The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) has concluded the 2025 AGTA GemFair in Tucson, announcing the dates for next year’s event shortly thereafter. The 2026 AGTA GemFair Tucson is scheduled to take place from Monday, February 2, to Friday, February 6, with the Grand Ballroom opening at 9:30 a.m. and the Galleria and GemHall opening at 10 a.m.
This year’s fair experienced a modest increase in attendance, with a 2 percent rise in buyer badges issued. AGTA CEO John W. Ford Sr. reported that daily traffic averaged between 3,400 and 3,600 attendees across all shopping areas. Ford noted that exhibitors on the GemHall floor performed exceptionally well, with many retailers focused on stocking middle- to upper-range fine goods. The atmosphere was described as upbeat and optimistic, with some exhibitors even expressing concerns about running out of invoices due to high sales volumes.
Feedback from vendors indicated a diverse range of materials sold during the event, with one vendor highlighting that pricing rather than color trends played a significant role in purchasing decisions.
On the opening day of the show, AGTA collaborated with RapNet to introduce the Gemstone Trading Network. This initiative allows colored gemstones to be listed on RapNet’s existing platform at no additional cost for current subscribers. As of now, approximately 47,000 colored gemstones are available for purchase through this network.
Saville Stern, COO of RapNet, emphasized the demand for gemstones among clients and noted that while diamonds are consistently available on their platform, this partnership aims to ethically expand access to colored stones through AGTA’s stringent sourcing guidelines.
The show concluded on Sunday, February 9, following the Spectrum Awards Gala at the Tucson Convention Center. Television personality Michael O’Connor hosted the gala, where attendees voted for their favorite pieces among award winners from both the Spectrum and Cutting Edge categories.
The Buyer’s Choice award for Spectrum was awarded to Matthew Tuggle of Tuggle Designs and his team for their “Whisper of the Ancestors” lapel pin. The Cutting Edge award went to Ben Kho of Kho International for his striking 12.88-carat cushion Portuguese-cut rhodochrosite sourced from Colorado.
Ford expressed delight in the buyers’ selections, acknowledging the tough competition among numerous impressive entries this year. The next round of entries for the Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards will open at the end of June 2025.
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