Antoinette Matlins at NY Fashion Conference

Color, Quality, Character

Jewels of the Red Family

This is an opportunity to gain new insights into recent developments in the jewelry arena ... and to meet one of the most respected gemologists in the industry, along with other leading experts. Be sure to introduce yourself to Antoinette—she genuinely enjoys meeting people who share her passion for this field! 

Discounted early registration (by November 7, 2011)	$250
After November 7, 2011	$350

For more information about the conference or how to register,
please visit the
Initiatives in Art and Culture’s website.

Antoinette Matlins, P.G., is an internationally respected gem and jewelry expert, author, and lecturer. Honored with the international Accredited Gemologists Association’s highest award for excellence in gemology, Ms. Matlins is the author of many books that are widely used throughout the world by consumers and professionals in the gem and jewelry field. Her books include:

Jewelry & Gems—The Buying Guide, 7th Edition: How to Buy Diamonds, Pearls, Colored Gemstones, Gold & Jewelry with Confidence and Knowledge (over 400,000 copies in print—the only book of its kind ever recommended by Consumer Reports)

Gem Identification Made Easy, 4th Edition: A Hands-On Guide to More Confident Buying & Selling

The Pearl Book, 4th Edition: The Definitive Buying Guide—How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Pearls

Colored Gemstones, 3rd Edition: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide—How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Sapphires, Emeralds, Rubies and Other Colored Gems with Confidence and Knowledge

Diamonds, 3rd Edition: The Antoinette Matlins Buying Guide—How to Select, Buy, Care for & Enjoy Diamonds with Confidence and Knowledge

Engagement & Wedding Rings, 3rd Edition: The Definitive Buying Guide for People in Love

Jewelry & Gems at Auction: The Definitive Guide to Buying & Selling at the Auction House & on Internet Auction Sites

Former gemology editor of National Jeweler magazine, Ms. Matlins’ articles and comments on buying and selling gems and jewelry and on gem investment have appeared in many national and international consumer and trade publications. She is also the author of the “Gemstones” chapter in the Encyclopedia of Investments, 2nd Edition.

Ms. Matlins has gained wide recognition as a dedicated consumer advocate. She has spearheaded the Accredited Gemologists Association’s nationwide campaign against gemstone investment telemarketing scams. A popular media guest, she has been seen on ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN, educating consumers about gems and jewelry and exposing fraud.

In addition to her educational work, Ms. Matlins is retained by clients worldwide to seek fine, rare, or unusual gems and jewels for acquisition.

Editors' Choice Award Winners Announced for 2012 AGTA Spectrum Awards™

Editors' Choice Award Winners Announced 

for 2012 AGTA Spectrum Awards™

The winners in the Editors’ Choice category of the 2012 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ competition have been announced by the American Gem Trade Association.


It's A Tie!!!  Manya Tessler of Manya & Roumen and Todd Reed of Todd Reed, Inc. emerged with the same number of votes after the ballots had been cast by over 70 editors and stylists who attended the AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Media Day.  

Manya Tessler’s piece was an 18K yellow gold ring featuring a carved black Jade fish accented with fire Opals.  Todd Reed’s piece was a Palladium and 22K yellow gold locket featuring blue Moonstones, grey Diamonds, blue Sapphires and white Diamonds opening to reveal a 76.03 ct. Moldavite Buddha.  Todd Reed’s piece also won Best of Show and is shown below.



The annual AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Media Day was held October 24 and featured all of the jewelry and gemstone entries.   Attendees included top fashion/accessory editors from the trade and consumer press, stylists and bloggers.  Publications represented included Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Robb Report, Brides, Lookbook, Accessories,  and many more.

This year's AGTA Spectrum Awards™ will be presented during the 2012 AGTA GemFair™ Tucson to be held January 31 – February 5 at the Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, Arizona. Winning entries will be displayed during the show and AGTA Spectrum Awards™ recipients will be recognized during the AGTA Dinner Dance and Awards Gala. The event starts at 7:00 pm Saturday, February 4. Tickets for the gala are $100 and cocktail attire is encouraged.



