Shaped by Light: Tucson’s Most Striking Cuts
- Annabelle Choong
- Mar 30
- 4 min read
As I sit down to write this, March is already coming to an end, and April is just around the corner. It’s been 53 days since the Tucson trip, yet as I reflect on my experiences, it feels as if it happened just yesterday.
The year started at full speed—preparing for business trips to Japan, the US, and Taiwan, barely catching a breath. But thanks to the Tucson Gem Show, even at the very start of the year, I felt as though I had already travelled the world—through gemstones.
“It’s from Namibia,” a supplier casually mentioned at a tent in Tucson.
A country I had never heard of before.
It felt like being back in a school geography lesson, when the teacher pointed to a shaded area on the world map—somewhere distant, unfamiliar, yet full of hidden wonders.
It’s a fascinating experience.
In just four to five days, within the enclosed space of the show, I encountered gemstones from every corner of the world—each glowing in its own unique colour and hue, each carrying a story from a land far away.
Inside my head, I’m painting pictures of those foreign lands that I’ve never been.
How? With the colours, dispersion and the brilliance of the gemstone where it originates.
Grown, flourished in the lands and riverbeds.
The Tucson Gem Show never fail to impress me every year.
Each year, I struggled to answer what are my favourite stone among our buys.
Like asking to pick my favourite song from The Beatles’ red album.
Deciding between ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’ and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ in Disc 1;
And between ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Nowhere Man’ in Disc 2.
It’s too hard.
But—nonetheless, I have a few picks from this year’s that I’d like to share with you.
And hopefully, transform you into gemstone lovers like us.
A Cut Above All
Just like how a song isn’t only about the lyrics, but also the rhythm, tone, and arrangement—a gemstone is more than just its colour or clarity.
This year, the cuts left a particularly strong impression on me.
The unexpected elegance of a hexagon, the boldness of a shield, the dreamy smoothness of a sugarloaf cabochon—each one brought its own melody.Some sparkled like a chorus, others glowed like a quiet refrain.
In this post, I want to take you through some of these beautifully cut stones from Tucson—not just for their colours, but for how their shapes made them unforgettable.
Hexagon Cut – Nature's Geometry
While I was hunting for trendy teal sapphires at one of my usual booths, a glimmer caught my attention. A sleek, clean hexagon cut—its facets sharp and intentional—paired with a mesmerising mix of deep green and light yellowish green.
The colours reminded me of walking through a summer forest, surrounded by towering trees. The leaves closest to the sky glow in a delicate, sunlit green, while the shaded undergrowth takes on a cool, deeper hue. Balanced with the symmetry of the hexagon shape, this stone felt both wild and composed—a rare find I knew I had to bring home.
Coincidentally, I chanced upon another hexagon-cut beauty just a few booths away—this time, a Tanzanite.
A supplier I’ve worked with for years, known for their precise cuts and consistently clean stones, had this piece quietly tucked in a corner.
Its soft violet shimmer peeked through a pile of stones, catching the light—and my eye.
Shield Cut – The Gemstone Knight
The shield cut is one of the most intriguing cuts I’ve come across.
There’s something bold and noble about its silhouette—structured, pointed, and full of character.
This particular piece featured a bright, cool blue sapphire, and the moment I saw it, I thought: a protective knight, cloaked in a flowing blue cape, standing guard. There’s a quiet strength in this cut—like it’s there to ward off the bad and carry you through the day.
Modified Princess Cut – A Nod to Peranakan Tiles
Among the many sparkles at Tucson, these two stones stopped me in my tracks—an ice blue tourmaline and a pink tourmaline, both cut in the same beautifully modified princess cut.Clean edges, balanced proportions, and an intricate facet arrangement—the moment I saw them, I was reminded of Peranakan tiles.
There’s something so charming about the combination:the soft pastel colours, the symmetry, the quiet detail in the cuts—they carry that same delicate vibrancy you find in Peranakan design.
They’d make a perfect mismatched pair of earrings, or perhaps two statement rings, each unique but part of a beautiful pair.I couldn’t leave them behind.
Sugarloaf Emerald – Lush and Timeless
Last but not least, we finally restocked these beautiful sugarloaf emeralds from Zambia. Aside from the classic emerald cut, I’ve always felt that sugarloaf cuts offer another way to truly appreciate the rich, velvety green that emeralds are known for.
Zambian emeralds tend to have a slightly cooler tone, giving them a refined, contemporary elegance—especially when paired with the soft, domed surface of a sugarloaf cut. Their natural inclusions shine gently through the polished body, like quiet gardens beneath still water.I could honestly look at them all day.
As I wrap up this chapter, I’m excited to share that The Annual Gem Affair is returning this April—this time, with a fresh focus on coloured gemstones and jewellery.
Whether you're new to gemstones or a long-time collector, we’ll be hosting special weekend workshops with our co-founder and gemologist, Kengo Kajita, and unveiling new creations from our atelier—many inspired by this year’s Tucson finds.
We’re also preparing a special giveaway for early sign-ups—so keep a lookout here on the blog or on our Instagram for more details.
*Scroll down to see the event poster and save the dates.
And in the next blog post, I’ll be sharing the one-of-a-kind colours we discovered this year—because sometimes, it's the colour that tells the whole story.
The Annual Gem Affair
by FUJIMORI KAJITA
23 (Wed) to 27 Apr (Sun), 2025
FUJIMORI KAJITA BOUTIQUE
4 Ann Siang Hill,
Singapore 069786
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