Jeffrey Bilgore is both a prominent gem dealer and an award-winning jewelry designer, and at his AGTA booth we found examples of exotic gems and exquisite jewelry. Among these was one of the most notable cobalt spinel gems we have encountered (figure 1). Displayed between two similarly sized blue sapphires, the unheated spinel was almost indistinguishable from them. A stunning fire opal and Russian demantoid garnet pin with tsavorite garnets and yellow diamonds (figure 2) also caught our attention, a testament to the artistry of Bilgore’s work.
Jennifer Stone-Sundberg is a research scientist at GIA in New York, and a technical editor of Gems & Gemology.
Jeffrey Bilgore is both a prominent gem dealer and an award-winning jewelry designer, and at his AGTA booth we found examples of exotic gems and exquisite jewelry. Among these was one of the most notable cobalt spinel gems we have encountered (figure 1). Displayed between two similarly sized blue sapphires, the unheated spinel was almost indistinguishable from them. A stunning fire opal and Russian demantoid garnet pin with tsavorite garnets and yellow diamonds (figure 2) also caught our attention, a testament to the artistry of Bilgore’s work.
Jennifer Stone-Sundberg is a research scientist at GIA in New York, and a technical editor of Gems & Gemology.