Musing from a trade show- part 2- August 2026

[DinaLRosenberg]

Hit up the East Coast Gem Show in Springfield MA this past weekend and woweeeee.... traffic was VERY light even on Saturday which is supposed to be the busiest day.

Never have we ever had the issue where it was HARD for us to BUY (typically it's the other way- hard for us to NOT buy).

These shows are cash & carry- meaning you're taking immediates, not placing orders for future items.

Most of what was shown was old stock & picked over- it looked like the inventory on the wholesale side was left over from prior shows.

I'm not sure if this is because wholesalers are having a difficult time importing into the country (my Moroccan dealer told us it took 3 months for his most recent shipment to clear customs), or if it's the fact that sales are down and people don't have the liquidity to bring in new inventory.... or that shipping costs are thru the roof- or some combo of the 3.

I'll be headed to the 2nd largest show in the World in 3 weeks- we'll see what that show has to offer- but I'm a little scared. It's a lot of time & expensive to shop these shows, and the inventory purchase needs to make it worth our while. The upcoming Denver show is our crystal inventory now through January! Yikes!

The show's retail side looked better for those that deal primarily in specimens and 1s and 2s (that's not our market).

how are y'all seeing your markets fare?

[SeasideStones]

Hi Dina,

We were dealers on the retail side of the show. The wholesalers I spoke to said Friday was OK, but the rest of the weekend was slow. From our perspective (year 4 as retail dealers in W. Springfeild), the show was similar to the previous years as far as attendance. We had a steady flow of customers, and it was a good show for us, but it was never busy like a club gem and mineral show. 

We mostly import our own inventory, so we don't buy a lot in wholesale except with a few specific dealers that we get certain things from. We do not sell a lot of mass-produced items as we mostly sell one of a kind cabochons, carvings, etc.

I think a lot of wholesale dealers brought in a lot of inventory prior to tariffs kicking in and are still working through that inventory. I also think in our industry, buyers have a lot more access to international suppliers with Facebook and TikTok live sales. What some people now see in wholesale are things they see on live shows and can buy direct.

Since on the east coast there are only a few big wholesalers, I think some dealers, feel they are selling the same thing as their neighbor if these are only buying from those big wholesalers. Those dealers are now buying direct and not buying as much from those wholesalers so there isn't as much inventory turnover. So, I think there is truth to what you said regarding wholesalers dealing with a combo of the three.

No comment about Denver as we have never gone and have never been dealers there. I will share we are previous Tucson dealers and stopped doing Tucson shows after 2023. 

[DinaLRosenberg]

interesting perspective. 

We just did a local gem show this past weekend- traffic was consistent but thin. 

Just saw a wholesale talk about their 18k tariff from their most recent Brazilian container- insane!

According to one of my wholesalers, they said a lot of dealers don't have the cash to bring in new- especially with the added tariffs & fees. We do not purchase from online China dealers- we hand pick our material at the shows. I'll be back in 2 weeks with my Denver report.