Gem News International Gems & Gemology, Spring 2025, Vol. 61, No. 1

Tucson 2025 Overview

Jennifer Stone-Sundberg, Tao Hsu, and Lisa Kennedy

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Figure 1. Left: 18K yellow gold “Flames” ring with 25.19 ct Mexican fire opal. Right: This 18K yellow gold “Spice” ring features a rare 6.57 ct fire opal with remarkable play-of-color surrounded by a halo of faceted fire opals (1.96 carats total) and two side fire opals in orange (0.73 carats total). Courtesy of Paula Crevoshay.
 
Figure 1. Left: 18K yellow gold “Flames” ring with 25.19 ct Mexican fire opal. Right: This 18K yellow gold “Spice” ring features a rare 6.57 ct fire opal with remarkable play-of-color surrounded by a halo of faceted fire opals (1.96 carats total) and two side fire opals in orange (0.73 carats total). Courtesy of Paula Crevoshay.

In general, 2025 was a strong year for Tucson vendors at the various shows. Like last year, foot traffic was generally low with moments of high activity, while buying remained focused. Vendors who offered unique and exceptional items performed very well with established customers. Many buyers were there for just a few days with shopping lists and plans to visit specific vendors. A number of vendors reported that some buyers previewed items online prior to visiting to make purchase decisions. At the shows, one could see buyers using video calling apps to show colleagues prospective purchases during the decision-making process, a noted change in the purchasing dynamics from the past. Some vendors expressed frustration with having great sales the first couple of days, followed by very slow activity—a possible result of the focused buying. Overall, the feedback indicated that sales were fairly unchanged or slightly better compared to last year. Several vendors reported that they had record first-day sales.

AGTA reported upticks in both the number of buyers and the number of hotel rooms rented through their block (J. Heebner, “Gemstone & jewelry sales at 2025 AGTA GemFair Tucson reflect bright spots in business,” February 12, 2025, https://agta.org/gemstone-jewelry-sales-at-2025-agta-gemfair-tucson-reflect-bright-spots-in-business/). For 2025, AGTA took each badge recipient’s photograph and printed it on both sides of the badge itself. The intent was to eliminate badge-borrowing and to prevent unregistered attendees from using lost or discarded badges. This extra set of security measures was favorably received. Notably, the 2026 AGTA GemFair will eliminate its weekend days and will run for five days instead of seven, aligning with the observation that buyers are attending for shorter, more focused periods. With the ability to view high-quality images and videos from vendors’ websites and social media feeds before visiting the shows, today’s buyers are armed with a lot more information than in the past, and purchasing seems much more targeted.

Beyond the AGTA GemFair, other wholesale venues in Tucson such as the Gem & Jewelry Exchange (GJX), the Pueblo Gem & Mineral Show, the Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers Holidome and Gem Mall shows, and the JOGS Gem & Jewelry Show also exhibited light foot traffic even though the number of buyers was similar if not slightly higher than in previous years. In general, sales of higher-end, rare, and unusual goods were brisk early on. Compared to years past, these shows seemed more polished and more solidly focused on gems, minerals, and jewelry with less of an open market feel. For shows open to the public such as the 22nd Street Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show, foot traffic was quite high due to the variety of price points and offerings.

Clearly a lot of higher-end material was moving, as evidenced by GIA’s Show Service Laboratory having an all-time record year, with more than a 10% increase in submissions over past years. The lab noted the usual mix of primarily ruby, sapphire, emerald, Paraíba tourmaline, and alexandrite, with some less prominent and more unusual stones submitted as well.

Figure 2. Left: “Dance of the Jungle” layout with 316 carats total of mandarin garnet, green tourmaline, and peridot. Courtesy of Constantin Wild. Right: Wild shows a different orange and green “Dance of the Jungle” layout with 37.26 carats total of tsavorite garnet, fire opal, chrome diopside, and Mali garnet. Photo by Jennifer Stone-Sundberg; courtesy of Constantin Wild.
 
Figure 2. Left: “Dance of the Jungle” layout with 316 carats total of mandarin garnet, green tourmaline, and peridot. Courtesy of Constantin Wild. Right: Wild shows a different orange and green “Dance of the Jungle” layout with 37.26 carats total of tsavorite garnet, fire opal, chrome diopside, and Mali garnet. Photo by Jennifer Stone-Sundberg; courtesy of Constantin Wild.
Figure 3. An exceptional 5.02 ct, 9.9 × 9.0 mm opalescent blue sapphire from An Phu, Vietnam, with eye-visible bands of silk in addition to pink and orange flashes reminiscent of play-of-color in opal from Australia. Photo by Anna Merritt; courtesy of Dudley Blauwet Gems.
 
Figure 3. An exceptional 5.02 ct, 9.9 × 9.0 mm opalescent blue sapphire from An Phu, Vietnam, with eye-visible bands of silk in addition to pink and orange flashes reminiscent of play-of-color in opal from Australia. Photo by Anna Merritt; courtesy of Dudley Blauwet Gems.
Figure 4. Rainbow fluorite cabochons measuring 10 × 12 mm. Photo by Kevin Schumacher; courtesy of Jennifer Stone-Sundberg.
 
Figure 4. Rainbow fluorite cabochons measuring 10 × 12 mm. Photo by Kevin Schumacher; courtesy of Jennifer Stone-Sundberg.
Figure 5. An 11.7 mm, 8.34 ct “mocha” zircon trillion. Photo by Jennifer Stone-Sundberg; courtesy of Mayer & Watt.
 
