Here Are the 2021 Spectrum Award Winners
After a few years of loose stones taking top honors, the “Best Of” award went to a finished jewel this year.

The organization held the competition on Oct. 23 and 24 in Dallas, with the following judges choosing the winning designs: Judy Evans, Judy Evans Design Studio; Amber Gustafson, Amber’s Designs Fine Jewelry; Tony Logan, Jay Dean Winchester; Kelly Mitchell, Kelly Mitchell Fine Jewelry; and Matthew Trent, Matthew Trent.
The full list of winners is below.
“Best of” Awards
Best of Show: Adam Neeley (Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry)
Best Use of Color: Adam Neeley (Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry)
Best Use of Pearls: Michael Tope (Raintree LLC)
Fashion Forward: Stanislav Petrov (Stanislav Petrov Inc.)
Best of Single Entries—Cutting Edge: Misael Angel Rodriguez (Gem Arts International)
Best of Single Entries—Spectrum: Scott Keating (Somewhere In The Rainbow)
Best Use of Platinum and Color: Llyn Strelau (Somewhere In The Rainbow)
Best Use of Platinum Crown: Lindsay Jane Chatham (K. Jons Jewelry Co.)
See: The Competition’s “Best Of” Winners
Bridal Wear
First Place and Platinum Honors: Suna Bros. (Suna Bros.)
Second Place: Susan Helmich (Somewhere In The Rainbow)
Third Place and Manufacturing Honors: Nikki Swift (Nicole Mera LLC)
Honorable Mention: Niveet Nagpal (Omi Prive)
Honorable Mention: Benjamin Javaheri (Uneek Jewelry)
Platinum Innovation: Michael Endlich (Pave Fine Jewelry)
WJA Gem Diva: Sherry Bender (The Goldsmith Ltd. of Chicago)
Business/Day Wear
First Place: Niveet Nagpal (Omi Prive)
Second Place: Stanislav Petrov (Stanislav Petrov Inc.)
Third Place: Llyn Strelau (Somewhere In The Rainbow)
Honorable Mention: Robin Callahan (Robin Callahan Designs LLC)
Manufacturing Honors: Timothy Foster (T. Foster & Company)
Platinum Honors and Platinum Innovation: Michael Endlich (Pave Fine Jewelry)
WJA Gem Diva: Rosa Van Parys (Rosa Van Parys Jewelry)
Classical
First Place: Llyn Strelau (Jewels by Design)
Second Place: Raja Mehta (A G Gems & Jewelry Inc.)
Third Place: Niveet Nagpal (Omi Prive)
Honorable Mention: Joseph Murawski (Joden World Resources LLC)
Platinum Honors: Craig Slavens (Luxe Fine Jewelry)
WJA Gem Diva: Beatrix Laura Jessner (B & W Jewels LLC)
See: The Spectrum First Place Winners
Evening Wear
First Place: Adam Neeley (Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry)
Second Place: Leon Mege (Leon Mege Inc.)
Third Place: Scott Keating (Somewhere In The Rainbow)
Honorable Mention: Paula Crevoshay (Mellika Inc.)
Honorable Mention: Tariq Riaz (Tariq Riaz LLC)
Manufacturing Honors: Tariq Riaz (Tariq Riaz LLC)
Platinum Honors: Robert Glenn (Geogem-USA)
WJA Gem Diva: Caroline Chartouni (Caroline C)
Men’s Wear
First Place: Rodney Rahmani (Brilliant Stars)
Second Place: Michael Endlich (Pave Fine Jewelry)
Third Place: Gaston Rives (Gaston Jewelry Studio Inc.)
Honorable Mention: Robert Pelliccia (J.R. Dunn Jewelers)
Manufacturing Honors: Llyn Strelau (Jewels by Design)
Platinum Honors: Lindsay Jane Chatham (K. Jons Jewelry Co.)
The winners of the AGTA Cutting Edge Awards, which recognize excellence in lapidary arts, are as follows.
Classic Gemstones
First Place: Allen Kleiman (A. Kleiman & Co.)
Second Place: Joseph Ambalu (Amba Gem Corp.)
Third Place: Allen Kleiman (A. Kleiman & Co.)
All Other Cut Gemstones
First Place: Sailesh Lakhi (Sparkles and Colors USA Inc.)
Second Place: David Nassi (100% Natural Ltd.)
Third Place: Joseph Ambalu (Amba Gem Corp.)
Honorable Mention: Kenneth Blount (100% Natural Ltd.)
Carving
First Place: Larry Woods (Gem Arts International)
Second Place: Desmond Chan (Gem Arts International)
Third Place: Meg Berry (Megagem)
Honorable Mention: Yanqing Zhang Asdurian (Yanqing Asdurian)
Innovative Faceting
First Place: Larry Woods (Gem Arts International)
Second Place: Brett Kosnar (Dudley Blauwet Gems)
Third Place: Dalan Hargrave (Robin Callahan Designs LLC)
Honorable Mention: John Burleyson (GemRite)
See: The Cutting Edge First Place Winners
North American Mined Gemstones
First Place: Brad Payne (Somewhere In The Rainbow)
Second Place: Derek Katzenbach (Katzenbach Designs)
Third Place: Joyce Wang (Obsessed Over Gems)
Honorable Mention: Dalan Hargrave (Robin Callahan Designs LLC)
Objects of Art
First Place: Yanqing Zhang Asdurian (Yanqing Asdurian)
Second Place: Christopher Wolfsberg (Christopher Wolfsberg)
Third Place: Sharon Khazzam (Sharon Khazzam Studio)
Honorable Mention: Dalan Hargrave (GemStarz Jewelry)
Pairs and Suites
First Place: Hemant Phophaliya (A G Color Inc.)
Second Place: Bryan Lichtenstein (3090 Gems LLC)
Third Place: Adam Neeley (Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry)
Honorable Mention: Joseph Ambalu (Amba Gem Corp.)
Honorable Mention: Hemant Phophaliya (A G Color Inc.)
Phenomenal
First Place: Misael Angel Rodriguez (Gem Arts International)
Second Place: David Nassi (100% Natural Ltd.)
Third Place: Brett Kosnar (Dudley Blauwet Gems)
The winning pieces will be showcased at the 2022 AGTA GemFair Tucson event, scheduled for Feb. 1-6 at the Tucson Convention Center.
The Latest

High-end fashion houses know how to emotionally connect with customers online. Retail jewelers should take note, Emmanuel Raheb writes.

Buying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.

The trade show’s education series returns, with sessions on retail trends, AI, watches, marketing, corporate responsibility, and more.

As gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.

The Curated Designer Project has expanded to highlight eight independent jewelry designers during CBG’s Las Vegas show.


Bring a cool tone to your summer jewelry with these white metal pieces.

The deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.

The “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.

The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.

Everett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.

Fourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.

The new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.

The addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.

The NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.

Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.

The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.

Former Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.

The $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.

With gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.

Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.

The “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.

The jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.

This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.




























