AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards
The world’s finest jewelry and colored gemstone competition.
2023 Judges
The AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards is considered the finest jewelry and gemstone competition in the world. The judging panel changes each year and consists of experts from different disciplines within the jewelry industry. Entries are judged on a solid criterion which includes overall beauty and wearability, innovative design, effective use of materials, quality of gemstones, quality of workmanship, broad-base consumer appeal and potential to generate positive publicity for natural colored gemstones. Each piece is examined by hand with an eye for craftsmanship and quality of the materials used.
Judging will take place in Dallas in late October. Judges for this year include:
2023 Judges
The AGTA Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards is considered the finest jewelry and gemstone competition in the world. The judging panel changes each year and consists of experts from different disciplines within the jewelry industry. Entries are judged on a solid criterion which includes overall beauty and wearability, innovative design, effective use of materials, quality of gemstones, quality of workmanship, broad-base consumer appeal and potential to generate positive publicity for natural colored gemstones. Each piece is examined by hand with an eye for craftsmanship and quality of the materials used.
Judging will take place in Dallas in late October. Judges for this year include:
Allan Koo
A. Koo & Co.
Koo is the Owner of A. Koo & Co. and started his lapidary career in Hong Kong more than four decades ago. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1979 to advance his skills, learning from a master gem cutter name Frank Lani. Now based in New York City, Koo provides cutting, polishing, and repair services on precious gemstones to an international client base. Koo’s work is renowned for a signature style of freehand cuts and stands as a paragon of excellence in the lapidary world.
Brent Malgarin
Elegant Gems, Ltd.
Malgarin owns Elegant Gems, Ltd., a boutique jewelry store in Edmonds, Washington, with his wife. Malgarin’s passion for gemstones started in childhood, collecting and tumbling rocks found near a family cabin. He secured his graduate gemologist degree at GIA, afterwards returning to Seattle to work in retail and in wholesale. In the late 1980s, he made his way to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and from there added faceting skills to his résumé followed by several Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards.
Brent Malgarin
Elegant Gems, Ltd.
Malgarin owns Elegant Gems, Ltd., a boutique jewelry store in Edmonds, Washington, with his wife. Malgarin’s passion for gemstones started in childhood, collecting and tumbling rocks found near a family cabin. He secured his graduate gemologist degree at GIA, afterwards returning to Seattle to work in retail and in wholesale. In the late 1980s, he made his way to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show and from there added faceting skills to his résumé followed by several Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards.
Christina Gandia Gambale
Greenwich St. Jewelers
Gandia Gambale is Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer at Greenwich St. Jewelers in New York City. She and her sister took over the family-run business, founded by their parents in 1976, more than a decade ago. The store is a destination for jewelry collectors, offering expertly curated collections from independent designers as well as sought-after brands. Gandia Gambale is a graduate of Fordham University and has a graduate gemology degree from GIA. Under her direction, the store has received numerous industry accolades.
C. Clayton Bromberg
Underwood Jewelers
C. Clayton Bromberg is a sixth-generation jeweler and the President of Underwood’s Jewelers, with three locations in Florida—two in Jacksonville and one in Ponte Vedra Beach. Bromberg is a graduate of the University of Alabama, has a graduate gemology degree from the GIA, and is an American Gem Society (AGS) Registered Jeweler and Certified Gemologist. He has volunteered for many civic associations in and around Jacksonville, Fla., as well as serving jewelry industry organizations like AGS and Jewelers of America, among others.
C. Clayton Bromberg
Underwood Jewelers
C. Clayton Bromberg is a sixth-generation jeweler and the President of Underwood’s Jewelers, with three locations in Florida—two in Jacksonville and one in Ponte Vedra Beach. Bromberg is a graduate of the University of Alabama, has a graduate gemology degree from the GIA, and is an American Gem Society (AGS) Registered Jeweler and Certified Gemologist. He has volunteered for many civic associations in and around Jacksonville, Fla., as well as serving jewelry industry organizations like AGS and Jewelers of America, among others.
Lika Behar
Lika Behar Collection
Though Istanbul-born Behar was raised by a family in the jewelry business, she pursued advanced degrees in economics and political science and worked in apparel before returning to her roots. She debuted her eponymous jewelry collection in 2008. Her jewelry is handmade in Turkey and has an utterly ancient-world aesthetic —think sterling silver and 24K gold. Behar is based in New Jersey and has accumulated more than 50 design awards to date, including a Spectrum Award.
