Celebrate creativity and color with a competition where trend meets craftsmanship.
Color has a way of changing how we see jewelry. It can set a mood, draw the eye, transform a classic design, or inspire an entirely new creative direction. Each year, Stuller’s Color of the Year identifies a color that we believe has the potential to influence jewelry design and merchandising — and now, we’re inviting the industry to interpret that color for themselves.
As part of a new collaboration with the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA®), Stuller is introducing the Stuller Color of the Year Award as part of the prestigious AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards. The new award gives designers and lapidaries an opportunity to put their own spin on Signature Red, Stuller’s 2026 Color of the Year, and demonstrate what’s possible when trend inspiration meets creative craftsmanship.
What Is the Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards?
For more than 40 years, the American Gem Trade Association has supported and promoted the colored gemstone industry, connecting members of the trade while advocating for the beauty, rarity and value of natural-colored gemstones. Its annual Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards have become a respected showcase for the artistry and innovation found throughout the industry.
“I believe participating in the Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards can change your life — not because I am now AGTA’s CEO, but because I once entered as a gemstone business owner. When I first competed, my emerging jewelry line received immediate national media exposure, even though I did not win. Over the next seven years, I won nine Spectrum Awards and one Cutting Edge Award, and I never looked back. I only wish I had started competing sooner.”
John Ford, AGTA Chief Executive Officer
The competition recognizes two distinct forms of gemstone artistry. The Spectrum Awards celebrate wearable jewelry designs that showcase the beauty of colored gemstones, while the Cutting Edge Awards recognize exceptional non-wearable gemstone designs and the lapidaries behind them.
Together, the awards shine a spotlight on more than the finished piece. They recognize the creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, and thoughtful design that go into bringing a gemstone from an idea to something extraordinary. They also give recognition to the people behind the work — the designers and lapidaries whose expertise and creative perspectives continue to push the possibilities of colored gemstones.
By partnering with AGTA on these awards, Stuller has an opportunity to celebrate that creativity while introducing a new avenue for designers and lapidaries to explore an emerging color direction.
Did You Know?
Stuller regularly participates in the Spectrum Awards, and we even documented that journey one year. Click here to see what it was like to plan, manufacture, and submit our entry into the 2024 Spectrum Awards.
Why Did Stuller and AGTA Collaborate on These Awards?
Stuller has long looked beyond the jewelry industry’s current landscape to identify the trends, materials, colors, and design ideas that can help jewelry professionals find their next opportunity. Our Color of the Year is one way we translate those observations into an accessible source of inspiration for designers, retailers, and other industry professionals.
That mission naturally aligns with AGTA’s commitment to supporting and advancing the colored gemstone industry. By bringing the two organizations together, the Stuller Color of the Year Award connects trend insight, gemstone expertise, and creative craftsmanship in one competition.
The goal isn’t simply to put a particular color in the spotlight. It’s to encourage the industry to explore what that color can become.
We hope to inspire
- Experimentation with colored gemstones by encouraging designers and lapidaries to look beyond the expected.
- New interpretations of familiar color palettes through unique combinations of gemstones, cuts, settings, and design elements.
- Greater appreciation for the range of gemstones that can contribute to a particular color trend.
- Designs that demonstrate the influence of color across an entire piece, rather than treating it as simply an accent.
Ultimately, the award is about giving creative professionals a starting point and seeing where they take it.
“Color plays a meaningful role in jewelry design and has long been a way Stuller helps the industry spot emerging trends. This award celebrates the creativity, craftsmanship, and passion behind colored gemstones, and we’re honored to support jewelers and designers through this new addition to the Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards.”
Morgan Waters, Stuller Vice President of Marketing
Meet Signature Red: Stuller’s 2026 Color of the Year
Stuller’s 2026 Color of the Year is Signature Red, a bold, expressive hue that balances timeless sophistication with modern energy.
Red has long carried powerful associations with passion, confidence, strength, and celebration. In jewelry, it can make a statement through the unmistakable presence of Ruby, add warmth through Garnet or Tourmaline, or take on an entirely different character through unexpected gemstones and design treatments.
But Signature Red isn’t about one specific gemstone or one exact shade. It’s an invitation to explore the broader possibilities within a color family and consider how hue, tone, saturation, material, and cut can influence a design.
Stuller’s Color of the Year looks at the cultural, fashion, and design influences shaping the market to identify colors with potential to resonate throughout the jewelry industry. Signature Red builds on that approach by providing a creative direction that designers and lapidaries can interpret in their own way.
How to Enter the Stuller Color of the Year Award
Ready to put Signature Red to work?
The Stuller Color of the Year Award will be presented as a part of the AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards. Entries will be judged blindly by representatives from Stuller, giving each eligible piece the opportunity to stand on its own merits. Judges will be looking at creative interpretations of using Signature Red in custom jewelry.
How to Enter
- Submit your piece to the AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards.
Create your entry with Signature Red in mind by using gemstones featuring shades of red. Then, enter it into the appropriate Spectrum or Cutting Ege competition. - Select the Stuller Color of the Year Award during registration.
When completing your entry, select the box indicating that you would like your piece to be considered for the Stuller Color of the Year Award.
That’s it! Your piece will be considered alongside other interpretations of Signature Red, giving you the opportunity to have your work recognized by both AGTA and Stuller.
A Color Is Only the Beginning
A color trend can provide inspiration, but it’s the people behind the jewelry who determine where the inspiration goes.
With the Stuller Color of the Year Award, we’re excited to see Signature Red interpreted through the distinct perspectives of designers and lapidaries across the industry. Maybe it will become an unexpected gemstone combination, a groundbreaking cut, a bold piece of jewelry, or an entirely new interpretation of what red can mean in jewelry.
Whatever form it takes, that’s the purpose of this collaboration: to give the industry a creative spark and celebrate the people who turn inspiration into something remarkable.
We can’t wait to see what you create.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Taylor Dizor
Staff Writer
Taylor holds degrees in Political Science and Communication from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as well as multiple certifications from GIA. His years in the wedding industry and love of fashion trends helps him write content for the on-trend and creative jeweler.