American Gem Trade Association Press Release
PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2007
Dallas, TX - February 26, 2007 - The American Gem Trade Association proudly announces another successful AGTA GemFair Tucson - the world's premier colored gemstone and cultured pearl event. AGTA GemFair, which showcases the latest in natural colored gemstones, cultured pearls, products and trends and attracts retailers, manufacturers, buyers and media from around the world, concluded Monday, February 5 after six days of industry commerce.
Similar to the trends observed in the AGTA Spectrum Awards in the fall, the best-selling colors at GemFair continued to be blue, green and pink. Prices remained strong for the big three - sapphire, ruby and emerald - as well. Buyers are seeing the importance of strong profit margins in colored gemstones and cultured pearls, and they are taking advantage of shopping for all their needs in one place.
Douglas K. Hucker, AGTA CEO, said, "Once again, for anyone who's passionate about gemstones, the GemFair Tucson experience is unlike any other. While we saw a decline of 3% in our attendance, we still had 9,900 buyers representing 6,675 companies. Our new Colored Diamond Pavilion was very well received, and the buyers in attendance were here with a purpose. Overall, people felt they did well at the show, and we hope this kind of performance reflects positively on the business climate for the coming year."
Daniel Mason with Mason-Kay, Inc. mentioned, "of all the trade shows I have participated in, GemFair Tucson is my personal favorite. We had a great show!"
The seminar program did equally well with a total number of 1,074 people attending the free sessions. Over 40 seminars included practical bench techniques, effective sales and marketing strategies, financial management in today's economy and important trends affecting the industry.
A highlight of the Tucson experience was the AGTA Dinner Dance and Awards Gala sponsored by Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. Held Saturday, February 3rd, the 2007 Spectrum Awards winners were honored with a presentation and video featuring the winning designs. Guests enjoyed fabulous food, cocktails and live entertainment (sponsored by Diamond Council of America) from RCA recording artist Andy Childs. The AGTA celebrated with over 400 friends until the wee hours of the morning.
Mark your calendars to join us next year from February 6-11, 2008, for AGTA GemFair at the Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona. Information about the show will soon be available on the AGTA website at
www.agta.org.
The AGTA is an association of natural colored gemstone and cultured pearl industry professionals, dedicated to promoting the natural colored gemstone trade. The association pursues this mission through the combined use of educational programs, industry events and publicity to both the trade and consumer. For additional information, please visit
www.agta.org.
