Every year armchair designers and the real deal who labor hunched over a jeweler’s bench eagerly await the results of the annual AGTA Spectrum Awards competition. Sure the winning beauties are displayed at the next Tucson GemFair each year, but who wants to wait that long?

There was a bit of an upset at the last competition as far as most favored gemstones were concerned. Grabbing Best of Show and First Place Evening Wear was none other than the melancholy moonstone. We love em – those moody mellifluous stones most often polished en cabochon so as to lose none of their brooding luminosity.
Still it was a surprising turn in a competition where the sky’s the limit as far as pricey gems are concerned. Moonstone is not a big ticket item. Well, grandma said “Pretty is as pretty does” and there’s no denying that moonstone draws you in as if it’s going to whisper a secret in your ear.
Moonstone found favor in other categories as well, such as the bridal wear division where
Graduate Gemologist and Registered Master Valuer Diana Jarrett is also a member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers (NAJA). She’s a frequent lecturer at conferences and trade shows. Jarrett serves as Colored Stone Editor for Rapaport Diamond Report; with other works regularly appearing in trade and consumer publications. Contact her at info@dianajarrett.com or visit her website: www.dianajarrett.com.