Lezlie Slavens of Luxe Fine Jewelry and Allen Kleiman of A. Kleiman & Co. took Best of Show honors in the 2026 Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards, the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) announced Oct. 26.
Slavens won Spectrum Best of Show for “Can’t Look Away,” a pendant centered on a 101.34 ct. Paraiba tourmaline carved as Medusa. The gemstone is accented with diamonds and tourmalines and suspended from a platinum necklace set with 27.21 cts. of diamonds.
Created in collaboration with Craig Slavens, Nancy Rice, David Palazyan, Arsen Melkumyan, and Garo Missaelin, “Can’t Look Away” also incorporates a magnet-activated LED light. It additionally took first place in the Spectrum Classical category.
Kleiman captured Cutting Edge Best of Show with a suite of 11 rainbow cabochon moonstones totaling 90.12 cts. The suite also took first place in the Cutting Edge Pairs & Suites category.
This year’s contest drew approximately 400 entries, a 21% increase from 2025, according to AGTA. Entries of finished jewelry by female designers rose 33%, while 16% of all submissions came from first-time entrants. Eight of those newcomers received awards.
Other major winners included Adam Neeley of Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry, whose titanium and 18k white gold “Trumpetta” earrings, featuring 67 cts. of green custom-cut tourmaline, won Best Use of Color, Editors’ Choice in Spectrum, and first place in business/day wear. Neeley’s garnet-set brooch, “The Flame Skimmer,” received the Fashion Forward award and first place in men’s wear.
Among other Spectrum winners: Niveet Nagpal of Omi Gems took first place in bridal wear with a platinum ring featuring a 5.32 ct. Paraiba tourmaline, while Shelby Lichtenstein of 30 | 90 Gems won the engagement rings category with a platinum ring centered on a 4.5 ct. blue emerald-cut zircon.
Joseph Dardashti won the evening wear category for the “Horus Egyptian Revival” bracelet, set with rubies, blue sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, and onyx.
On the loose-gem side, Joseph Ambalu of Amba Gem Corp. won the Classic Gemstones category with a 41.05 ct. unheated blue Ceylon sapphire, while Stephen M. Avery won Innovative Faceting with his “Museum Series Portrait #7,” comprising four minty peridots and a 3.21 ct. pink sapphire.
Keegan Reeves of International Gem Co., working with Chris Starnes and Jason Brim, won Phenomenal Gemstones with a 9.575 ct. color-change cobalt spinel from Tanzania.
AGTA said blue was the dominant color this year, appearing in gemstones ranging from sapphire and aquamarine to turquoise, zircon, and paraiba, and indicolite tourmalines. Mixed-gem combinations and red stones were additional trends.
Many of the winning pieces will be displayed at AGTA GemFair Tucson, which runs Jan. 31–Feb. 4, 2027. The Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards Gala is scheduled for Feb. 3 at the Tucson Convention Center.
The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.
Top: Best of Show, Spectrum + Classical winner—Lezlie Slavens, Luxe Fine Jewelry, in collaboration with Craig Slavens, Nancy Rice, David Palazyan, Arsen Melkumyan, and Garo Missaelin, “Can’t Look Away” pendant with 101.34 ct. Paraiba tourmaline carved as Medusa, with tourmaline and 2.32 cts. t.w. diamond accents, on a platinum and 27.21 cts. t.w. diamond necklace, illuminated by a magnet-activated LED light
(All photos by Jeff Mason Photography)
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