Found in Tucson
With Ultra Violet as the colour of the year, prepare yourselves for an amethyst rush. There was plenty of this gem on offer at the 2018 shows. For those who find amethyst a bit too classical, other purple gemstones seen at the show include tanzanite, sapphire, iolite, purple garnet, and rhodolite garnet. Moonstones were also really popular this year, in all shapes, sizes, and types of jewellery.
Over the last few years, the market has also started to slowly introduce a new gemstone: blue chalcedony. Known as ‘aquaprase’ on the market, the gem was discovered in 2013 by a Greek named Yianni Melas in Africa, and made its official entry at the Tucson shows this year. This interesting new stone brings a whole new colour to the large quartz family, offering a beautiful lagoon turquoise shade in a gemstone that is translucent. It comes from the same family as chrysoprase and chrysocolla, but is harder and more pleasing to the eye. This stone is becoming popular with designers all over the world for its organic look and natural, unfading colour.
Grape agates, another new discovery gaining popularity at this year’s shows, were first found in Sulawesi, Indonesia, a few years back, but only entered the market at the end of 2016. This purple and green grape-like gemstone is also a quartz chalcedony. Tucson was full of those small ‘grapes’ this year, and the best part is they are inexpensive.
Watermelon tourmalines are still going up in popularity and price. They had a strong presence in Tucson, as did classics like sapphire, ruby, and emerald. A favourite new find in Tucson this year was pyritized ammonite negatives—the shape is attractive, the golden colour is rich, and the gem itself is easy to work with. It was a great reminder there is more to gemstones and colour than emerald, sapphire, and ruby. Azurite geodes were another great find—there are few of these deep blue gems, but they have magnificent colour and are natural.
The vendors I saw and spoke to all had the same opinion: it is important to change our market and our views by introducing new options and opportunities. Making room for new, original, and inexpensive gems like those named here could be a great place to start.
Changing perspectives
Tucson was once again an unforgettable experience, full of both surprises and people who share a passion for gemstones. This year was particularly tumultuous, with changes in buying behaviour slowly but surely reshaping the market. From new discoveries to shifts in demand for age-old materials to growing sales of high-end pieces, vendors will have a lot to contend with in the coming year if they want to remain successful. In 2019, the Tucson gem shows are sure to be another new adventure.
Lauriane Lognay is a fellow of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (FGA), and has won several awards. She is a gemstone dealer working with jewellers to help them decide on the best stones for their designs. Lognay is the owner of Rippana Inc., a Montréal-based company working internationally in coloured gemstone, lapidary, and jewellery services. She can be reached via e-mail by contacting rippanainfo@gmail.com.
