Jeweller - May 2021

All Things Bright and Beautiful | COLOURED GEMSTONE FEATURE
L to R: Van Cleef & Arpels brooches; Tasaki earrings
Carolina Bucci
MARKET DEMAND
GEMSTONE COLOUR TRENDS
Many factors inform the demand for particular coloured gemstones;
fashion – inspired by celebrities, high jewellery collections from
the likes of Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and Dior, and media – as well
as affordability and consumer preferences for locally or ethicallysourced
products all influence purchasing patterns.
In the past 12 months, suppliers tell Jeweller the most notable
trend has been the ongoing popularity of Australian teal sapphire,
which now commands far higher prices given the increased demand
and more limited supply.
Peach gemstones, deep pink rubellite and sapphire, emeralds, and
tourmaline also remain desirable to consumers, while Australian
opal has seen a resurgence.
Powerful
Stones
Meanings &
combinations
customers
will love!
Mozambique. Banks notes recent results from seven “sequential
mini-auctions” had “yielded the third-highest revenue figure of
the 14 auctions which MRM has run since June 2014”.
“We are very encouraged by the strong appetite from our clients
and by the prices realised,” Banks added.
Outside the ‘big three’, Charles Lawson, director of retailer and
supplier Lawson Gems, tells Jeweller, “In the last 12-18 months,
we saw demand spread across our whole range of stock rather
than our usual bestsellers of Australian sapphire and opal.
“Coloured gemstones appear to be on an ever upward climb
in popularity, especially as public knowledge about coloured
gemstones beyond the big three increases,” he added.
COVID recovery
Alongside increasing consumer demand, the COVID-19
pandemic has undeniably impacted the gemstone market.
Notes Kovacs, “We’re fortunate that, having been in the
gemstone business for more than 50 years, we have a number
of long-standing suppliers overseas who are working with us to
continue to supply goods.
“Obviously we can’t travel internationally to select goods in
person because of COVID-19, so we are very fortunate to have a
strong buying network that we can trust to assist with sourcing.”
Lawson observes, “Our biggest issue has been the lack of
international travel, as without being able to visit our suppliers
and miners and purchase gemstones first-hand, it has made our
purchasing procedures much more difficult,” adding, “Shipments
of any sort were obviously going to be delayed during COVID-19
restrictions and we did struggle more than usual getting our
gemstones from the small mining communities that were hit
hard by COVID-19.”
Colonial Gemstones’ Carvajal called 2020 an “unremarkable
year” but said his business had largely returned to normal
in recent months: “The impact during COVID-19 on Colonial
Gemstones was proportional to the rest of the industry, but we
still exist – and we are stronger than ever.”
For primary producers like Gemfields, mines were forced to
temporarily close or operate at a maintenance – rather than
45 | May 2021
Henn Gems
productive – level, while auctions were not permitted to proceed
for more than a year.
“As a result of the fall-out from the COVID-19 pandemic, this
auction was also our first since December 2019, meaning we
realised no sales at all for some 15 months,” Banks says of
Gemfields’ ruby division.
“Because operations were suspended at MRM in April 2020, the
world’s largest ruby mine produced no new rubies for almost a
year... MRM is only now commencing mining for its next mixedquality
ruby auction, which we hope will occur late this year.
“Emeralds have definitely increased in popularity,
and it is getting more and more common to wear
an emerald ring for weddings and anniversaries”
MAURO CARVAJAL
Colonial Gemstones
Adds Banks, “Gemfields is excited to be back in business after
the lengthy pause in both mining and sales and – as always –
we extend our sincere thanks to our hard-working teams, to
our host governments in Mozambique and Zambia, and to our
customers for their ongoing support.”
With the situation far from certain as the pandemic continues,
many of Gemfields’ regular clients viewed the early 2021 auctions
as a “vital opportunity” to purchase rubies and emeralds.
Driving progress
As many analysts have noted, there is an ongoing consumer
trend toward ethical purchasing – and indeed, the gemstone
industry is making significant strides toward transparent
supply chains.
Says Gübelin, “Transparency is key when it comes to
sustainability and provenance, and transparency is a
‘mega trend’, becoming more and more important.”
Lawson notes, “The last 12 to 18 months have seen some major
moments in the battles for both human rights and environmental
TEAL APPEAL
In particular demand for engagement rings,
Australian teal sapphires continue to captivate
consumers – as they have done for the past few years.
GREEN LIGHT
There has been a surge in demand for emeralds
– particularly premium Colombian specimens in
classic emerald cut, sizes 2–5 carats. Tsavorite and
demantoid garnet and green sapphire have also made
it into many high jewellery collections.
PINK PASSION
Consumers and jewellery designers alike are
thinking pink, with bold, saturated pink sapphires,
rubellite tourmaline, and ruby making a statement in
chandelier earrings and pendant necklaces.
RAINBOW CONNECTION
Demand for Australia’s iconic opals has increased,
with local consumers and international jewellery
houses entranced by its multi-hued play of colour.
ELECTRIC BLUE
The dazzling sky-blue shades of Cambodian zircon
and Paraìba tourmaline are captivating jewellers and
consumers. Cornflower-blue sapphires and tanzanite
have also been seen in many designer collections.
PRETTY IN PEACH
The peach colour trend – combining softer shades
of orange and pink – continues, with Padparadscha
sapphire and orange tourmaline at the forefront.
Australia/New Zealand Distributor
PRIDE BRANDS
www.pridebrands.com.au
Ph: (03) 6171 8005
sales@pridebrands.com.au
May 2021 | 46
2021 COLLECTION