Christina Penuel of Mark Loren Designs wins prestigious national jewelry award
The Floridant/10288255

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Floridant -- Christina "Crissy" Penuel, a jewelry designer at Mark Loren Designs, has been awarded first place for earrings entered in the Bridal Wear category in the 40^th annual 2024 American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) Spectrum & Cutting Edge Awards.

The competition took place Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 at the Omni Frisco Hotel at the Star in Dallas. For the competition, a panel of judges reviewed 375 entries to select winners in recognition of design excellence with colored gemstones and cultured pearls. Categories included Best of Show, Best Use of Color, Best Use of Pearl, Fashion Forward, Best Use of Platinum and Color, Bridal Wear, Business/Day Wear, Classical, Engagement Rings, Evening Wear, Men's Wear and Editor's Choice. Cutting Edge Awards were also made for cut, carved and mined gemstones.

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"Every year the quality of our entries continues to get better and better," says AGTA CEO John W. Ford Sr. "Overall, there are years' worth of 1st-, 2nd-, and 3rd-place winners here, so the judges did not have an easy time! Every piece is a winner."

Penuel's winning design was 14 karat yellow gold earrings featuring Yangtze pearls, accented by 3.04 carat total weight pink sapphires and .88 carat total weight amethyst.

"The earrings were originally inspired by a vintage lamp," Penuel said. "I have so much fun coming up with one-of-a-kind pieces. Mark Loren Designs is a very supportive creative environment, our whole team is amazing."

Penuel, who is a former art teacher with the Lee County School District for 10 years, joined Mark Loren Designs about four years ago after interning with the design team after her days teaching. She said it is not unusual for her to find inspiration all around her, including a dessert.

"These are the Oscars of the colored gem design industry and a prestigious honor that an experienced designer may be lucky to earn only a few times in their entire career," Mark Loren said. "Christina is a talented and creative designer, and we are so proud of her for this achievement!"

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Many of the winning pieces will be on display in February during the 2025 AGTA GemFair in Tucson, Arizona, and winners will be recognized at the AGTA Spectrum Gala on Feb. 8.

About Mark Loren Designs

Mark Loren Designs has won over a dozen international design awards for offering unique and rare gemstones, innovative diamond rings, exceptional engagement and wedding bands, and expert jewelry design and repair. All services are done on-site at the Fort Myers gallery, located at 13351 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers. Mark Loren Designs assures the finest one-of-a-kind sentimental jewelry pieces for lasting enjoyment. For more information, visit MarkLorenDesigns.com (http://www.marklorendesigns.com/).