Tucson 2011

[PrecisionGem]

I'm back home from Tucson. I'll post a few pictures from some of the various shows later on. The indications from most dealers was that business was good, up a lot from last year. The bad news was the price for most good rough was up from last year too, especially anything from Afghanistan.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Welcome back Gene!

Looking forward to photos!

 

[Arcadian]

I look forward to seeing your pictures! That kinda sucks to hear that rough went up in price, especially the Afghan rough.

-A

 

[LD]

Were there any interesting "new" finds or gems that are likely to become PS favourites (and then take over the world)? Looking forward to your photos too.

 

[VapidLapid]

If gold would just come back down I wouldnt mind so much a rise in rough prices

 

[T L]

I'm back home from Tucson. I'll post a few pictures from some of the various shows later on. The indications from most dealers was that business was good, up a lot from last year. The bad news was the price for most good rough was up from last year too, especially anything from Afghanistan.

I heard much tourmaline coming from Afganistan is irradiated too, so that is a huge concern for me, especially since the treatment is not detectible.

So Gene, what gem species did you see with the most discernable rise in price?

Looking forward to pictures.

 

[Largosmom]

Well good for the vendors, bad for our pocketbooks. Looking forward to photos!

Laura

 

[PrecisionGem]

I haven't heard anything about irradiated tourmaline from Afghanistan. I'd say from what I saw, the tourmaline went up the most in price. The stone that was everywhere were the opals from Wollo. There seemed to be no new hot find, or I just didn't find it. Some of the US dealers who didn't do any traveling to buy this year, brought out some old material they had stored away to sell which was nice, however at todays prices. One guy in particular did have some very nice larger mint garnets from Tanzania.

A lot of Pricescope talk, and talk about the Andesine reported from Tibet and all the drama surrounding that whole scandal.

 

[lelser]

I'm in Tucson now, and there is not much new material. It's making me very glad I had a fabulous buying trip to Tanzania last month!

The only large-scale irradiated tourmaline I'm familiar with is Brazilian Rubellite. I don't buy much Brazilian material other than quartz because quite frankly there is enough great pink stuff around in other countries, so why cut irradiated material?

Prices are up. I brought a few pieces of the mint with me, and just playing show and tell they got sold. The stuff is amazing. Fortunately we bought quite a bit of it in Tanzania so it's just a question of parking myself at the bench to get more of it cut.

Cheers,

Lisa
www.lisaelser.com

 

[JewelFreak]

Go with the mint! Hurry! Thanks for the news, Lisa & Gene. Sad that prices are up but I guess it's not surprising. Way of the world. Looking forward to pics.

--- Laurie

 

[PrecisionGem]

I'm in Tucson now, and there is not much new material. It's making me very glad I had a fabulous buying trip to Tanzania last month!

The only large-scale irradiated tourmaline I'm familiar with is Brazilian Rubellite. I don't buy much Brazilian material other than quartz because quite frankly there is enough great pink stuff around in other countries, so why cut irradiated material?

Prices are up. I brought a few pieces of the mint with me, and just playing show and tell they got sold. The stuff is amazing. Fortunately we bought quite a bit of it in Tanzania so it's just a question of parking myself at the bench to get more of it cut.

Cheers,

Lisa
www.lisaelser.com

You're not looking hard enough, or maybe it's all gone by today!

 

[Spirit]

Anyone see Jeff White at the show?

 

[lelser]

I'll see Jeff and his wife at dinner Thursday.

 

[Spirit]

Oh that's so nice! Please give him regards from " Spirit" . You must all have fun meeting up with each other at these events!

 

[loriken214]

Please say hi to Jeff White from Lori White....thank you!!!

Lori

 

[lelser]

I will, and we do! It's part of the real pleasure of Tucson that we get to see all our friends and colleagues. Someone like Jeff - we email each other often, we've shared parcels, shared tips... but we've only met once.

This year because I've got a pretty full and happy rough box it's quite relaxed for me. I can cherry pick some special things but there's nothing that NEEDS to happen.

 

[chrono]

Welcome back from Tucson! I’m sure many like myself are looking forward to pictures and a brief review. While tourmalines from Afghanistan are pretty, I’m too nervous to buy any because the irradiation treatment is currently not detectable even by the best gem labs. Any hot trends forecasted? Sounds more like last year where there’s nothing new, nothing great, only that prices of all rough is going up.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Chrono, when you say nothing new, do you mean no new types of stones? I saw plenty of new stones that I didn't see last year. I didn't see any new type of stone such as Flaniganite. I think there is a big scare out there about tourmaline treatment that is way overstated. I'd be way more concerned about genetically altered food, and beef and chicken full of growth hormones or god knows what other chemicals, than if a stone was heated or not.

 

[T L]

Chrono, when you say nothing new, do you mean no new types of stones? I saw plenty of new stones that I didn't see last year. I didn't see any new type of stone such as Flaniganite. I think there is a big scare out there about tourmaline treatment that is way overstated. I'd be way more concerned about genetically altered food, and beef and chicken full of growth hormones or god knows what other chemicals, than if a stone was heated or not.

Not worried about the health effects of treated tourmaline, but the fact that I don't like nuked stones, and the treatment is not detectable.

 

[movie zombie]

Chrono, when you say nothing new, do you mean no new types of stones? I saw plenty of new stones that I didn't see last year. I didn't see any new type of stone such as Flaniganite. I think there is a big scare out there about tourmaline treatment that is way overstated. I'd be way more concerned about genetically altered food, and beef and chicken full of growth hormones or god knows what other chemicals, than if a stone was heated or not.

amen to that!

MoZo

 

[PrecisionGem]

Here's a few pictures I took while walking around some of the shows. I always seem to shoot this large stuff, and never the gems. Picture an entire city will with this stuff all over the place. If anyone is into beads, this is the place to go. Here's a table of pearls, at prices you would pay at your local hobby shop for plastic beads.

 

[PrecisionGem]

I thought you would get a kick out of this one. No words needed.

 

[PrecisionGem]

You see tents and tents full of these large crystals.

 

[PrecisionGem]

This is upstairs in one of the big rough dealers private room. There is tsavorite, morganite, chrome tourmaline, tanzanite, zircon and others in the picture.

 

[minousbijoux]

Wow, Gene, does it make you feel like a kid in a candy store (with $$ in his pockets)?

Can you say more about which tourmalines are being irradiated? Is it just the pink/red/magentas or is it the blues too?

 

[loriken214]

This is upstairs in one of the big rough dealers private room. There is tsavorite, morganite, chrome tourmaline, tanzanite, zircon and others in the picture.

WOW Gene....I would be in gemstone Heaven if I ever made it to that room!

Lori

 

[PrecisionGem]

I heard no talk of irradiated tourmaline, and nothing I saw in the rough was being sold as heated or irradiated. Maybe it's just the eBay sellers with all this treated stuff. I don't really look at any of the shows with low priced cut stones. I do look at the high quality cut stones to see where people are price wise. That picture of the sapphires caught my eye, and I thought it would make a fun shot to post here. There doesn't look to be much clarity in those stones.

 

[Arcadian]

WOW @ some of those pictures. Those quarts specimens look hyooge!!! Those sapphires looks black The rough pictures look wicked cool!

-A

 

[Largosmom]

Loving the photos, thank you for taking the time out of a doubtless busy schedule to post them for us. Some of those crystals are ginormous! The rough selection looks like lots of fun...and I know we'll see some amazing creations in the year to come!

 

[colormyworld]

I thought you would get a kick out of this one. No words needed.[/quote


So that is the "real "price for sapphires. LOL