I was delighted to meet this supplier at the 2022 Denver Show.  I knew some of my other suppliers had bought from him, but hadn’t tracking him down personally until then.  It was almost by accident, I had spent most of my budget already and was just wandering around when I saw his little booth.  I looked over his stock and asked a few questions, then a few questions more.  He has a PhD in geology and I’m forever curious, we got along famously!  In addition to talking about rocks, we also had a lengthy discussion about some of the archaeological digs in Turkey (he’s been to Çatalhöyük! I’m so jealous!) and I told him he simply must come to Hawaii when the volcano is erupting.  Meeting him was one of the most pleasant experiences I’ve had in all my years of sourcing.