A colourful engagement ring come back

As coloured gems and diamonds return to captivate the hearts of brides-to-be across the country Wedding Journal asks if the white diamond engagement ring has had its day?

When Prince William used his mother Diana's dazzling oval blue 18-carat sapphire and diamond engagement ring to propose to Kate Middleton back in November, sales of a similar-looking band rocketed by 800 per cent overnight and jewellers everywhere prepared themselves for a coloured stone engagement ring buying frenzy.

Suddenly white was out and colour was in. Did Kate start a new trend? Possibly not, the tide was already starting to turn with celebrities such as Penelope Cruz, Jennifer Lopez and Carrie Underwood choosing engagement rings with a signature gemstone or coloured diamond as their centrepiece.

So when it comes to sparkling coloured jewels, what are the options?

Gemstones

Also known as birthstones, gemstones are growing in popularity as an alternative to diamond engagement rings. Available in nearly every colour under the rainbow, your choice of gemstone allows you to express your individual taste and personality.

The term 'gemstone' covers a variety of precious and semi-precious stones, some of which are more suitable for use in an engagement ring than others. The most popular choice for engagement rings include sapphire, peridot, ruby, emerald and amethyst.

Shopping for a gemstone isn't a precision science as unlike diamonds they aren't subject to a uniform colour grading system. However, there are still certain qualities that you should look out for in your chosen stone:

• Check the colour saturation is even throughout
• Look for stones which are eye-clean, i.e. with no inclusions visible
• Ask whether the stone has undergone under any treatments or enhancements
• The beauty of a stone often lies in its cut. A well-cut gem would reflect light back in a way that enhances the hue of the stone
• Be aware that gemstones are sold on a per-carat basis, so the size of the stone depends much on carat weight.

Five of the best gemstones

1. Sapphire

Sapphires come in every colour, from blue, to pink and green, with the exception of red, which is classified as a ruby. The birthstone for September, they are considered to be the jewel of wisdom, truth, beauty and clarity.

Sapphires are extremely hard, second only to diamonds and have long been associated with love and romance. Sapphires shot to fame when Princess Diana choose a stunning 12 carat oval cut ceylon sapphire surrounded by 18 diamonds as her engagement ring to Prince Charles and sales of Sapphire rings have gone through the roof following Prince Williams proposal to Kate using the same ring. The next big thing? We think so...

2. Ruby

If you are born in July ruby is your special birthstone, but its association with love and passion has given it universal appeal as an engagement ring stone.

Varying in intensity from a pink to a blood red hue, the name ruby means red in Latin. Prices of rubies are primarily determined by colour. The deeper the red, the more it's worth. The brightest and most valuable shade is called 'pigeon blood-red'. After colour the value of the stone will be rated on clairty, cut and carat. Another favourite with Royalty, Sarah Ferguson received a 'pigeon blood' ruby ring when she became engaged to Prince Andrew, the duke of York, in 1986.

3. Peridot

Not to be mistaken for an emerald, a peridot is a clear olive-green gemstone. The Romans called it the 'emerald of the evening' and admired the stone for its constant colour, which does not change in artificial light. The most valuable peridots are those with the richest green colour, lending to gold – colouring that is caused by the traces amounts of iron that colour the gemstone.

4. Emerald

This highly valued gemstone has a distinctive and vibrant green hue while its durability and rarity makes it one of the most coveted gemstone around. Deep green is the most desired colour in emeralds. The paler the colour of the emerald, the lesser its value.

5. Topaz

We often think of a honey-colored stone when we think of topaz, but it occurs in many colors, including reds, blues, greens, and violets. The most desirable of the topaz stones, however, is the Imperial Topaz, which is brown with peach undertones. Pure topaz is in fact colourless and its hue is so impressive that Egyptians believed it came directly from the Sun God Ra. Prized for its hardness and clarity it is an ideal stone for use in jewellery.

Coloured diamonds

While clear diamonds are the most common and popular, coloured diamonds offer a good balance between tradition and a unique engagement stone.

Who could forget the $5-million 24-carat canary diamond ring presented to Paris Hilton by her billionaire boyfriend or the stunning 6.1 -carat pink diamond engagement ring that Ben Affleck presented Jennifer Lopez? These relationships may not have endured the test if time, but they paved the way for a revival in the popularity of coloured diamonds.

The price of fancy coloured diamonds is still determine by the 4Cs, but coloured diamonds are polished in a different manner than white diamonds in order to emphasise the colour as much as possible. Each coloured diamond is different not only because of its natural body colour but also because of the way it is shaped and polished. Most fancy colour diamonds are cut into cushion or radiant shapes forms, which best bring out the depth of hue.

Black diamonds

Black diamonds are hot, hot, hot in the world of jewellery design at the moment, but be warned, a natural one will cost you an arm and a leg. These coal-looking diamonds are over 3 billion years old and no one quite knows where they originated from. Some scientists believe they came from earthly organic carbon sources, similar to all diamonds found on earth while others believe they came from outer space.

Brown Diamonds

Brown diamonds are often described as 'champagne' or 'chocolate' diamonds, presumably because it makes them sound more delicious and desirable than 'brown'. This season, 'brown is the new black', as brown diamond jewellery becomes all the rage on runways and red carpets worldwide. The subtle but sophisticated tones of champagne diamonds range from light champagne to darker browns and rarer fancy cognacs.

Canary Diamonds

A true diamond connoisseur considers the rare canary diamond engagement ring as the ultimate diamond and the most valuable. This intense and beautiful fancy yellow coloured diamond is adored by the rich and famous and is the ultimate golden jewel.

Pink Diamonds

Much talked about, rarely seen... pink diamonds are some of the rarest and most desirable in the world, so much so that most jewellers have never seen one! In saying that, they have become the diamond of choice for many celebrities with Posh and Becks, model Helena Christiansen, Cilla Black and US actress Salma Hayek all spotted wearing pink diamonds to A-list events. Even Britney Spears, the Queen of Pop has fallen prey to the lure of the pink diamond and is believed have several pink diamond necklaces in her multi-million dollar collection of jewellery.

Did you know...

Only about one in 10,000 diamonds is a fancy colour