Bridal Wear

It was a first for Morin—a 16-time winner at Spectrum—and a first for the AGTA. His reaction? “I was pretty shocked because I certainly didn’t expect it,” he tells Jewellery Business. Morin—whose studio Gregore Joailliers is based in Santa Barbara, Calif.—also won first place in Objects of Art for a Japanese ‘Kokeshi’ sculpture.

Morin points to a fascination with Japanese culture as inspiration for several of his designs, including the plum blossom earrings that captured first place. He says bringing his sketch to life didn’t happen overnight.