King through email at VYBTL@aol.com
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