The American Gem Trade Association, Dallas, is calling for entries for the 2004 AGTA Spectrum Awards competition. Entry deadline is September 22.

The Spectrum Awards, celebrating its 20th year of excellence, strives to encourage and highlight designers and lapidaries as well as increase interest in colored gemstones and cultured pearls. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the AGTA will hold the competition in New York during the month of October. Awards are presented in the following categories:

Spectrum Awards – honoring the creative use of natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls in well-executed and original jewelry designs.

Manufacturing Honors – recognizing outstanding use of colored gemstones and cultured pearls in jewelry appropriate to be manufactured in production quantities. All designs that qualify for judging in the Spectrum Awards competition will also automatically be qualified for “Manufacturing Honors” judging.

PGI Platinum Honors – honoring innovative jewelry designs incorporating a minimum of 75% of the designs metal(s) in either 90% or 95% platinum. The design may also incorporate gold accents. Entries meeting these requirements will automatically be qualified for “Platinum Honors” judging by the Platinum Guild International USA.

Cutting Edge Awards – recognize excellence and creativity in the production of loose, natural colored gemstones and cultured pearls, carvings, other gem materials and objects of art in North America.

For detailed instructions and entry information, go to the AGTA Web site: www.agta.org. Entry forms are available by contacting the AGTA at 800-972-1162; email, info@agta.org.

JCK