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The gorgeous jewels of AGTA GemFair 2018.

February 20, 2018

Good morning, my darlings!! I’m home and caught up at last – which means it’s time for us to ogle all of the spectacular, sparkling specimens I met on my travels, beginning with my AGTA GemFair adventures in Tucson.

The gorgeous jewels of AGTA GemFair 2018.

How much do I love the AGTA GemFair?? Words alone cannot express. Which is why I brought home digital droves of photographic evidence to share with you.

I met the above rainbow of beauties at Kimberly Collins Gems. The dealer is best known for her selection of loose gemstones, but she also makes a selection of irresistible finished pieces (which I loved so much that one home with me). Kim herself is a delight and I highly recommend visiting her booth even if it’s just for a chat and a cookie.

From sleek stackers to a museum quality masterpiece! And I do mean literally museum quality: designer Paula Crevoshay is has shown her work in multiple museums and is preparing for another exhibit soon.

This piece, inspired by the Portuguese Man o’ War jellyfish, features opals, chrysocolla, sapphires, and coral. Totally bananas, in the best way.

I spent most of my GemFair focusing on the finished jewelry on display, leaving the loose gems and pearls to my fellow Gembassadors (and Gemologists) Ben Guttery and Hannah Becker. But I had to stop at Kaiser Gems when I saw this.

This glorious, perfectly organized tray of color-sorted gems was just too perfect for me to resist. I don’t know if you know this about me…but I love organizing things. Sometimes when I’m sad, I go to the Container Store. Gazing at this tray of precisely partitioned gems fills me with both joy and calm.

Speaking of joy, calm, and gemstones: this seems like a good time to remind you that because this is the AGTA (American Gemstone Trade Association) GemFair, every single vendor has satisfied the AGTA’s stringent ethical standards.

One of the best parts of AGTA GemFair 2017 was meeting the fabulous Dallas Prince of Dallas Prince Designs, who covered me in jewels and offered to adopt me (and the feelings of adoration are entirely mutual). When I arrived on the floor at GemFair 2018, I sashayed directly over to Dallas’ booth and played dress up for as long as I could justify.

This was one of my favorite looks we put together! Look at all those luscious greens and blues. I particularly love the bold scale of the earrings, the irresistable navette shape of the ring, and the creative use of briolettes in the necklace.

A stack of sapphire engagement rings from Under the Crown jewelry! As the public shows more and more interest in individuality where engagement jewels are concerned, colorful bridal is increasingly important to consider.

Pink and purple were the hottest hues on many AGTA GemFair shoppers’ lists, as attendee after attendee told me they were hunting these two particularly sweet shades – in spinel and sapphire, specifically. One suspects the Pantone color of the year, Ultraviolet, and Princess Eugenie’s instantly infamous Padparadscha are at least partly responsible.

12 reasons I’m excited for AGTA GemFair 2018!

January 22, 2018

Happy 2018, my darlings!! It’s late January, and you know what that means: time to get pumped for AGTA GemFair!

Why I can’t wait for AGTA GemFair 2018

From January 30th – February 4th, many of the US and Canada’s finest colored gemstone and pearl dealers will gather at the AGTA’s 2018 GemFair to offer their glimmering, shimmering, lustrous wares. The event is only open to members of the jewelry industry…but I’m going to share it all with you!

Here’s why that’s so exciting:

The delectable jewelry.

My primary mission at the AGTA GemFair 2018 will be simple: to track down the best colored gemstone and pearl jewelry in a room filled with the crème de la crème and share all that gemmy goodness with you!

Instagram lets you follow hashtags now, so you can follow along with the whole GemFair on both the AGTA Instagram account and the #AGTAGemFair18 hashtag to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

I’ll be doing a takeover of the AGTA IG account for two days, so you can find my fabulous finds there or on my own Instagram page, as well as nonstop coverage in my Instastories!

Detail of a stunning Erica Courtney pendant.

The GEMBASSADORS are now a triple threat!

Last year, Hannah Becker and I had the pleasure of serving as AGTA GemFair’s inaugural Gembassadors. It was an honor and a genuine thrill to bring you an insider’s view of this legendary event.

This year, we’re going to give you even more access by expanding the Gembassador team! For the AGTA GemFair 2018, Hannah and I will be joined by Instagram superstar and beloved jewelry industry personality, Benjamin Guttery of Third Coast Gems.

