The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA)  announced the winners of the 2023 AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards.This year’s competition took place Oct. 24–25 in Dallas, at the Omni Frisco Hotel at the Star.

There were two Best of Show winners at the 2023 AGTA Spectrum Awards. One was a spectacular 15.22 ct. black opal ring by Niveet Nagpal of Omi Privé; the other, representing the Cutting Edge category of loose gems and carvings, was a suite of four oval paraiba tourmalines totaling 31 cts. from Joseph Ambalu of Amba Gem Corp.

Entries to this year’s competition are 24% greater than last year, with a 28% increase in the Business/Day Wear category and a 26% increase in the Evening Wear category.

While there were—not surprisingly—many Sapphires and Sapphire jewels entered in the competition, other trends included Tourmaline, Garnet (including many tsavorite Garnet-accented pieces), enameled jewels, cabochon-cut gems, natural Pearls, and finished jewels with fantasy-cut or carved gems as focal points.

In the Spectrum division, extraordinary entries included an exceptional 5.34 ct. kite-shape Mahenge Spinel in the Business/Day Wear division and a massive two-piece platinum and 18K gold necklace with nearly 73 carats of Garnet in the Men’s division. In Cutting Edge, meanwhile, loose gems ranged from a 9.49 ct. peach Mahenge Malaya Garnet to a 10.42 ct. oval Portuguese-cut Rhodochrosite. There were also a number of green gems entered into both divisions of the competition this year.

One of the most talked-about pieces in the AGTA Spectrum competition was a necklace featuring various species of garnet that won the Best Use of Platinum and Color award.

“This year’s Awards are one of our best ever,” says CEO John W. Ford Sr., who has now been at the helm of AGTA for over a year. “We had an additional 100 entries this year over last, and many of them had stunning green and blue-green gems.”

Many of the winning pieces will be on display during the 2024 AGTA GemFair Tucson, Jan. 30–Feb. 4. 2024