Southern Jewelry News

(DALLAS) - The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) is pleased to announce the addition of Palladium Prestige Awards™ for the 2012 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ jewelry design competition. Palladium Prestige Awards™ will recognize excellence in jewelry design using palladium as the featured metal.

“We are excited about introducing these new awards for designers who use palladium,” stated Douglas K. Hucker, AGTA CEO. “We had some prominent pieces created in palladium, including Best of Show by Todd Reed and First Place in Evening wear by Cynthia Zava, take top honors in last year’s competition and believe that this will only encourage more designers to enter their work in palladium.”

The Palladium Alliance International (PAI) will judge the pieces within the five current AGTA Spectrum Awards™ categories of Bridal, Classical, Business/Day Wear, Evening Wear and Men’s Wear, then choose a Best Use of Palladium and Color award. In order to be eligible for a Palladium Prestige Award™, the piece must be 950 or better quality and must make up at least 90% of the metal used in the piece.

“As the use of rare, luxurious palladium in fine jewelry design becomes more prevalent, we are honored to have the opportunity to acknowledge the work of skilled artisans and feel the AGTA Spectrum Awards™ provide an ideal platform for recognizing the work of skilled designers. We look forward with great anticipation to reviewing submissions of palladium designs,” stated John Stark, chairman of Palladium Alliance International.

The AGTA Spectrum Awards™ is one of the most prestigious jewelry design and lapidary competitions in the world. For almost thirty years, the Spectrum Awards have been the benchmark for the industry’s leading designers to measure themselves against each other. Awards will be presented in Tucson, AZ, on February 4, 2012, at the Spectrum Awards Gala during the AGTA GemFair™. Entry forms and information can be found at www.agta.org/awards.

The American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) is an association of American and Canadian trade professionals dedicated to promoting the long-term stability and integrity of the natural colored gemstone and cultured pearl industries. The Association pursues its goals through the combined use of educational programs, publicity, industry events, government and industry relations.

Palladium Alliance International (PAI) is the world’s first organization dedicated to promoting palladium as a luxurious and distinct jewelry metal. PAI is committed to building awareness and providing a vision in the advancement of palladium backed by industry-leading education, marketing, public relations and technical support.

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