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What I Saw in Bangkok

A firsthand look at the Bangkok gem trade, the September gem fair,
and what’s happening in the international gemstone market.

I’m back in the office after a busy trip to Bangkok, Thailand. Every September, I go to Bangkok to source gemstones, visit the Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair, and take the temperature of the international gemstone market. Here are some takeaways that I want to share with you:

Bangkok Is Booming

Silom is the gemstone district of Bangkok. It is home to the cutting factory that my family business, Kaiser Gems, ran for decades, as well as the Jewelry Trade Center (JTC).

There is always business happening in Silom, but this year it was booming. The JTC is a 59-story tower of shops and offices dedicated to the gemstone and jewelry trade. On recent visits, there have been empty booths and vacant shops in the tower, and it has felt a bit sleepy. On this visit, however, the JTC was bustling.

Gemstone businesses from Sri Lanka are opening offices and sending their rough to Bangkok as a result of recent changes to Sri Lankan import policies. Many Indian gemstone companies are also doing business there in response to high US tariffs on Indian imports over the past 18 months, which initially ranged from 25-50%. It seems there is also a shift away from Hong Kong as a gemstone hub, further strengthening Bangkok’s already significant role as an international center of the gemstone trade.

This re-centering of business in Bangkok is wonderful in many ways for me as a gemstone dealer, and also for you as a buyer. Shopping in the Silom district of Bangkok not only offers the convenience of so many suppliers in one localized place, but it’s also a place where I feel safe and I get to enjoy the best of Thai hospitality. If you’ve ever had the breakfast buffet at the Shangri-La in Bangkok, you know what I’m talking about.

For the many designers I work with who manufacture their jewelry in Bangkok, we can utilize this increased centralization of gemstone production in Bangkok to reduce expenses from shipping and tariffs during the jewelry manufacturing process.

Rough Availability & Pricing

A continuing trend impacting the industry, and one that has become more acute since 2020, is rising prices and issues of scarcity in the gemstone rough market.

I was genuinely surprised to see how dramatically pricing for tourmaline, sapphires, spinel, garnets, chrysoberyl, and bi-color stones has changed since the beginning of 2026.

Last year, we saw the cost of goods increase as a result of tariffs. This year, the increase in prices is a reflection of the scarcity of quality gemstone rough available. This availability is impacted both by what rough is being found and mined and by the influx of diamond dealers into the colored gemstone market as a result of the impact of lab-grown diamonds on pricing.

What I noticed on this buying trip is that fine-quality gemstone rough is the hardest to find right now, while more middle-range goods are available. Bi-color sapphires were scarce, but also incredibly in demand. As a result, I saw a 20–50% increase in the price of all gemstones, depending on the material, within the last year.

Availability also impacted my decision-making on this buying trip. Even with pricing changes the industry has not slowed down. Gemstones I was considering buying one day were gone the next. This experience made me think carefully about which gemstones I wanted to buy right away and which I was willing to risk missing out on.

Discussing changes in availability and pricing can be stressful, but I hope this conversation will empower you and give you insight into the current market, so you can be prepared when you next visit a trade show or supplier’s office.

My advice for this moment: If you find something you love, buy the stone. Don’t sleep on it. Quality material is becoming harder to source and prices are unlikely to come down anytime soon.

Color Trends

Finally, I can’t report back to you from a gemstone show without mentioning color trends.

The Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair was the first gemstone show since GIA and Gübelin Labs confirmed Ethiopia as a new source for Paraiba Tourmaline in late August. Naturally, sourcing and pricing of this new Paraiba material was a hot topic at the show, and, as to be expected, the prices are steep. A friend who sells gemstone rough said that their suppliers are asking $100,000 for a 1-gram piece of Ethiopian Paraiba, which would become a 1–2-carat finished gemstone.

Other stones that were in the spotlight at the gem fair were vibrant and minty Nigerian Emerald, rich orange Spessartite Garnets, vivid raspberry hued Rubellite Tourmaline and lush, open teal Lagoon Tourmaline.

I’m excited for Spessartite to be having a moment. I first noticed it getting attention at the Tucson gem fairs, and that interest continued in Bangkok, and the international market as a whole.

Orange is a powerful color, and Spessartite orange ranges from fluorescent Fanta to deep and fiery orange. If you have shied away from designing with orange gemstones in the past, let the uptick in interest for Spessartite inspire you.

Here’s the current selection of Spessartite Garnet in inventory:

After a fantastic 10 days in Thailand visiting suppliers, relaxing with friends in Koh Samui, petting island pigs, feeding and bathing elephants at the elephant sanctuary, and shopping the Bangkok Gem Show, I’m feeling inspired and refreshed by the beauty of nature, and fully stocked for the holiday season ahead of us.

Our gem and jewelry industry is always changing, and I’m happy to keep up with it and keep you informed as we go.

Below are a selection of new pieces from my travels that I’m particularly excited about.