At the 2006 Tucson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase, Marcus Origlieri met a dealer from China who was selling some striking red wulfenite crystals. Origlieri struck up a conversation with the man and decided he would like to import the crystals himself. The dealer offered to show him where to buy some and the two exchanged emails. Not long after, Origlieri was on a plane to China. Upon arrival, Origlieri realized the fatal flaw in his plan: he didn’t fully remember what his new friend looked like.
“Are you here from America?” a man asked.
“Yeah,” Origlieri confirmed as the man led him to his car.
Luckily, Origlieri took the risk on the right man because he ended up at a woman’s house packed with wulfenite. After days of haggling, they landed on a price and Origlieri returned victorious.
“I started to think about that I don’t really want to just fly to some foreign country and not know who I’m getting picked up by or where I’m really going,” Origlieri said. “I might not do that again.”
