AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Honors
Extraordinary color and exceptional cut combine to set the trends in colored gemstone jewelry and art
Color and cut – essential components of nearly every consumer product – are never more important than in colored gemstones. Color captures the wearer’s imagination, and cut determines how well that color plays to the human eye. To recognize the best use of colored gems in jewelry and to honor the best gem cutters, the American Gen Trade Association has announced winners of its 2002 Spectrum Awards. Together, the winning entries establish the trends that will interest your most sophisticated customers this year.
The Spectrum Awards have a new look for the new century. Entries are now judged in five fashion categories: Evening, Business/Day, Casual, Bridal and Men’s. First-, second- and third place and honorable mention awards are presented, as well as manufacturing honors, which recognize outstanding use of natural colored gems and elegance of construction that would be attractive to mainstream production manufacturers.
The competition also now includes the Cutting Edge division, formerly a separate contest. Entries in this division are judged in six lapidary arts categories: Classic gemstone, Faceting, Carving, Combination, Pairs and Suites, and Objects of Art.
The Platinum Honors division is jointly sponsored by AGTA and the Platinum Guild International. For coverage of that division, see the March issue.
Awards will be presented at a dinner dance during the AGTA GemFair this month in Tucson, AZ.
Judges for the Spectrum Awards were Alan Revere of the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, San Francisco, CA; Jeff Johnson of Johnson Family’s Diamond Cellar, Dublin, OH; Michael Dyber, a design instructor at the Gemological Institute of America, Carlsbad, CA. For information on next year’s competitions, contact AGTA, Dallas, TX; (800) 872-1162 or (214) 742-4367, fax (214) 742-7334.
Pictured: Left: Noble Tanzanite (second from top), Right: Royal Tanzanite (second from top)