1. Elevated Pear Cocktail ring with 8.41 ct. paraiba tourmaline in 18k yellow gold; $35,000; Lorraine West; info@lorrainewestjewelry. com; lorrainewestjewelry.com
2. Pendant in 18k white gold with 1.92 ct. cushion paraiba, 0.12 ct. t.w. round paraiba, and 0.63 ct. t.w. diamonds; $12,889; Yael Designs; 415-989-9235; yaeldesigns.com
4. Double Zaha pendant with 1.46 cts. t.w. paraiba in 14k yellow gold; $12,000; ZAHN-Z; info@ zahnzjewelry.com; zahnzjewelry.com
5. Drop earrings with 0.95 ct. t.w. paraiba and 0.28 ct. t.w. diamonds in 18k yellow gold and platinum; $6,500; Harlin Jones; sumer@ harlinjones.com; harlinjones.com
6. Freya ring with 3.25 ct. paraiba tourmaline in 18k yellow gold; $46,800; HOWL; mark@markdluxury. com; handleonlywithlove.com
3. Ring with 3.24 ct. pear paraiba, 1.31 ct. cushion paraiba, 0.38 ct. oval paraiba, and 0.13 ct. t.w. diamonds in platinum; $22,500; Dorian Webb; 510-399-3272; dorianwebb.com
7. The Margo platinum earrings with 3.34 cts. t.w. pear-shape Neon Blue Paraiba Tourmalines and 0.46 ct. t.w. Vanilla Diamonds; $52,000; Le Vian Couture; 516-466-7202; levian.com 4 6 7 5
1. Flora Fauna earrings with 25.09 cts. t.w. boulder opals, 9.73 cts. t.w. tanzanite, and 0.7 ct. t.w. diamonds in 14k yellow gold; $8,800; Eden Presley; sales@ edenpresley.com; edenpresley.com
2. 18k yellow gold ring with 7.24 ct. Lightning Ridge Australian opal and 1.05 cts. t.w. paraiba tourmaline; price on request; Temple St. Clair; 877-494-8317; templestclair.com
3. Emerald and opal drop earrings with diamonds in 18k yellow gold; $10,000; Suzanne Kalan; 818-812-9217; suzannekalan.com
4. One-of-a-kind Supreme pendant opal necklace in 18k yellow gold; $167,280; Irene Neuwirth; sales@ireneneuwirth.com; ireneneuwirth.com
5. Cuff with 22.3 ct. Yowah Nut opal, 1.2 cts. t.w. paraiba, and 0.23 ct. t.w. white diamonds in 18k and 22k gold and platinum; price on request; Atelier Zobel by Peter Schmid; 49-75-312-5962; atelierzobel.com 1 2 4 5 3
1. Classic Curva ring with 5.15 ct. cushioncut chrysoberyl in 18k yellow gold; $36,000; Vanessa Fernández; mark@ markdluxury.com; vanessa-fernandez.com
2. Heirloom Bezel ring with 5.25 ct. chrysoberyl and 3.61 ct. violet sapphire in 14k yellow gold; $21,320; Retrouvaí; traci@retrouvai.com; retrouvai.com
3. Studio 54 Necklace with 15.13 ct. golden chrysoberyl and 1.87 cts. t.w. fancy intense yellow melee on 18k yellow gold Y chain; price on request; Alexia Connellan; boutique@alexiaconnellan. com; alexiaconnellan.com
4. 3-Stone Sugarloaf Totem drop huggies with chrysoberyl, lagoon tourmaline, and amethyst in 18k yellow gold; price on request; Harwell Godfrey; mark@ markdluxury.com; harwellgodfrey.com
5. 18k yellow gold ring with 4.2 ct. cat’seye chrysoberyl, 0.26 ct. t.w. demantoid garnets, 0.28 ct. t.w. alexandrites, and 0.62 ct. t.w. diamonds; $50,000; Omi Privé; 626-331-4533; omiprive.com
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One-of-a-kind Jade Nymph ring with jadeite, emeralds, and geometric 4.11 ct. diamond; price on request; DYNE; contact@dedyne. com; dedyne.com
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30% to 50% less expensive than gem color sapphires that have translucent clarity.”
Tourmaline in vivid blue-green hues—including minty green gems from Afghanistan and Nigeria as well as green copper-bearing tourmaline from Mozambique (aka green paraibas)—was also in demand, along with minty shades of Pakistani peridot, according to dealers. At least until sticker shock set in.
“Everybody’s asking about paraibas and complaining about the pricing,” said Douglas Mays of the German dealer Wild & Petsch, a GJX show exhibitor.
For Monica Stephenson, founder of Anza Gems, which exhibited at the Ethical Gem Fair and the OJB (Out of the Jewel Box) Experience, back-to-back events held at the Scottish Rite Cathedral near the Tucson Convention Center, tourmaline in sunset hues drew interest among buyers as did zircons in “blushy shades of Mocha Mousse,” she said. “More designers are getting comfortable with zircon.”
Of all the gems for sale in Tucson, however, the one that seemed to earn the most attention was jadeite from an ancient deposit in Guatemala. Freshly available in better qualities and seductive blue-green hues, the jade struck a chord with Lifschutz, who began buying the material in 2023.
“The color that’s coming out now is even better than what was coming out before,” he said. “But it’s also the variance in color that I really like. Imperial jade, the bright green, is really sought after, but the dark green can also be really wonderful. The dark blue feels really good for the pendant design I’m working on.”
Southern California gem dealer Desmond Chan, a Pueblo show exhibitor, also has gone all in on Guatemalan jade, which he’s used to make strands of graduated beads and large-scale carvings. “Demand for Guatemalan jade will grow,” he said. “I travel the world to hunt for cool stuff, and I just discovered this a few years ago. When you’re able to buy the material for an affordable price, it’s just an investment. Once an article comes out, the world will know about it, and the price is going up.”
