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【Tucson, Ariz】Tucson Gem Show Dealers Navigate Tariff Challenges

Feb 1, 2026

Editor’s Note

**Editor’s Note:** This article examines the financial strain on gem dealers at the AGTA Gem Show in Tucson, following new tariffs on mineral and stone imports imposed last year. The report highlights the real-world impact of trade policy on an industry reliant on global supply chains.

Tariff Impact on Gem Industry

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Gem show season has officially started in Tucson, drawing visitors and dealers from around the world. But after tariffs were introduced on some mineral and stone imports last year, vendors at this year’s AGTA Gem Show are paying the price.
For the last nine months, American Gem Trade Association Board President Bruce Bridges has been navigating a new wave of taxes on minerals and gems imported to the U.S. They’re part of President Trump’s aggressive tariff policy, designed to limit America’s dependence on foreign goods.

“It’s an issue that we’ve never had to deal with for the history of gemstone dealing in the United States,” said Bridges, who also serves as president of Bridges Tsavorite.

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Bridges said the goal of reducing foreign dependence isn’t possible for the gem industry.

“We are beholden to the importation of goods from overseas simply due to the fact that everything that we deal in, that we work in, is not geologically available in the United States,” he said.

According to Bridges, gemstones previously had tax exemptions and duty-free status. Once that went away, he said other countries became more competitive, making it harder to turn a profit.

“We as American dealers are at a disadvantage to them, so it’s simply more expensive for us to do the business,” Bridges said.

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Bridges and others in the industry are asking the federal government for help, especially ahead of the AGTA Gem Show. He said that’s been a slow process, but that business has surprisingly picked up ahead of the event.

“All that pent up business that people weren’t doing last year, I think will be released this year in Tucson, and we’re expecting a very, very strong show,” Bridges said.

AGTA CEO John W. Ford Sr. said he’s equally optimistic. He said tariffs have tremendously impacted their vendors, but that they’ve only had one cancellation as a result.

“We understand there’s a lot of tariff concerns, but we’ve done everything we can to mitigate that, we’re working very hard to eliminate them so that we don’t have this worry for the Tucson show next year,” Ford said.

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The AGTA gem show starts Monday but is not open to the general public. Several other gem shows are available for the public throughout the next couple of weeks.

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⏰ Published on: February 01, 2026