For further information on the 2012 AGTA GemFair™ Tucson or the AGTA Dinner Dance and Awards Gala, please call (800) 972-1162 or visit our website at www.agta.org.

The American Gem Trade Association is a not-for-profit Association serving the natural colored gemstone and cultured pearl industry since 1981. The AGTA serves the industry as "The Authority In Color" and has its headquarter office in Dallas, Texas.


AGTA - http:/www.agta.org/
AGTA GemFair - http://www.agta.org/tradeshows/gemfair-tucson.html

MJSA Welcomes ASTM Children's Jewelry Safety Standard

MJSA Welcomes ASTM - Children's Jewelry Safety Standard

New standard addresses cadmium limits in both fine and fashion jewelry

ASTM International, one of the largest standards setting organizations in the world, has voted to officially approve and issue a national Children's Jewelry Safety Standard. The standard includes strict limits on cadmium content in both fine and fashion jewelry intended primarily for use by children 12 and under. The standard calls for makers and suppliers to screen metal or plastic components of jewelry for the total weight of cadmium they contain. If the weight exceeds the trace amount of 300 parts per million (ppm), the standard calls for additional testing to measure how much cadmium can migrate out of a component.

 

[See background below, defining differences between total weight & migration testing.]

The additional migration testing was recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which participated in the ASTM F 15.24 Subcommittee on Children's Jewelry that developed the standard. Fashion Jewelry & Accessories Trade Association (FJATA) Executive Director Brent Cleaveland chaired the subcommittee, and MJSA, the U.S. trade association for jewelry makers and designers, also participated, along with other experts from the jewelry industry, testing labs, and consumers' rights groups.

"MJSA welcomes ASTM's approval of the Children's Jewelry Safety Standard," says MJSA President and CEO David W. Cochran. "The cadmium screening test protects children's safety, first and foremost, but it also addresses many other safety issues."

The staff of CPSC, in a recent briefing package, acknowledged the standard as including an appropriate measure for reducing children's risk of harm from exposure to cadmium in jewelry designed for them. Though the standard is voluntary, ASTM standards are often later cited in federal regulations.

In a press release welcoming the approval of the standard, Cleaveland announced that FJATA will be meeting with CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum and ASTM subcommittee members in December to address educational outreach. FJATA also plans to meet with state legislators to explain the standard's requirements and to promote harmonization with existing state laws. To date, five states have signed into law cadmium limits on children's jewelry, and the limits and testing requirements conflict from state to state.

If the ASTM Children's Jewelry Safety Standard were to become embedded in federal law, however, the limits and tests for cadmium within it would likely pre-empt the state laws, eliminating what has become a confusing patchwork of regulation. Jewelry makers and suppliers already testing children's jewelry for total-weight lead content, as per the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, could then easily incorporate the cadmium requirements into their procedures at little extra cost or time, according to labs that currently perform these tests.

The CPSC has been independently studying the issue of cadmium in children's jewelry since aJanuary 2010 Associated Press report brought the topic to its attention. The Commission announced five recalls of children's jewelry due to cadmium content during 2010, and has been considering the issue of exactly what trace amounts of cadmium are safe in children's jewelry ever since. InSeptember 2011, the CPSC commissioners voted to direct its staff to begin drafting a proposed rule restricting cadmium, especially in children's metal jewelry, unless a voluntary standard for cadmium in children's jewelry was published by ASTM within three months after September 16, 2011. Since the voluntary standard has now been published, the CPSC staff will begin to assess whether there is substantial compliance within the industry.

For more information and background on the issue of cadmium in children's jewelry, MJSA has published a Guide to Cadmium in Jewelry, available online to its members in the Public Affairs area at mjsa.org.

[differences between total weight and migration testing - defined]

Total content testing determines the total amount of metals found in jewelry, and is accomplished by destroying the object and weighing its individual elements. This is the kind of test that the CPSC requires companies use when measuring trace amounts of lead in children's jewelry, as required by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008.

