TUCSON 2017: A sign of the times

The 2017 Tucson shows signal an exciting shift in international gemmology. This article was written for Gems&Jewellery Spring 2017 – A quarterly membership publication of Gem-A.

The tide is turning. After many years of writing about trade events, occasionally a show will stand out as a sign that our industry has shifted. Tucson 2017 was one such show. Technically, it is not just a show. There are over 40 gem and jewellery related shows in the Tucson and Scottsdale area, and I had 10 days to cover them. Headway was made, but there is never enough time to visit them all. Despite this, I was struck by the palpable shift that seems to have occurred in our industry — something that seemed to permeate the whole of Tucson.

Change fell into three categories, often overlapping, with shifts in: responsibility, generational thinking and design.

THE SHIFT IN RESPONSIBILITY

My first stop in Tucson was the two-day Jewelry Industry Summit and it did not disappoint. I was delighted to find that it balanced many interesting topics, while offering a forum for discussing difficult issues of environmental and social responsibility from mine to market.

The second annual Summit empowered every person that attended to become part of the solution, and either join an existing initiative (developed during the debut 2016 Summit), or create and develop a new initiative to help solve its problems or do better for the trade, one step at a time.

Initiatives ranged from a designer collective dedicated to working with ethically sourced gold, to educating grade school students about local stones in Africa, and funding research to find a substitute for mercury. Jeffrey Bilgore, president of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), said that he hopes the Summit provides: “Dynamic opportunities to discuss the good that is being done, and where and how we can improve.”

Although social and environmental issues have always existed, and discussions have been ongoing, there was a collective sense of urgency for solutions that felt new in Tucson. There are simply too many cracks in the glass to ignore and moves are now being made to fix the problem. Encouragingly, the suggested initiatives were creative and it was apparent that enthusiasm and a shared vision were permeating the shows.

THE SHIFT IN GENERATIONAL THINKING

When interviewing people in Tucson, I aimed to collect a plethora of industry perspectives, including retailers, dealers and designers, in order to get a better idea of where the industry is moving. It seems everyone now accepts that ‘millennials’ are here to stay, leading many to shift their business models to accommodate them.

First and foremost, there was recognition that selling to each generation is different, and inventory needs to be varied to target generations and their unique set of values. Retailers recognise that, although their ‘baby boomer’ customers can afford bigger diamonds and like high-quality stones, appreciate traditional settings and value a personal relationship with a store, these values do not necessarily translate to millennial customers (typically aged 18-35).

The millennial wants a story that aligns with their values. They may insist on ethically-sourced and traceable precious metals and stones, or may only want to use a man-made diamond. Similarly, they may want to purchase a piece of fine jewellery that subtly expresses their political beliefs, or that supports a charitable cause relating to their environment, education or diversity. The way they value experience, ease and customisation has drastically affected retailers, dealers and designers.

In Tucson, several gem dealers reported that their retail partners are requesting more stones without treatments for millennials, stating that while baby boomers prefer the vibrancy of a single colour after heat treatment, millennials aesthetically prefer the more neutral spectrum of colour that occurs naturally in some gemstones. “The market is gravitating towards bespoke and un-treated. People love a custom cut and a custom setting,” says Glenn Preus of gemstone wholesaler and pearl supplier, Glenn Preus Ltd. He continues: “Female self-purchasers want the complex colors and undertones. The more neutral palette is easier to match with an entire wardrobe compared to a single, brightly coloured stone.”

Some fine jewellery designers present at Tucson reported wiping out their inventories in favour of traceable stones, such as Canadian diamonds.

Others noted they are making conscious decisions to phase out inventory that does not include ethically-sourced gems and precious metals, or treated gem materials. This shift will certainly have lasting consequences, but can also provide a wealth of opportunity for companies that position themselves in ways that appeal to up-and-coming millennials. It will also be interesting to see whether this movement, from an environmental standpoint, will also boost the second-hand jewellery market as a ‘green’ alternative for ‘jewellery recycling’. Only time will tell.

At the ever-bustling Centurion Show in Scottsdale, Andrew Brown, president of London-based company, WP Diamonds, noted that he has seen “a keen and persistent interest from retailers in antique and estate pieces, second-hand branded jewellery and recycled diamonds.”

Retailers are also working with designers to create customisable pieces, with bespoke jewellery now the bread and butter of some businesses. This has made retailers more reluctant to buy large amounts of inventory; although they will invest in designers that have a plan for creating custom work with them, for their customers.

THE SHIFT IN DESIGN

The Tucson shows are eye candy for jewellery design trends, especially in terms of the gemstones used to bring those designs to life. Here’s what’s hot:

Trapiche Emeralds

I was incredibly excited to see some beautiful trapiche emeralds set in jewellery at this year’s event. The trapiche’s unique look comes from carbon impurities in the crystal junction, which form a radial pattern.

Purple Garnet

Last year, purple garnets appeared as the ‘must buy’ gem of the show, and now this year, things have come full circle and we are seeing them set in jewellery . It is only the beginning of what will certainly be a boom, so be on the lookout for this gorgeous gemstone.

Montana Sapphires

While walking through AGTA, there was a booth that stood out as being packed at all hours of the day — Columbia Gem House. The company had a large space, incredible sales staff, and many gem wares, but most importantly, they represented the growing trend of American gems being set in jewellery. They were selling Wyoming rubies, Montana amethyst, but by far the most popular American gemstone seen at the shows was the Montana sapphire.

Lisa Brooks-Pike from Sapphires of Montana, also saw a lot of gem show traffic, noting: “Since the 2016 Tucson GemFair, we have seen a significant increase in interest and sales of our Rock Creek Montana Sapphires, so it shouldn’t have been such a surprise to us that we experienced overwhelming traffic at our booth this year. What is truly exciting is that 90% of our business is millennial designers designing for a millennial clientele in both engagement rings and in collections unlike anything we’ve seen before. Montana’s have finally found their place in jewellery design for the first time since Louis Comfort Tiffany at the turn of the 20th century. We couldn’t be happier.” This trend does seem to be one for American designers though, who are looking to add ‘American Gemstones’ to their ‘American Made’ repertoire.

Another local gemstone that was making a splash was the Oregon sunstone. One GJX designer, Alexander Kreis, beautifully captured both of its contrasting orange and green colours in a pair of handsome cufflinks. He says of the design: “Every gem is a fingerprint of its origin and we try to capture this unique beauty with every piece we encounter.”

Burmese Everything

With the lift on the Burmese ruby and sapphire sanctions recently, Burmese stones were at the front and centre of booths at GJX and AGTA… and it was lovely to see. There were also quite a few large stars, and some interesting cuts. My personal favourite was the return of the sugarloaf. Of note were many Burmese spinels, in which purple seemed to be doing particularly well for dealers.

Pretty in Pink

Engagement rings do not look like they used to. Pink sapphires, morganite and pink tourmalines offer an opportunity to get the larger size brides want, at a more affordable price. The JCK Show at Starr-Pass is the go-to show for design driven jewellery, where many forward-thinking makers exhibit. New York-based Lithuanian designer, Audrius Krulis, comments: “Diamond engagement rings have long had a history of symbolising the purity and strength of love. To me, the engagement ring brings up the question: ‘What does love mean?’ Everyone will find their own answer; to me it can be seen in enchanting hues and tones of colored gems.” The pink center stone may have a halo of diamonds surrounding it, or may be flanked with retro baguettes. Either way, it’s a good look.