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Tucson Show Shifts Stretch Buyers
February 10 , 2005

Tucson's "golden triangle" saw a major shake-up this year. Consisting of the American Gem Trade Association's (AGTA) GemFair at the Tucson Convention Center, the Gem and Jewelry Exchange (GJX) at the tent across the street, and the Gem and Lapidary Dealers Association (GLDA) show, the three neighboring sites have long been a major destination for buyers at the Tucson gem and jewelry shows. This year there was even more to see, with the AGTA and GJX shows both expanding, and the GLDA show moving from the downtown Radisson Hotel to the Starr Pass Marriott Resort & Spa.

The GJX show -- whose promoters will take over the former GLDA space at the Radisson in 2006 -- signed up close to 200 companies for its new Annex, the majority of which were GLDA exhibitors who plan to return to the Radisson next year. GJX also shifted its dates to match AGTA's, opening on Wednesday and closing on Monday, rather than opening and closing a day later.

The AGTA show, meanwhile, occupied a previously unused ballroom with a designer showcase of approximately 50 companies. Many of them moved from the downstairs arena, which was then filled with overflow exhibitors.

The first two days of the downtown shows were excellent for most, with more than one dealer commenting that attendees came to buy. In contrast to the past few years, when retailers arrived with a specific shopping list, buyers this year were looking for inventory.

That didn't mean they weren't picky. Dealers who had the rare, top-quality, well-cut stones or unusual material quickly sold out. Those who had more common goods -- especially gems that could easily be ordered from a regular supplier -- struggled. Across the board, if an exhibitor had a good show, it was made in the first couple of days. As the weekend arrived, attendance dragged, particularly on Super Bowl Sunday.

Exhibitors at the GLDA show were happy with the sales they did, but lamented the show's far-off location, indicating that traffic there was not as good as downtown. Several dealers new to Tucson cited weak sales but were willing to give the show another try.

Traffic flowed, however, at the Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers show at the Holiday Inn/Holidome. Although traffic waned slightly when the weekend ended, exhibitors reported robust sales and the emergence of some new customers and contacts. Shows nearby also did well, including the Tucson Electric Park Gem & Mineral Show at the Kino Sports Complex. The show grew substantially this year, and dealers reported that the new mix of exhibitors drew crowds and good sales, especially in the first week of the show.

Unusually for Tucson, there were few truly new gemstones on offer. Dealers complained almost universally of shortages in rough that sent prices spiralling upward, particularly for sapphire. Pink sapphire, which had been in high demand due to increased availability and popularity in fashion, is becoming rare again, with prices doubling or even tripling within the past year.

Green stones were also in fashionably strong demand, particularly peridot and green tourmaline. The bright, cheerful oranges of spessartite were popular when they could be found, though the rush of a few years past is decidedly over. And natural gems of all types continued to build their niche, particularly in sapphire; one dealer commented that sapphires that previously would have been heated without a second thought were now kept in their pristine state to see if they would sell.

Dealers also noted that pale stones were popular, like aquamarine and morganite. Stones sometimes thought of as "semiprecious" were a huge hit, but in more expensive, high-quality stones and special cuts.

This year's Tucson shows were far from a high note for most attendees, but there was promising activity on the high end of the market, with buyers focusing in on large gems and high-quality suites. Tucson maintained its reputation as a place to find the rare, the strange, and the breathtakingly beautiful for the connoisseurs who waited all year to find them.

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January/February 2005 • Style: Gemmys Winners • Style: AGTA spectrum Awards • Selling: In the Pink - Retail Survey • News & Updates • In This Issue