Last year’s JCK Las Vegas welcomed a dedicated American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) area to the Venetian Expo, and while the AGTA pavilion remains the show’s premier destination for colored stones, things will look a little different this year.
For starters: “Last year our footprint was 6,000 square feet, and this year we’re up to over 25,000 square feet,” says AGTA board president Kimberly Collins, a gem dealer based in Reno, Nev.
Buyers who attended last year’s show may recall the long, Instagram-friendly corridor that led them to the entrance of AGTA’s temporary home, Hall D. If they thought that was great, this year’s version is going to be next-level.
“It’s a light show—almost like something out of Coachella—where lights change color as you walk into the gem arena,” Collins says. “It’s a great way to get you prepped for seeing some of the best colored stones at JCK.”
The gems pavilion also is home to a number of new exhibitors this year, including two that specialize in emeralds: Arthur Groom & Co. and Gad Enterprises. Their participation in the show, alongside other well-regarded colored stone dealers such as A. Hakimi & Sons (rubies) and Ijadi Gem (sapphires), will be a boon for buyers seeking the “finest no-heat stones, the best of the best,” Collins says. “Because of inflation,” she adds, “we have a lot of uncertainty, so people are looking to invest in very fine gemstones, the ones that are going to continually increase in value over time.”
Another stone that is ascendant at the connoisseur level is malaya garnet from Tanzania. After seeing a spike in demand at the Tucson gem shows earlier this year, Daniel Assaf of the Tsavorite Factory is expecting the peachy-pink color-change gems to perform well at JCK.
“The luxury market is trending toward more unique colors, colors that are not run-of-the-mill,” Assaf says. “Malayas are very rare, they sparkle a lot, and I find that there’s a lot of demand for light pink and peachy colors. Many of them also have a color-shifting quality, which is really beautiful.”
One overarching color trend that still has legs, especially for bridal, is teal, particularly in the sapphire family. “A lot of people refer to these stones as mermaid or peacock blue-green, whether it’s of Montana, Madagascar, or Sri Lanka origin,” Collins says.
This is good news for dealers such as Dudley Blauwet—provided they have sufficient inventory. “We will have a good selection of Montana sapphire from Dry Cottonwood Creek, as my cutting factory is processing rough from one of the miners there, and I am buying all of the production,” Blauwet tells JCK. Another standout in his inventory: a 54 ct. unheated teal pear-shape sapphire from Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, the inflationary environment means some buyers are looking for bargains. Most AGTA sellers don’t deal in commercial-quality material, but even among these prestigious exhibitors you will find some good buys and sleeper hits. For example, rhodolite garnet has been slow to move, according to Assaf. He adds that he will have smaller sizes of just about everything available for the production of more commercial collections, especially pieces that require matched pairs.
There is also some preshow buzz about a variety of peridot from the upper Kaghan Valley in Pakistan that has an appealingly minty cast. “In the past five years, the miners hit some pockets which had a distinctively different color, more of a lime green with a hint of blue, the best of which is very similar in color to the famous Merelani mint grossular garnet from Tanzania,” Blauwet says. “But it’s a fraction of the price. When I asked my supplier for more of it earlier this year, there was none available. I have approximately 50 stones left for Las Vegas.”
In other words, if you see something you like, don’t dither. The good stuff won’t wait.
Top: 18k yellow gold cigar bands with 0.74 ct. hexagon blue sapphire, 0.78 ct. emerald-cut emerald, 2.28 ct. oval rubellite tourmaline, and 2.46 ct. oval mint tourmaline, $4,875–$7,125; Kimberly Collins
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