By Cheryl KremkowPublished: November 12, 2009Posted in: Jewelry Trends

Baroque pearl necklace by Katy Briscoe with carved sapphires and diamonds
The Spectrum Award competition featured a lot of great designs this year. The winning designs are breathtaking, to be sure. But every year I see a lot of wonderful designs that didn’t win. This year, among all the great colorful gemstone designs there were a lot of spectacular pearl pieces. Baroque shapes, amazing rare colors, and spectacularly large pearls were featured in very creative ways. These styles really demonstrate the amazing variety of pearls available today.

Carved bone, 18k rose gold, and South Sea pearl pin by Katey Brunini

Octopus necklace with fancy color diamonds and South Sea pearls by Victor Velyan

Gems accent pearls in pendants by Angela Conty, left, and Llyn L. Strelau

Flower brooch with keshi pearls, peridot, sapphires, and diamonds by Rex McClure

Dragonfly brooch with freshwater, oyster, and abalone pearls by Jennifer Rabe Morin

Colorful pearls in earrings by Graham Edney, left, and Samuel Getz

Freshwater pearl, 18k gold and bakelite cuff by Susan Sadler
Tags: AGTA, Pearls, Spectrum Awards
About the Author

Cheryl Kremkow, the director of Citrine Media, has been writing about gems and jewelry for more than 25 years. Her experience includes eight years as editor-in-chief of Modern Jeweler magazine.