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Familiar Names Among 2014 Spectrum Award Winners Announced This Week | October 22, 2013 (0 comments)
Dallas, TX—The American Gem Trade Association’s 30th annual Spectrum Awards competition has closed and the winners were announced Monday in New York City. "Best of Show" went to James Currens, J.W. Currens Inc., a previous multiple-time winner. His entry this year was a ring titled “Tropical Storm," left, featuring a 22.10 ct. emerald set in platinum with a swirl of diamonds, 11.47 ctw. (Image: Sandro Art + Photography).
Erica Courtney, a multiple-time past winner, took home five awards in the 2014 competition. She won Best Use of Color, second place in Bridal Wear and Business/Day Wear, third place in Men’s Wear, and the Gem Diva Award in the Classical category.
Mark Patterson won an honorable mention in the “Classical” category, and Annie Fensterstock won the Gem Diva Award in Business/Day wear, sponsored by Women’s Jewelry Association. John Ford of John Ford Jewelers won the Platinum Honors award in the classical category, and Jeffrey Bilgore won third place in the Classic Gemstones category of the companion “Cutting Edge” competition, which focuses on gem, carving, and lapidary skills rather than finished jewelry.
To read the complete list of winners in all categories, click here.
Erica Courtney's "Best Use of Color" award was presented for these 18k yellow gold earrings feature boulder opals (22.84 ctw) and fire opals (2.62 ctw), accented with orange sapphires (1.75 ctw) and Paraiba tourmalines (.70 ctw). Image: Sandro Art + Photography
Judges for the 2014 competition were retailer Jennifer McCurry from Marissa Collections; fashion and beauty editor Jennie Ma from The Knot; jewelry designer Barbara Heinrich from Barbara Heinrich Studio; lapidarist John Hatleberg, and manufacturer Jose Hess.
The entries were judged on the basis of overall beauty and wearability, innovative design, effective use of materials, quality of gemstones and workmanship, broad-base consumer appeal, and potential to generate positive publicity for natural colored gemstones. All designs that qualified for the Spectrum Awards competition were considered for Manufacturing Honors, which celebrates outstanding use of colored gemstones and cultured pearls in jewelry appropriate to be manufactured in production quantities. Fashion Forward Honors recognizes the outstanding use of colored gemstone and/or cultured pearl in artful, trend-setting jewelry. All necklaces, earrings, bracelets or other jewelry that qualified for judging in the AGTA Spectrum Awards competition overall also automatically qualified for Fashion Forward Honors judging.
Sponsored categories this year included Bridal Wear, sponsored by The Knot, the competition’s newest sponsor. Engagement rings, wedding bands, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and tiaras were considered. Platinum Honors were once again awarded with the support of Platinum Guild International. All entries whose primary metal was platinum were eligible in this category.
The Women’s Jewelry Association-sponsored Gem Diva Award, in its second year, was presented in the Bridal Wear, Evening Wear, Classical and Business/Day Wear categories. All women who entered the Spectrum Awards competition were eligible for this category simply by marking the box for Gem Diva on their entry form.
The awards will be presented during the 2014 AGTA GemFair in Tucson, AZ. Winning entries will be displayed during the show and the awards gala will be Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $100; cocktail attire is encouraged. For more information, click here or call (800) 972-1162. For information about the competition overall, contact Danielle Pelletiere, Danielle@agta.org.