The Tucson Gem Show is one of the biggest and most important jewellery and gemstone fairs globally. It takes place early every year in the sprawling city of Tucson, Arizona, in the USA. Rather than one single location, the show is spread across the city, with displays of varying sizes tucked away in all corners of Tucson. It brings together the entire industry and is an unmissable show for finding the latest gemstone discoveries.
Meet Our Gemstone Experts
Four very familiar faces are making the 5,000 mile trip across the pond to attend this year’s show - the first to be held in a couple of years. Each day between Monday 31st January and Sunday 6th February, they’ll be exploring the various shows and calling back to the studio with red hot breaking news on the gemstones that are coming your way soon.
David Troth
Gemstone expert David has attended the show before and knows how hectic it can be and how fast he needs to react to secure the very best gemstones.
What is the Tucson show like?
We spend a lot of time running between different venues, meeting as many traders as we can. It’s all worth it, of course, to get the best deals and rarest gems for our collectors.
What are you hoping to find this year in Tucson?
We always go with the hope of finding something new, a gemstone or variation that we’ve never been able to bring to Gemporia before. As the first in-person show since the start of the pandemic, I anticipate there will be some incredible finds that traders have been “saving up”.
Are you looking forward to the live links back to the studio?
I can’t wait! We learn so much at the show, and it will be so exciting to share the most important developments with our viewers just minutes after we discover them ourselves.
Angeline Davies
This is Angeline’s first trip to the Tucson show, where she’ll be using her 17 years of gemstone experience to find the most beautiful and exciting stones to bring back.
What are you most excited to see in Tucson?
I can’t wait to see the trend predictions for example what is out there, who is buying what, who is selling what. I want to keep my ear to the ground in terms of what gemstones designers are working with.
Can you give us a sneak peak of any new collections or gemstones?
Myself and all the team have been working very very hard behind-the-scenes - needless to say you need to tune into the shows to find out more - but I am confident you will not be disappointed!
What are you planning to bring back to Gemporia?
I have worked front facing with our customers from GEMS TV for 18 years so I have a unique and unparalleled insight into what it is they love, the phases, what’s popular right now, you’d be surprised how one gem can go through major ins and outs with popularity.
Jake Thompson
Our commercial director Jake knows the jewellery market inside out and will ensure that Gemporia customers get the very best value for money in our new designs.
It’s been three years since I last visited Tucson and I couldn’t be more excited to get in amongst the trade again. At Tucson ’19 a new team, including scientists from Harvard, were demonstrating how blockchain technology was introducing ethical traceability to world-class Panjshir emeralds, addressing concerns at the time. Since then, the buying context in Afghanistan has changed for the worse, but I’m intrigued as to what has happened to the value of the few Panjshir’s that came out during the window this programme was running (including my own!).
In the void of gem shows, Fuli gemstones have invested heavily in marketing Peridot, and I am excited to see these results too. And of course, it wouldn’t be Tucson without hopes for Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, though I suspect they will remain hopes. All this forgets the best part of Tucson – at the world’s biggest gem fair, there are always surprises, but we will be there, and I’ll be posting them all for our viewers at home.
Elena Stephens
JewelleryMaker presenter Elena is also heading to Tucson for the first time, with the goal of finding the best gemstones to go into exciting new JM strands and kits.
Are you excited to attend the Tucson Show?
I’m super excited to be attending Tucson! As the largest gem show in the world, I can’t wait to experience all of the treasures on offer and to meet everybody. This is the first time JewelleryMaker has been part of such an opportunity and I endeavour to make it equally as exciting for our viewers as for myself.
Can you give us any sneak peaks of what we will be seeing on JewelleryMaker?
Hmmm, if everything pans out as I hope, think of some of the world’s most sought after gemstones in pendants, clasps, connectors!
What are the main things you’re looking for in Tucson?
I’m hoping to meet Bruce Bridges, son of Campbell Bridges, the legend who discovered Tsavorite Garnet. This is a favourite of mine and a gem we don’t see much on JewelleryMaker. Also being an American show, gemstones like the one locational Tiffany Opal and Ammolite. I’d also love to be able to bring back some Kingman Turquoise and of course Sleeping Beauty. But it’s not solely about gemstones for me, being a creative channel the inspiration and history is equally as important.
We can’t visit the premiere gem show of the western hemisphere and not come home with some of the most stunning, unique jewels we’ve ever been fortunate enough to set eyes on. These incredible gemstones have been placed into sumptuous 18 karat gold by our master artisans, and we’re so excited to bring you a showcase brimming with these exquisite treasures. Join our presenters and jewellery experts every night on Gemporia between January 31st and February 6th at 11pm, and you might just fall in love with the crowning piece of your collection - an heirloom for all time.
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