At Intergem today

[T L]

I encountered a disturbing practice that some dealers are doing with alexandrite. The show only had Orissa and Sri Lankan alexandrite. The dealers are trying to show color change by shining UV light on gems with very little color change, and they fluoresce red due to chromium content. The dealers then say, “look at the color change!”

The fact of the matter is that alexandrite should look reddish in those incandescent lights, and all of them were greenish. At the Smithsonian, under similar lighting, the alexandrite I saw was more reddish than green.

I just wanted to note that. Here’s one of the best stones there and it virtually no color change, although it had a GIA report. It was $1k/ct and $4200, but still too expensive for a washed out puke green gem IMO.

 

[T L]

Vance gems was there and he told me he was not concerned about the Tanzanian government controlling the gems/mines. They will still get out gems, but he didn’t elaborate on it. I loved this mint garnet he had. He also had color change garnet which looked identical to alexandrite to me. He has real alexandrite as well.

I

 

[T L]

The biggest thing I noticed was that there were way more inferior gems and much higher prices. One lady asked if she could buy my paraibas and spinels off of my person. I guess you all should hold on tight to your gems because they’re getting rarer.

There was only one vendor with decent emeralds. Everyone is selling inferior African and Brazilian stones.

 

[whitewave]

Meanwhile, Gary has 2 on sale: https://www.finewatergems.com/store/c16/Alexandrite.html

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

@T L which of your spinels were they interested in? Did you tell them to get in line, lol?

 

[T L]

I don’t care for any Alex I see online or at the shows. The only decent one I saw was at the Smithsonian.

 

[T L]

@T L which of your spinels were they interested in? Did you tell them to get in line, lol?

Lol. She wanted my four carat violet blue Tanzanian spinel I was wearing. There were no blue spinels at the show. Vance had some red ones that were nice.

I came away from there with nothing! I wanted to buy an opal, but I liked my opal best.

 

[T L]

Here’s a selection of opals I picked out, but once you took them out of the bright jewelry lights and off the black surface, they lost almost all. colorplay and the pretty base colors went almost muddy or milky.

 

[T L]

The nicest emerald at the show. Columbian Muzo I believe. Very clean and velvety. My photo is pitiful.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Thanks for the information and photos!

 

[strawrose]

Thanks for the photos. There’s an intergem show near where I live, but the vendors are also “meh.” Well, except for Vance gems. I don’t think they’re coming this year, though.

 

[T L]

Oh I love Vancegems, I could listen to him talk to his customers all day. He’s so knowledgeable.

 

[icy_jade]

Here’s a selection of opals I picked out, but once you took them out of the bright jewelry lights and off the black surface, they lost almost all. colorplay and the pretty base colors went almost muddy or milky.

Are these Ethiopian opals?

 

[Crazie4Cuts]

The nicest emerald at the show. Columbian Muzo I believe. Very clean and velvety. My photo is pitiful.

@T L How big was that emerald and what was it going for? So beautiful! Sigh! I wish you could go Emerald shopping with me!
-C4C

 

[arkieb1]

Darn it I thought you were going to say you bought some fabulous new stone there..... that's the problem these days a lot of it is either washed out looking to me or badly overpriced - the days of finding wonderful bargain stones at gem shows are long gone.

 

[elle_71125]

Thanks for the enjoyable read. I love Vance gems too...and regularly lust after his gems on Instagram. It’s pretty messed up how some dealers are taking advantage of less knowledgeable buyers.

 

[T L]

Are these Ethiopian opals?

Yes. They had Australian ones as well, but they were Uber expensive.

 

[T L]

@T L How big was that emerald and what was it going for? So beautiful! Sigh! I wish you could go Emerald shopping with me!
-C4C

I didn’t ask the size, but I’m guessing around three carats. I don’t know if it had a lab report, but this dealer had some beautiful things, like rare fancy colored diamonds.

 

[T L]

Darn it I thought you were going to say you bought some fabulous new stone there..... that's the problem these days a lot of it is either washed out looking to me or badly overpriced - the days of finding wonderful bargain stones at gem shows are long gone.

Yes, if anything, the show really made me appreciate what I already own. They didn’t even have nice settings. I think better values can be found online.

 

[T L]

Thanks for the enjoyable read. I love Vance gems too...and regularly lust after his gems on Instagram. It’s pretty messed up how some dealers are taking advantage of less knowledgeable buyers.

Tell me about it, and that show was full of novice buyers.

 

[PieAreSquared]

Yes, if anything, the show really made me appreciate what I already own. They didn’t even have nice settings. I think better values can be found online.

Pretty sure the prices on those not-very-nice settings will be going up considerably in the US with the trade war on China. I was at a big show in Vegas a few years back and would estimate 90% of the settings being sold were from China.

 

[T L]

Pretty sure the prices on those not-very-nice settings will be going up considerably in the US with the trade war on China. I was at a big show in Vegas a few years back and would estimate 90% of the settings being sold were from China.

Yes, they are almost entirely from China.

 

[ordinaryrainbow]

Thanks for the enjoyable read. I love Vance gems too...and regularly lust after his gems on Instagram. It’s pretty messed up how some dealers are taking advantage of less knowledgeable buyers.

I'd love to follow Vance. What's their instagram handle?

 

[elle_71125]

I'd love to follow Vance. What's their instagram handle?

Ignore me. It turns out that wasn’t Vance Gems I was following...just a similar (to me) name.

 

[T L]

Yes, not sure why Vance doesn’t have more of an online presence.