The company is focused on modernizing the custom jewelry buying experience with e-commerce tools like product visualization and 3D styling.
7 Market Updates from AGTA GemFair
The two-tier gemstone market, trending colors, and best-selling gemstones were all addressed by Richard Drucker of GemWorld International in a recent seminar at AGTA GemFair.
Tucson, Ariz.--As 2016 gets going and the colored gemstone industry takes over Tucson, it’s a good time to examine what trends shaped the gem market last year and what will affect it in the year ahead.
On Thursday morning, Richard Drucker of GemWorld International gave a market update at AGTA GemFair, outlining what he found when he recently surveyed AGTA member gemstone dealers on supply, demand and pricing trends as well as what stones sold best for them in 2015.
Highlights from his seminar are as follows.
1. The two-tier market. Colored gemstones are operating in a two-tiered market right now. The high end is doing well and there is a lot of demand for fine gems. At the same time, demand for rare and beautiful gems peaked in 2015, especially when it comes to the market for non-heated sapphires and rubies, as well as Paraiba tourmaline.
Drucker said in the lower price points, the “bread-and-butter” material are the gems weighing between 1 and 2 carats, but possibly up to 5 carats if price points are met. The middle tier, he said, “is dead.”
2. New buying habits. Consumer purchasing habits are changing, and shoppers today are looking for lab reports for gems more than ever before, he said. Customers also are asking for specific colors instead of specific stones, perhaps substituting popular, more expensive gems with affordable-yet- comparable stones, and are showing more concern about possible treatments.
3. Retailer gem knowledge. According to the survey Drucker did of gem dealers, many expressed concern over retailers not understanding color as well as they should. “There is so much opportunity to educate consumers in colors, but retailers need to be educated first,” he said.
4. Best-sellers. Here is what gem dealers reported as their best-selling stones: sapphire (blue is number one, with the other shades a distant second), rubies, fine emeralds, tanzanite, aquamarine, tourmaline, garnets, spinel and morganite.
5. Trending stones. Lately, there’s been a return to the classics--sapphires, emeralds and rubies--while rare and unusual stones still are selling because of their uniqueness and the design opportunities they provide. Rough crystals and minerals also are on-trend.
Alexandrite at the high end also is doing well, where prices for a 1-carat stone can go as high as $16,000 per carat. “Our caution here is what’s happening with nomenclature,” Drucker said, noting that there has been an increase in the number of stones being marketed as alexandrite
6. Problems with lab reports. While everyone seems to understand and agree upon the value of a lab report, one issue gemstone dealers mentioned in Drucker’s survey is the inconsistency when it comes to the nomenclature used for gem varieties. For example, is Paraiba an origin or a “look?” What color exactly constitutes a padparadscha sapphire?
“There is absolutely no consistency,” Drucker said.
Color nomenclature is another issue that arose with the dealers who were surveyed. Demand for naming colors to describe gemstones started overseas, Drucker said, and is strongest there. The concern expressed by AGTA dealers is that, like nomenclature, labs all have their own standards for what makes a stone “pigeon’s blood” red, for example, or “cornflower blue.” This creates confusion on multiple levels.
“If we’re confused, where does that leave the consumer?” Drucker asked.
7. Future predictions. Drucker said there’s a lot of uncertainty ahead, especially as global markets remain in flux and as the United States faces an election year, raising the question, will consumers shy away from gems or will they move toward tangible assets?
The Latest

Following its recent acquisition, the storied brand has updated its leadership team and regional managers.

The 20-karat yellow gold and diamond wrap ring is modeled after the Monstera plants in the garden of the brand’s Miami villa.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

Rocksbox President Allison Vigil shared the retailer’s expansion plans, and her thoughts on opening stores in malls.


The creator of the WJA Chicago chapter is remembered as a champion for women in the jewelry industry and a loving grandmother.

The decline was consistent across age groups and almost all income groups, with tariffs and inflation still top of mind.

The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.

The “Playlist: Electric Dreams” collection brings lyrics from the musician’s song, “Little Wing,” to life through fine jewelry.

The Vault’s Katherine Jetter is accusing the retailer of using info she shared for a potential partnership to move into Nantucket.

Agents seized 2,193 pieces, a mix of counterfeit Cartier “Love” and “Juste Un Clou” bracelets, and Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Alhambra” design.

The designer brought her children’s book, “The Big Splash Circus,” to life through a collection of playful fine jewelry characters.

The trade association has chosen the recipients of the funding initiative it formed to foster the growth and sustainability of the industry.

The organization has also announced this year’s slate of judges.

Associate Editor Natalie Francisco shares 20 additional pieces that stood out to her at the Couture show.

Lori Tucker started at Williams Jewelers when she was 18 years old.

The “Marvel | Citizen Zenshin” watch is crafted in Super Titanium and has subtle nods to all four “Fantastic Four” superheroes on the dial.

The “XO Tacori” collection was designed to blend luxury and accessible pricing.

Pritesh Patel, the lab’s chief operating officer, will take over as president and CEO of GIA.

National Jeweler and Jewelers of America discuss the standout jewelry trends and biggest news to emerge from the shows this year.

Signatories to the “Luanda Accord” committed to allocating 1 percent of annual diamond revenue to the Natural Diamond Council.

The winning designs captured the “Radiance” theme.

Nominations in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Innovation will be accepted through July 30.

The singer’s ring ticks off many bridal trends, with a thick band, half-bezel setting, and solitaire diamond.

The bracelet references vintage high jewelry and snake symbolism as a playful piece where a python’s head becomes a working belt buckle.

The heist happened in Lebec, California, in 2022 when a Brinks truck was transporting goods from one show in California to another.

The 10-carat fancy purple-pink diamond with potential links to Marie Antoinette headlined the white-glove jewelry auction this week.