The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) announced the winners of the 2023 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards during 24-25 October 2023. Entries to this year’s competition are 24-percent greater than last year, with a 28-percent increase in the Business/Day Wear category and a 26-percent increase in the Evening Wear category.
According to AGTA, many sapphires and sapphire jewels entered in the competition, other trends included tourmaline, garnet, enameled jewels, cabochon-cut gems, natural pearls, and finished jewels with fantasy-cut or carved gems as focal points.
In the Spectrum division, extraordinary entries included a 5.34-carat kite-shape Mahenge spinel in the Business/Day Wear division and a massive two-piece platinum and 18-karat gold necklace with nearly 73 carats of garnet in the Men’s division. In Cutting Edge, loose gems ranged from a 9.49-carat peach Mahenge Malaya garnet to a 10.42-carat oval Portuguese-cut Rhodochrosite. There were also a number of green gems entered into both divisions of the competition this year.
John Ford, CEO of AGTA, said: “This year’s Awards are one of our best ever. We had an additional 100 entries this year over last, and many of them had stunning green and blue-green gems.”
Judges this year included Allan Koo of A Koo & Co; Brent Malgarin of Elegant Gems; Christina Gandia Gambale of Greenwich St Jewelers; Lika Behar of Lika Behar Jewelry; and Clayton Bromberg of Underwood’s Jewelers.
“The 2023 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards have a new home and a new vibe,” said Kimberly Collins, owner of Kimberly Collins Colored Gems and president of the AGTA board of directors. “Our judges were amazing and worked so well together. They seem to be extremely on the same page with the selections they made. As always, the integrity of the judging competition is of the upmost importance. I felt the winners had a classic, timeless aesthetic this year. I am so proud to be part of a judging competition that holds itself to the most stringent standards.”
Many of the winning pieces will be on display during the 2024 AGTA GemFair Tucson which will be held from 30 January to 4 February 2024. The AGTA Spectrum Gala is the highlight of 2024 Gem Week festivities and will take place on 3 February 2024, in the newly built addition to the Tucson Convention Center.
Highlights of the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards winning pieces (Photo courtesy: AGTA)
30-11-2023
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