Figure 5. An 11.7 mm, 8.34 ct “mocha” zircon trillion. Photo by Jennifer Stone-Sundberg; courtesy of Mayer & Watt.

Green stones were very popular once again, particularly pure green to yellowish green. Emerald, especially Colombian, was heavily represented at the shows as well as other green stones including tourmaline, tsavorite, demantoid, chrome diopside, peridot, sphene, unheated sapphire, and even chrysoberyl. Vibrant yellowish orange to orangy red stones were another apparent trend, and mandarin garnet, Mexican fire opal (particularly deep red; figure 1), red Oregon sunstone, and deeply colored citrine were prolific. We found many instances of green and orange together in jewelry and loose gemstone sets, such as in Constantin Wild’s Jungle series layouts (figure 2). Unheated sapphire in greens, teals, and steely blues were yet again some of the hottest stones, as were unheated “opalescent” or “sleepy” stones such as an exceptional example of a bright blue sapphire with pink and orange flashes offered by Dudley Blauwet that he likened to the fire from a fine Australian opal (figure 3). Bicolor stones were even more popular this year, and tricolor stones in a wide variety of materials were also prevalent (figure 4). Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2025, Mocha Mousse, was represented in many brown gemstones offered, including a bright “mocha” zircon from Mayer & Watt (figure 5). Other popular brown gems included topaz, tourmaline, diamond, and smoky or a warmer so-called “whiskey” or “brandy” citrine quartz.

Figure 6. This 22-inch “Ethereal Light” necklace contains 35 translucent Ethiopian opal beads totaling 426 carats and is finished with an 18K gold handmade clasp. Courtesy of Paula Crevoshay.
 
Figure 6. This 22-inch “Ethereal Light” necklace contains 35 translucent Ethiopian opal beads totaling 426 carats and is finished with an 18K gold handmade clasp. Courtesy of Paula Crevoshay.

Precious opal, particularly fine Ethiopian opal, was abundant throughout the shows. The demand for Ethiopian opal has not slowed since this material first appeared in Tucson in 2009 and was prominently featured in many high-end jewelry pieces in the AGTA designer showroom (figure 6). In addition to opal, phenomenal gems of many varieties were extremely popular this year, including star sapphire and ruby, schiller sunstone from Oregon and India, and other feldspars such as labradorite, moonstone, and in particular the new “rainbow moonstone” from Madagascar we reported on last year (Spring 2024 GNI, p. 102).

Figure 7. Imperial topaz with schiller: 1.51 ct, 7.89 ct, and 2.48 ct from left to right. Photo by Kevin Schumacher; courtesy of Jennifer Stone-Sundberg.
 
Figure 7. Imperial topaz with schiller: 1.51 ct, 7.89 ct, and 2.48 ct from left to right. Photo by Kevin Schumacher; courtesy of Jennifer Stone-Sundberg.
Figure 8. Brazilian rutilated quartz bangle (6.5 inches in circumference). Photo by Mimi Travis; courtesy of Tao Hsu.
 
Figure 8. Brazilian rutilated quartz bangle (6.5 inches in circumference). Photo by Mimi Travis; courtesy of Tao Hsu.
Figure 9. Moss agate cabochons measuring 12 × 10 mm (left) and 10 × 7 mm (right). Photo by Kevin Schumacher; courtesy of Columbia Gem House.
 
Figure 9. Moss agate cabochons measuring 12 × 10 mm (left) and 10 × 7 mm (right). Photo by Kevin Schumacher; courtesy of Columbia Gem House.

Beyond phenomenal gems, included stones were also trending, such as Imperial topaz with golden and red schiller (figure 7), quartz with golden rutile from Brazil (figure 8), and moss agate. Eric Braunwart of Columbia Gem House reported that moss agate went viral after several Instagram posts promoted the stone’s organic patterns and uniqueness for engagement rings (figure 9).

Figure 10. A pair of 5 mm hexagonal step-cut grape garnets from the State of Odisha on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India. Courtesy of Eric Braunwart, Columbia Gem House.
 
Figure 10. A pair of 5 mm hexagonal step-cut grape garnets from the State of Odisha on the Bay of Bengal in eastern India. Courtesy of Eric Braunwart, Columbia Gem House.

For faceted stones, there was a noticeable uptick in the number of heart-shaped and step-cut hexagonal stones (figure 10) in a range of materials, from Colombian emerald to rainbow moonstone to tourmaline. Marquise brilliant- and step-cut as well as shield step-cut gems were also popular.

A notable trend among jewelry buyers was the desire for something unique and personal. Interestingly, none of the winning entries for the AGTA Spectrum Awards for engagement rings and bridal wear featured a central diamond, focusing on tsavorite garnet, spinel, sapphire, and tourmaline instead. This movement was also evident in the popularity of one-of-a-kind stones, including bicolor, hazy, and phenomenal stones, as well as custom cuts and those with features such as eye-visible inclusions.

Another growing trend, men’s bejeweled brooches, was observed throughout Tucson this year. Men’s brooches have been evolving over the past couple of years in terms of size, inclusion of stones, and stone colors (G. Trebay, “The bro-brooch sweeps awards season,” March 13, 2024, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/style/brooches-male-celebrities-oscars.html).

We hope you find our coverage of the shows informative, as we dive deeper into some of the trends highlighted in this overview and feature some of the notable newer materials and unique stories encountered.

Jennifer Stone-Sundberg is senior technical editor, and Tao Hsu is technical editor, for Gems & Gemology at GIA in Carlsbad, California. Lisa Kennedy is a senior subject specialist at GIA in New York.