Ready to find the right piece? Explore fine jewelry.
The Underwoods Building: Turning Fifty and More Beautiful than Ever
Related Posts
Treasure Hunting in Tucson
AGTA Tuscon Gem ShowTreasure HuntingWhat is a gem or "trade" show?You may be wondering what is a gem show and what is the benefit of buying from a jeweler that shops via these gem shows. These "trade" shows bring together everyone in the trade and offers the widest selection when looking for hidden treasure like gorgeous colored gemstones.The AGTA Tucson Gem Show brings together some of the world's most talented designers, gemologists, gemstone cutters and dealers. These gemstone dealers and cutters, many operating multi-generational family businesses, showcase their newest selection of precious stones and unique jewelry pieces. Our team traveled to Tucson to explore the gemology world's latest and greatest from rare gemstones to cutting-edge jewelry designs. Beyond obtaining fresh insights on what's new we get the opportunity to visit with dealers we have known for generations. By doing business at these trade shows, we are allowed the ideal opportunity to find one-of-a-kind treasures at remarkable values. Time in TucsonAt the beginning of each day we take a look at our shopping list and spend some time strategizing the day ahead. The shopping list includes stones we need for custom projects, replenishments for staple stock pieces, and client requests. The requests are always the ones that get everyone most excited, when we find a stone our clients or team has been wanting to see in the store we know it's going to make everyone happy. The Underwoods will go through each cutter's cases of stones to find what they are looking for. This includes narrowing selections down based on their beauty, making sure there is no light leaking through the facets, no prominent inclusions, and a perfect amount of sparkle, of course. Hand engraved platinum ring featuring a 4.16 carat round blue sapphire plus 1.26 carats total weight of fully cut diamonds.AGTA Spectrum Award WinnerWe got to view the Spectrum Award winners where our custom ring was on display for winning Platinum Honors as an engagement ring entry.FAQFrequently Asked QuestionsThere is a a small section we like to call "The Jungle": that is open to the public. This part of the show has geodes, crystals, home goods, and more! The place we spend the majority of our time does require you to be registered as a jewelry retailer and provide credentials. Security is tight where the treasures can be found to say the least!Tucson offers many loose gemstones, which is something we do a lot of business with. Having a business that specializes in custom jewelry and fine jewelry design, we are able to do some of our best sourcing at Tucson. Being surrounded by the sea of colored stone where the trending tones and shapes shift from year to year always sparks creativity for new, hopefully award-winning, designs.Bringing home new and rare gemsOverall, we consistently continue to see pastels and unique saturations for popular gemstones continue to get attention. Indicolite tourmaline and green tourmaline continue to be fan favorites among our customers and the industry. This year, we decided to acquire the rare Paraíba tourmaline that has been a favorite among collectors for the past few years.Top Picks from Tucsonpear-shaped paraÍba tourmalinesThese are one of the hottest and most sought-after gemstones on the market today. Known for its electric neon blue color, Paraíba tourmaline confidently glows. Finding a matched pair with color that rich is truly remarkable. round Mozambique rubyRubies usually have a deeper tone, but this one is bright and fiery. These type of rubies are very limited, and can be found in Mozambique, a country in Southeast Africa.Emerald-cut ZirconThis extraordianry Zircon features a smooth whiskey-like color with golden flashes to it, which is remarkable. Zircon comes in a variety of colors, but this dark and moody hue was one we couldn't leave without.From our social mediaViewTrends from Tucson★★★★★Drawn to color and character? Explore gemstone jewelry.
Learn more
The Lasting Legacy of Fine Jewelry
Investing in fine jewelry allows you to not only enjoy the beauty of precious gemstones but share an indestructible piece of your legacy with many of your descendants. Your name on a park bench or a brick wall is one thing but an heirloom piece speaks to the heart.
Learn more
Underwoods Award Winning Jewelry
Pearl Design International Pearl Design AwardThese unique and special cufflinks won the prestigious International Pearl Design Competition held in Tokyo, Japan, from a field of over 1,000 entries, representing 46 countries worldwide. Made in platinum with 24 karat gold inlay, these striking cufflinks were designed by shaving four flat walls on each pearl, then stacking them together, giving the illusion of a balloon being blown up behind a mesh fence.Platinum Honors AGTA Platinum Honors Award (American Gem Trade Association) Underwoods Design Team won the International "Platinum Honors Award," the Industry's premier platinum design competition. Underwoods is the first and only jeweler in Arkansas to be awarded a Platinum Honors Award. Made in platinum with 18K yellow gold accents, this Tanzanite pendant won the prestigious award in 2002, the industry’s premier platinum design competition.Red Carpet 2012 Emmy AwardsUnderwoods was invited to create a custom-made diamond bracelet for the 2012 Emmys in Hollywood, California. Access Hollywood reporter Shaun Robinson wore the bracelet during the red carpet event. The bracelet contains eight opaque faceted diamonds, weighing 17.65 carats, each in a hand forged solid gold setting. The bracelet was designed and custom made in Underwoods own shops and is one-of-a-kind.Red Carpet 2016 Emmy AwardsOn rare occasions, Mother Nature creates diamonds with a distinct and beautiful colors that are called “Fancy Colored Diamonds.” Many colors are extremely rare and this masterful combination of colors and shapes will dazzle the eye with its wide pallet of natural colored diamonds. Pink, purple, green, orange and yellow … just a few of the enticing array of 45 natural fancy colored diamonds featured in this one-of-a-kind bracelet. The 994 fully cut white accent diamonds are individually hand set. This bracelet has a famous history as it graced the red carpet of the 2016 Emmy awards, worn by celebrity reporter Natalie Morales of Access Hollywood. Featured in magazines and news stories, Underwoods was recognized across the industry when asked to participate in Hollywood’s Emmy Awards.Spectrum AWARD American Gem Trade Association The Spectrum Award is the nation's most prestigious colored gemstone jewelry design contest, attracting the nation's top designers. Underwoods is the first and only jeweler in Arkansas to be awarded a Spectrum Design Award. This award winning pendant features a stunning aquamarine gemstone imported from Paraguay. It was designed and hand-crafted in Underwoods own shop.Case Awards 2014 Winner (Jewelers of America) Jewelers of America, the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry retail marketplace, has awarded Craig Underwood, Becki Lamascus and Tom Weishaar, of Fayetteville’s Underwood Fine Jewelers, a first-place award in the 2014 CASE Awards, the association’s annual jewelry design competition. The team competed among more than 63 jewelers in the competition. The CASE Awards recognize the creativity, artistry, style and excellence in jewelry design from top jewelers across the nation. It was held at the JA New York trade show.Case Awards Honorable Mention This Underwood custom creation is one of our latest award winners, winning Honorable Mention in the national CASE award from Jewelers of America, representing more than 5000 jewelry stores nationwide, and recognizing Creativity, Artistry, Style, and Excellence. Made in platinum and 18 carat rose gold, the center diamond is over 2 carats and is perfectly cut.Robert M. Shipley Award American Gem Society 2022 Craig Underwood,a G.G. and C.G.A. and local native of Fayetteville, AR. is as involved in his community as he is in the American Gem Society. Craig Underwood, a second-generation jeweler at Underwoods Fine Jewelers is the recipient of the 2022 Robert M. Shipley Award. This high honor is American Gem Society's most prestigious recognition and is presented annually to a retailer for their contributions to the jewelry industry and their local community.AGS Full ArticleInstore Magazine Full ArticleJCK Magazine Full ArticleNational Jewelers Full Article Ready to find the right piece? Explore fine jewelry.
Learn more