Every year The American Gem Trade Association holds Spectrum, an annual colored gemstone design competition. This year, over 500 pieces of designer jewelry along with museum quality gemstones were received and since judging took place just a few days ago, I was one of the first to get a look at all the entries and winners. There were entries and winners in multiple jewelry categories including Daywear, Evening, Men’s, Classic, Bridal, along with standalone stones on display. It was truly astounding to see the amount of innovative designs in this year’s lineup — not to mention the gems, which included a 368.50 carat carved amethyst.
This year marked the 28th anniversary of the competition and the judges included master goldsmith Klaus Burgel, Sylvain Chervin of Carvin French, Cindy Edelstein of the Jewelers Resource Bureau, Patricia Faber of Aaron Faber Gallery, and Clay Zava of Zava Master Cuts. Here’s a look at some of the stand-out pieces.
