Concerns
about gemstone treatments, the looming Burmese ruby ban, rough-supply shortages
and the struggling But there were some new finds this year--including a deposit of Tanzanian spinel and rubies from Greenland--and although traffic seemed lighter, some dealers were pleasantly surprised to find serious buyers instead of dallying browsers.
"People are intense in looking and comparing," said René Arnoldi of Carl Friedrich Arnoldi in
Red and pink spinel from
Prices on color's traditional troika--sapphire, emerald and ruby--rose in the 20 percent range, hoisted high by the weak U.S. dollar, tighter supplies and competing customers from the European and Asian markets.
Retail buyers, fresh off a holiday season that was disappointing for many, were shopping
"It's going to be another tough year," said jeweler Carla Ann Yeager, owner of Diamond Works in Chillicothe, Ohio, who said she picked up "funky pearls that you can't get from the suppliers," smoky quartz and brown quartz, all designed to appeal to her young female clients who accessorize clothing with jewels.
Despite the slowing economy, she is opting to ramp up her colored-stone marketing.
"I've started doing more full-color ads in the newspaper for jewelry with stones like pink tourmaline or (gemstones in) rainbow colors," Yeager said.
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