Migratable content testing calls for a digestive acid simulation test that determines the amount that a metal (such as cadmium) can "migrate" or leach out of a product sample over a specified time period, when immersed in a strong solution. The solution is meant to mimic a child's stomach acids, should he or she suck on or swallow a piece of jewelry.

About MJSA 

MJSA is the U.S. trade association for jewelry makers, designers, and related suppliers. It provides the resources to achieve professional excellence and maintain a competitive edge. For more information, call MJSA at 1-800-444-6572 or visit www.mjsa.org.

2011-2012 IPDC Int'l Pearl Design Contest - Winners Announced!

The Cultured Pearl Association of America announces 

Winners of the 2011-2012 IPDC, International Pearl Design Contest

Francis Mastoloni, President of the Cultured Pearl Association of America, Inc. was proud to announce the winners of CPAA’S 2011-2012 International Design competition from the organizations' headquarters in Providence, Rhode Island. 

“We are very happy with the success of this year’s competition. Winners were chosen from a field of 94 entries from 11 countries.” Mr. Mastoloni reported.

President’s Trophy:  

The highest honor awarded to a design that unanimously captivated judges as the best of the best.

Winner - there was a Tie between: 

“Inspiration” by Joel Greene of Bristol, RI (pictured above) and 

“Shades of Paradise” by Jorge Adeler, Adeler Jewelers, Great Falls,  VA
(Jorge Adeler 's "Shades of Paradise" received the Brilliance Award see photo below) 

Luster Award:

Awarded to the entry that is judged “most marketable” of all the entries in the competition. This design will have the most overall appeal for the retail marketplace.

Winner - “Swirl Earrings with Pearls” Barbara Heinrich
Barbara Heinrich Studio of Pittsford , NY 

Designer’s Award: 

Goes to the entry that takes pearls to the far corners of the imagination and beyond.

Winner - “Telepathy”, Anita Dickey, 
Simplicity, Dallas , TX

Brilliance Award: 

Given to the entry that best illustrates the spectrum of pearl colors in the most beautiful way.

Winner - “Shades of Paradise” by Jorge Adeler
Adeler Jewelers, Great Falls, VA 

Orient Award:

The award given to the entry that would inspire a new found affinity in someone for cultured pearls.

Winner - “Simply Natural” by Jorge Adeler 
Adeler Jewelers, Great Falls , VA 

The Visionary Award: 

This entry re-defines the iconic pearl strand and shifts the perception of cultured pearls for today’s buyer.

Winner - “Queen Beads” Chi Huynh 
Galatea: Jewelry by Artist of San Dimas , California

The Fashion Award:

Fun, fresh, modern. A design which looks as if it came straight from the Paris runway.

Winner - “Zinnia Ring with Pearl ” Barbara Heinrich
Barbara Heinrich Studio of Pittsford , NY 

Wedding Day Pearls: 

 Brides and pearls are synonymous.  Create a “fantasy wedding” theme with pearls.

Winner - “Endless Joy” By Francis Morris, 
Francis Morris Designs of Burlingame, CA 
(contact info was not available)

Commendations were also given to 18 entries which demonstrated high standards of achievement, in accordance with the judging criteria. These can be viewed at Commendation winners

Winners receive a certificate, international publicity in CPAA partner publications, blogs, and websites, as well as exposure in the CPAA booth at the American Gem Trade Association Tucson GemFair 2012 and JCK Las Vegas.

The Judging Panel this year was:  Denise O'Donoghue from Brides, Robert Bentley of Robert Bentley Company, Cartier designer Jean Francois Bibet and Jennifer Heebner, Sr. Editor, JCK

Entries were received from 11 Countries - Making the 2011-2102 edition of the IPDC truly International in scope. 

The Cultured Pearl Association of America, Inc is a non profit group founded in 1957, comprised of the finest manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and suppliers of Cultured Pearls in the United States .

Our intention is to "cultivate" awareness, interest, demand and successful marketability of Cultured Pearls for the retail community and the consumer level. Through promotion, education, public relations and unwavering commitment we aim to inspire an authentic passion for all Cultured Pearl varieties.