AGTA Tuscon Gem Show

Treasure Hunting

What 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 Tucson

At 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 Winner

We got to view the Spectrum Award winners where our custom ring was on display for winning Platinum Honors as an engagement ring entry.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the show open to the public?

There 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!

Out of all the shows, why is Tucson your favorite?

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 gems

Overall, 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 Tucson

pear-shaped paraÍba tourmalines

These 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.