The competition, which took place October 22-23 in AGTA's hometown of Dallas, included more than 400 entries. Nearly 10% more than last year, according to officials.
Trend in the competition, shades of warm honey, yellow sapphires and a naturally stunning 4.03 ct deep yellow diamond. These golden gemstones won multiple awards.
The art deco inspired necklaces won the admiration of the editors and men's jewellery beyond the ordinary. Jewelers also showed their playful sides. With imaginative works such as a UFO ring accompanied by a handmade landing gear and a tractor beam.
Organizers say the Spectrum and Cutting Edge awards take hundreds of hours to assemble. But the reward is the joy of the winners.
AGTA board president Kimberly Collins of Kimberly Collins Colored Gems says she felt moved. She personally phoned the winners, succumbing to their excitement over the awards for their projects.
“So these awards are changing the lives of these people,” agrees John Ford, AGTA's new CEO. During his career at Lightning Ridge Collection by John Ford he has been the winner of 10 AGTA awards.
This year's judges were Susan Harrison of Jewelry Emporium, Derek Katzenbach of Katzenbach Designs, Sharon Khazzam, Carter Malouf and Mark Patterson.
Many more of these projects will be on display at AGTA GemFair Tucson, January 31 - February 5, 2023. The awards will be the highlight at the AGTA Spectrum Gala on February 4 at the Tucson Marriott University Park in Tucson, Arizona.
They will therefore judge the AGTA Spectrum Award entries on their overall beauty and usability. Furthermore for innovative design and effective use of materials and quality of gemstones. Also for quality of workmanship, broad consumer appeal. Finally for the potential to create positive publicity for natural colored gemstones.
The AGTA Cutting Edge Awards thus honour excellence and creativity in high-precision techniques. They further include natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls, embossing and other precious materials.
