Inside a West Hollywood Preview of Tucson’s Hottest Colored Stones

By Victoria Gomelsky | January 07, 2026

In mid-December, Alissa Matkovich, founder and CEO of Stacked, hosted a luncheon at a private club in West Hollywood to introduce some of her best clients to the work of Miami jeweler Vanessa Fernández and the Los Angeles gem dealer Dave Bindra, vice president and head of acquisitions at B&B Fine Gems.

We seized the opportunity to quiz Bindra about the colored stones he expects to catch fire at the AGTA GemFair in Tucson next month. He pointed to a 4.15 ct. orange gem on display along with a dozen other stones: “Mandarin garnet in that Fanta color is super-hot.”

B&B Fine Gems mandarin garnet — *A 4.15-ct. mandarin garnet at B&B Fine Gems*

Next, Bindra picked up a 12.28 ct. blue sapphire resting in its own box. “I’ve noticed a lot of people gravitating toward softer colored sapphires like this one from Madagascar,” he said. “It’s like a steely pastel. It’s got a little gray, a little purple. And typically, depending on the material, it’s easier to get a much larger stone without paying an exponential amount of money.”

B&B Fine Gems blue sapphire — *A 12.28-ct. blue sapphire from Madagascar*

As always, spinel from the Mahenge deposit in Tanzania is poised to be a top performer, Bindra noted, with one caveat: “It’s become more desirable and harder to find.”

“Another trend: People are really into sleepy, opalescent gemstones, kind of like this Mahenge spinel,” he said, referring to a 4.07 ct. pink spinel on display. “That’s something that’ll trend into the new year. People didn’t want these stones before. It’s a different look, it’s unique. You don’t really find a lot of stones that have that sleepy, smoky quality. And I think people are just looking for something different.”

Even though the Tucson gem shows open in less than four weeks, the forecast remains stubbornly cloudy, Bindra said.

“The market is relatively strong for top-end colored stones, but there does seem to be a little choppiness in the luxury space,” he said. “The big unknown is what happens with tariffs. How permanent is this whole situation? It is having a pretty significant effect on the market. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with that uncertainty.”

Top: Gem dealer Dave Bindra displayed a selection of his finest colored stones at a December luncheon hosted by Alissa Matkovich of L.A.-based Stacked.