Treasures from the Tucson Gem Shows

If the hassles of running a business have made you forget why you entered the jewelry industry in the first place, then a trip to the Tucson gem shows will remind and inspire you. Some 43 individual shows serve as a giant supermarket of primarily loose gems, from faceted stones to bead strands. But it’s the quality of the environment—positive, exciting, creative (unlike any other gem or jewelry show)—and not the quantity of goods that likely keeps colleagues coming back.

The variety of gem materials present allows attentive shoppers to obtain competitive edges through uncommon finds. For example, at Dakota Stones in the Gem Mall, purple turquoise was featured. It comes from the Kingman mine in the Southwest, and is dyed with a red resin to give it that Barney purple color (with blue veins peaking through). The keystone price per strand ranges from $34-$180.

While finished goods are often present, these items are more often made by craftspeople who can’t be found at other jewelry shows. For example, a father, son, and daughter team from Bali were selling snake, ostrich, skate, and African bullfrog leather accessories, such as belts, with sterling silver accents. Lou Guerin and kids Zoltan and Alice were exhibiting their accessories for third time in Tucson. Presently, they don’t attend any other U.S. shows. Their booth is in the Rodeway Inn. Prices for their bracelets start at a retail price of $90.

Conversation pieces are just plain fun finds. An enormous rutilated quartz from Land Gems, Inc. in the GJX tent weighed more than 7,500cts. t.w. at $1 per carat. It was mined and cut in Brazil and is a natural color.

Perhaps most fun is seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Everyone is relaxed, often wearing jeans, and always willing to share great finds. This morning I’ll walk the shows with jewelry designer and friend, Marya Dabrowski. What we’ll find, I don’t know, but one certainty exists at every Tucson show: we’ll have a great time.