The World's Largest Treasure Hunt
For two weeks every winter, the world meets in Tucson as it becomes a bustling, international marketplace of buyers and sellers at the Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase.
Notes on tucson 2008
Buying was extremely difficult in Tucson this year. Shortages of new rough gem material and high prices will make finer finished colored gems scarce this year.
Prices have be affected by higher fuel prices as many mining operations require pumps and heavy equipment. Prices are also higher due to the low value of the dollar Also, lower end material is being sold by cable television jewelry marketers, therefore miners and dealers can hold out for higher prices on their finer rough and cut stones once they have sold the low end which has in the past been the more difficult part to move.
There was a large quantity of gem quality "Paraibi" tourmaline from Mozambique with colors reminiscent of blue Listerine and green Scope. The term "Paraibi" is a source name for a mining state in Brazil which produced extra-ordinary colors of tourmaline caused by Copper. The price of Brazilian Paraiba went to extreme highs of over $10000 per carat at wholesale. The best deserved the price as they would best be described having outstanding colors which had a neon glow to them. The material from Mozambique has similar colors without the glow. There is currently a dispute amoung dealers as to the proper use of "Paraiba". Brazilian dealer claiming only Brazilian gems from Paraiba should use the name and all others be denoted as "Copper Bearing Tourmaline"
There was a large quantity of this copper bearing tourmaline from Mozambique in some really large gems. Larger gems were in the $2000 to $5000 price range. The listerine blue colors were available in as large as 50 to 100 ct. sizes for anyone with a quarter million to spend.
The hot stones continue to be spessartite and now blue zircon and spinel in it various colors. A new find of orange spessartite from Tanzania was welcome as material from Nigeria has become scarce. What I have seen of this tanzanian material it has a color that is quite unique, more to the orange than other sources and it is rarely without inclusions. I purchases some large material from an African dealer who let me pick from a mine run lot, meaning of mixed quality and mostly very low quality. I found some large "cutters" which will finish lightly included in really big sizes of spessartite garnets of over 5ct.
I made a $5000 offer to a Nigerian rough dealer on a parcel of fine spessartites and he refused saying he would not take less than $25000, at which point I left. Unfortunate as these spessartites were great color and high clarity. When prices are high all you can do is walk away, which is difficult when your a cutter and you know what fine cutting can do with a gem with as high a refracting index as spessertite (1.81 R.I.)
Blue zircon prices were up a 30% while spinels in fine reds, blue, and a new lavendar which has that Paraiba glow have more than doubled. They are similar in price to sapphire and rightfully so as they are bright, aqain due to high refractive index and have vivid colors.
Tanzanite prices were high but steady. Not much change over the last year. Top gem colors are scarce and cutting quality is generally low. With export of rough illegal out of tanzania most gems are cut by local lapidaries and require recutting to improve brilliance. Recutting on average has a 30% weight lose.
Alexandrite although not plentiful were available and the color change was truly outstanding. Some of the finest ever to come out of the ground. The top stones were all Brazilian with the three color change of blue green, green and violet red this source is famous for. Prices are high as always but I have hever seen this quality in the last 30 years.
My personal favorite alexandrite like garnet was still almost non existant although I did find three exceptional examples of this garnet colored by Vanadium and Chromiun. I plan to return to Madagascar and the trip will include Bekily which is the source of most of the best color changing garnets. I recently bought two alexandrite like garnets which may be from a new source. The red of these stones is far better than any I have seen previously and the change is to blue. Red to blue, WOW! This is one of the few gems that is even rarer than alexandrite.
- Moriarty's Gem Art
-Visittucson.org
Tucson Gem Show 2008
