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Rare Tourmalines Win Top AGTA Award
Aug 13, 2017 8:37 AM
By Rapaport News
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RAPAPORT... A pair of extremely rare neon blue
tourmalines took the top prize at the 2017 American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum Awards.
Mikola Kukharuk of New York-based gem house
Nomad’s won the Best of Show award for the pieces (pictured), which weighed 53.56 carats
in total. The design competition, which many see as the Oscars of the jewelry
and gem world, took place in New York earlier this month.
The Best Use of Color award went to Naomi
Sarna of Naomi Sarna Designs, for a pair of maple leaf earrings in 18- and 24-karat
yellow and 18-karat white gold, featuring multicolored diamonds, sapphires and
garnets.
Sarna also won in the Best Use of Pearls
category for a necklace of freshwater cultured pearls and sunstone beads, with white,
pink and green diamonds set in its 18-karat yellow gold and black rhodium clasp.
In the Bridal division, the winner was
Ricardo Basta of E. Eichberg for his 18-karat white gold and rhodium Double the
Love ring, featuring two heart-shaped stones — a 12.62-carat blue Zircon and a 0.75-carat
diamond — with diamond pavé.
The accolade for Best Use of Platinum and
Color went to Eddie Sakamoto of Somewhere in the Rainbow, for his platinum Dancing
Waves neck collar featuring a 57-carat aquamarine accented with 8 carats of
diamonds. The piece also took first place in the Evening Wear category.
Designer John Ford triumphed in two
categories, winning the Platinum Honors award in both the Evening Wear and the
Business/Day Wear divisions for, respectively, a pair of earrings and a
bracelet. Both were platinum pieces from his Lightning Ridge collection,
featuring black opals and diamonds.
The winner in the Classic Gemstone category
of the AGTA Cutting Edge Awards — which recognize outstanding stone polishers —
was David Nassi of 100% Natural for a 15.30-carat unheated Ceylon pink
sapphire.
AGTA CEO Douglas Hucker noted an increase
in the number of entries this year and praised the caliber of the contestants.
“It is evident that the entrants take this
competition very seriously and that the AGTA Spectrum Awards and the AGTA
Cutting Edge Awards continue to be the premier design competition in the world,”
he said. |
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Tags:
2017 American Gem Trade Association, AGTA Spectrum Award, awards, Jewelry, Mikola Kukharuk, new york, Nomad’s, Rapaport News, tourmaline
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