A Vision in Motion: Stuller's 2024 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards Journey
Part 1: The Competition
The AGTA® Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards
Setting the Gold Standard for Gemstone Artistry
Since 1984, the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards have set the benchmark for design excellence in colored gemstones and cultured pearls. More than a showcase of beauty, the annual competition helps shape trends, supports emerging and established designers, and highlights the creativity driving the industry forward. For Stuller’s Product Design and Development team, this competition represents an opportunity to contribute to that conversation with ways to explore new ideas, challenge our craft and celebrate the artistry and talent that defines our work.
Winning an AGTA award is a mark of achievement and a reflection of exceptional craftsmanship. Throughout the submission and judging process, honorees gain visibility through trade publications, consumer press, and a prominent showcase at the AGTA GemFair in Tucson, Arizona. This exposure helps designers and companies reach wider audiences and strengthen their presence in the market, including the work created by our own designers here at Stuller.
Each year, five experts from across the gemstone industry are selected to evaluate entries. The panel reviews each piece for quality, craftsmanship, and how the design contributes to the broader appreciation of colored gemstones and cultured pearls. For our team, this judging process offers valuable insight into how our work resonates within the broader jewelry community and how our approach to design aligns with the standards shaping the industry.
The competition is open to designers across the United States and Canada, with strict guidelines that require original, finished pieces featuring natural gemstones. These parameters challenge our team to think creatively within clear boundaries — a balance that reflects the discipline and innovation at the core of Stuller’s design philosophy.
The AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards remain a catalyst for innovation and a celebration of artistry across the industry. By recognizing outstanding talent, the competition helps set the standard for design excellence and inspires designers throughout the trade, including our own team here at Stuller. This series follows that journey, offering a behind‑the‑scenes look at how our designers bring a one‑of‑a‑kind piece from concept to completion.
“… to win signifies that a designer is among the best in the industry…”
-Lauren McLemore
Insights From the 2024 Judges and Editors
Reflecting on our 2024 AGTA entry also means reflecting on the perspectives of those who evaluated it. The judges and editors offered insights that speak to the heart of jewelry design, and their observations help us better understand how our designs contribute to the larger industry conversation with emerging trends. We spoke with several editors and industry leaders who participated in the judging process, and asked the following questions.
What is the significance of this competition within the jewelry community and its impact on the industry as a whole?
What are stand-out characteristics you noticed in this year’s submissions?
Jennifer Heebner
Jewelry Journalist
Editor in Chief, AGTA Prism Magazine
“…entries are an indicator of jewelry and material trends for the coming year.”
The AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards are unique in the industry for the volume of entries — nearly 400 each year — as well as the expertise of the judges and the quality of [the work submitted]. You see pieces and lesser-known gemstones, such as Dumortierite, that are rarely seen anywhere else. Plus, entries are an indicator of jewelry and material trends for the coming year. Recognition in this competition can help launch careers and drive sales.
Trends included an abundance of pink gemstones, Tourmaline in a wide range of colors, oval-shaped stones, fantasy-cut center stones, and versatile or convertible designs.
Amy Elliott
Contributing Writer/Editor
JCK Magazine
The event is a celebration of color on many levels — the colors themselves as well as the many beautifully cut stones that display them. [Spectrum] is full of under-the-radar, unsung talent operating at a high level of skill and ingenuity. It’s a great source for discovering new artists and talent, and one-of-a-kind [pieces] that the most adventurous collector will appreciate.
Large, jumbo-sized stones and a remarkable concentration of green gemstones across all varieties are what I remember most. The awards also highlight extraordinary lapidary skill, including carved gemstones and fantasy cuts.
Lauren McLemore
Associate Editor
Gemstones, National Jeweler
[To win] signifies that a designer is among the best in the industry, and the possibility of earning that recognition continues to motivate both new and established artists to push the limits of their creativity and refine their craft.
I saw tons of color, of course, but it was exciting to see designers opt for innovating pairings, from unexpected combinations to pieces that blended pearls and gemstones seamlessly, and several transformable designs. Brooches doubled as pendants, rings shifted shape or offered alternate settings, and earrings transitioned from studs to drops.
Jenny Luker
President
Platinum Guild International (PGI), USA
“…it denotes the best in craftsmanship, innovation, and creativity."
When looking at winning designs, we are most interested in the metal, and how platinum is used to enhance the gemstones. Platinum [complements] colored stones as it does not cast color and holds them securely.
The AGTA Spectrum Awards provide an opportunity to showcase the artistry and creativity of the industry. Winners [of the Spectrum and Platinum Honors Awards] proudly present their winning pieces for years after winning as it denotes the best in craftsmanship, innovation, and creativity. PGI has been a supporter [of the awards] for more than a decade as we believe in the importance of fine jewelry featuring gemstones and platinum — a perfect pairing.
