If you’ve ever wondered why I’m such a strategic hoarder of gemstones, you can blame the global economy. Between gold prices currently surging past $5,100 an ounce and the wild reality of the gemstone supply chain, navigating my industry right now is not for the faint of heart.

Beautiful resources are getting scarcer by the minute. Between international sanctions keeping gems out of the US, cartels limiting mining access, and a younger generation that would rather be social media influencers than do the grueling work of mining and cutting... finding fresh material is harder than ever. The toughest part? Seeing mines completely depleted. Stones I used to see just five years ago are simply gone. Thank goodness I've been stockpiling in my safe!

This scarcity is exactly why my annual pilgrimage to the Tucson Gem Show in late January is so vital. It’s the ultimate barometer for what’s happening in my world. During my eight days at the shows, I walk miles every day past hundreds of cases, weaving in and out of rooms filled with rocks, minerals, and fossils, hunting for a single needle in a gemstone haystack. My mission this year was to find very specific pieces to complete upcoming designs, but naturally, I sleuthed out a few amazing gems I didn't even know I needed.

Case in point: I was absolutely delighted to uncover the most perfect, Caribbean-ocean teal hued aquamarine cabochons from Brazil. There were only a dozen or so stones available, cut from a single crystal, which have an incredible silky chatoyancy (that mesmerizing cat's-eye effect). It is a color that is extremely scarce, and I couldn’t resist. I snagged two of them, and I'm already envisioning a massive statement ring and perhaps a necklace or bracelet...

Another exciting find that will feature in my next jewelry collection is a rainbow layout of natural fancy sapphires in their rough form from Madagascar. It is a very singular find—this was my needle in a haystack! I just love the soft colors of the gems and the rugged shapes, which you rarely see left alone in a fancy stone.

Of course, there was much more I found in Tucson—including just the right hue of tiny, salmon-hued round sapphire melee for another upcoming jewel. But it’s too much to write about in this short blog post. Come visit me in Santa Fe and I’ll show you the rest!