Each Gembassador will be focusing on slightly different aspects of AGTA GemFair 2018, so be sure to follow all three of us, the AGTA Instagram account, and the #AGTAGemFair18 hashtag to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Two brooches by the fabulous Naomi Sarna Designs; colored sapphires, amethysts, and diamonds and a freshwater baroque cultured pearl.

Ethical sourcing everywhere.

Every exhibitor at the AGTA GemFair 2018 is an AGTA Member, which means that their business practices satisfy the organization’s rigorous code of ethics. In this day and age, with sustainability and ethical sourcing in the forefront of our industry’s concerns, it’s vital to know that every dealer in the AGTA GemFair has been evaluated and approved.

One of my favorite moments of the 2017 GemFair was talking to Columbia Gem House about their commitment to Fair Trade practices and how they not only hold themselves accountable, but actively participate in charity efforts to enrich the communities who mine the gems they sell.

Leon Mege earrings with rubies and diamonds in platinum, sterling silver, and 18k rose gold.

The gemstones and pearls.

Many designers will be at the AGTA GemFair to source world class stones that will become world class jewels by this summer’s Jewelry Market Week. It’s incredible to get behind the scenes of another section of the fascinating pipeline of discovery and design that keeps the jewelry industry running.

My fellow Gembassadors, Hannah and Ben, are both Graduate Gemologists, so they’re going to take the lead on showcasing the unset goods of GemFair while I focus on finished pieces.

The Gembassadors on parade at the AGTA Spectrum Awards Gala.

The Gembassadors on parade at the 2017 AGTA Spectrum Awards Gala.

The spectacular treasures of the AGTA GemFair.

February 13, 2017

This year was my very first time visiting the famous Tucson gem shows and I went straight to the top: to the crème de la crème of the colored gemstone and cultured pearl market at the legendary AGTA GemFair. I came into it expecting to have my mind blown, and even my high expectations were blown out of the water.

The AGTA GemFair is a closed show, open only to gem dealers, store owners, designers and others in the jewelry industry, so the beauties that you’re about to see are from a show that the general public usually doesn’t get to experience at all – at least until the jewels displayed there turn up on celebrities or socialites or go back to the museums they came from.

Enough chit chat. The reason I did my pre-AGTA GemFair post was so that I could dive right into the pretties in my recap without needing to take time for background. Let’s get to it!

The majority of photos I took at the AGTA GemFair were of finished colored gemstone jewelry, but I couldn’t do the GemFair justice if I didn’t play with some loose stones as well.

This particular stone looks to me like some kind of ethereal fairy dewdrop, rather than a rock from the ground – but it’s completely natural. This is a rare Mexican play of color fire opal, displaying an unusual effect called “rain” (video here).

Even better: this miracle comes from Columbia Gem House, a mine-to-market company who is leading the industry in responsible gemstone sourcing and fair trade practices. If you care about ethical sourcing, Columbia Gem House is a brand you should know.

Here’s something wonderfully unusual: The Queen of Tiye fire opal bracelet from Paula Crevoshay.

This masterpiece features five truly spectacular Mexican fire opals set among blue zicons and tsavorite garnets. The vibrancy of the stones, color contrast of the juxtaposition, and organic feel of the entire piece creates a dreamlike mix of organic lines and pure luxury that is emblematic of the famed Crevoshay’s unforgettable designs. This particular piece is named after the Queen of Tiye, the Queen of Sheba’s sister.

Look, I’m wearing a tiara!! I love when I get to wear a tiara.

This particular tiara – as well as the earrings and the necklace – are by Dallas Prince designs. I’d seen a Dallas Prince piece or two in past AGTA Spectrum Awards press previews, but I had no idea how utterly fantastic Dallas herself is until we spent at least an hour playing with her designs at the AGTA GemFair. We’re lucky I remembered to take pictures at all, I was having so much fun. (Also a sincere thank you to Mr. Dallas Prince, for assisting us so cheerfully).

These gorgeous things are by Dallas Prince as well!

The best news is that while many of Dallas’ designs feature fine gemstones, she has an affordable line too. This cuff in particular is from her chrome marcasite collection; which offers pieces that have a million dollar look at a price point with waaay fewer digits.

The gorgeous jewels of AGTA GemFair 2018.

Why I can’t wait for AGTA GemFair 2018

The delectable jewelry.

The GEMBASSADORS are now a triple threat!

Ethical sourcing everywhere.

The gemstones and pearls.

Follow along with me on Instagram