Favorite Jewelry from the AGTA Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards
November 3, 2008

Last week, I viewed jewelry submissions to the American Gem Trade Association’s (AGTA) annual Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards. This year marked the venue’s 25th anniversary. For those unfamiliar with the Awards, they are an opportunity for big names and newcomers alike to demonstrate their talent in the design of colored gemstone jewelry and the unique and expert cutting of loose colored stones. 

Hundreds of entries are judged across 19 different categories, including Evening Wear, and judges come from all corners of industry—manufacturing, editorial, and lapidary. Nearly all of the submissions are beautiful and expertly crafted, but every year, I always walk away from the awards thinking that many of the pieces (including winning pieces) appeal to too-specific target niches and customers, even though the awards are supposed to be a showcase for innovative and saleable creations. This is my opinion, and I encourage others to weigh in on the topic.

 

Each year when I see all of the submissions versus what has been selected to receive top honors, I wonder how much salability factors into the judging process. For example, this year’s Best in Show piece—the most outstanding piece of jewelry from the entire body of submissions—is a carved, natural-color green Turquoise horse head pin. I certainly see the skill in crafting the piece, know the stone’s color is rare and that the artist, Frederic Sage, makes beautiful jewelry. But, I wonder about the limited appeal of such a specific piece and its designation as the ‘best’ in the entire show. I think that the best piece of the show should be one that has a more mainstream appeal, and that many people can easily envision themselves owning and wearing.

 

At any rate, I’ll detail my favorites from the event and why I think they should inspire delight, purchases, and interest in the designers who made them. Being a colored gemstone competition, I liked a number of the pieces for the way they showed off extraordinary stones. Incredible focus points don’t need complicated settings because the stones will command attention. Overall, I pick jewelry to highlight that is well-made, generally attractive (which is somewhat subjective, of course), and is interesting and unusual without being far-out, hard to understand, or intimidating. A circle of white gold on a chain is kind of boring, but an intricate gemstone likeness of a reptile might be too specific to appreciate by most. And since a jeweler’s goal is to sell and a collector’s aim is to garner compliments, the aesthetics we create are meaningful. 

All photos were taken by me at the press preview.

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I love these earrings because they are pearls (of course) and because the pair will punctuate a black cocktail dress with just the right dash of color. Cultured pearls with spinels, tourmalines, citrines, amethysts, and sapphires in 14k gold. Alejandra Solomone for Alejandra Jewels, www.alejandrajewels.com. 

 

 

WWD

August 3, 2009

 

Gems in Bloom: 2010 Spectrum Award Winners

By

Cheryl Kremkow

Published: October 26, 2009

http://cherylkremkow.com/jewelry-trends/gems-in-bloom-2010-spectrum-award-winners/

I just returned from the editor’s preview of the 2010 AGTA Spectrum Awards, the annual design competition honoring the best in colored gemstone and pearl designs. Spectrum is organized by the American Gem Trade Association, the not-for-profit trade association for the gemstone industry.

I love the Spectrum competition because AGTA invited the media to see all the pieces that are in competition, not just the winners.  Every year I discover a few not-to-be-missed styles that didn’t win.

This year’s collection was particularly dazzling due to the quality of the gems in the pieces. It was also notable for the amazing display of work by one single designer, James Currens, who had two pieces that tied for Best of Show: a platinum and silver ring featuring a 15.58 pear-shaped moonstone, one of the best moonstones I have ever seen, surrounded by pave color-change garnets, and an leaf brooch set with 66 carats of emeralds and 17 carats of rose cut and fancy diamonds in a butterfly poised over the emerald leaf.  Quite different designs but both executed in top-quality gems and exquisite workmanship.

Currens also had a stunning 17-carat emerald ring, a sugarloaf cabochon emerald ring, and a sugarloaf cabochon ruby and pave yellow-diamond ring, South Sea pearl earrings with en tremblant bees, and a pink spinel and orange spessartite garnet ring, all breathtaking.  Several rings had detailing and rosettes of gemstones set underneath the stone.  I would happily take any of them home but the ruby ring was the hardest to take off.

There were several noticeable trends among the Spectrum entries this year.  A bountiful crop of flower rings bloomed in every color.  Many styles featured cabochon and carved gemstones: some even channeling the lavish scale and styling of the jewels of the Mogul period.

If I had to pick only one color of the year it would be green. More styles than in the past featured emeralds. Many designs also featured blackened metal to accentuate vividly colored  gems.  A ring by Leon Mege set off the electric blue of Paraiba tourmalines with a setting of platinum and blackened silver.

Echoing the trend in the market, there were more bracelets than in past competitions too. I’ll post the professional photos when they are available but for you gem junkies out here, I took some images of a few of my favorite designs at the preview.

Subtle shades: Cortez pearl and fancy sapphire earrings by Alejandra Solomone