The use of colored gemstones may be a way to add spice without the high cost of colored diamonds. Since the 1950s, De Beers has spent millions in advertising to encourage every man in America to show his fiancée he'll love her forever by giving her a diamond. So it's no wonder diamonds are the gem of choice for most brides. However, colored gems have expressed a man's love for a woman since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. Each colored gem signifies a variety of sentiments. For example:
- Ruby represents passion and love.
- Sapphire symbolizes faithfulness and truth.
- Emerald expresses loyalty and commitment.
Such celebrated people as Princess Diana, socialite Ivana Trump and actress Kirstie Alley opted for a sapphire for their
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engagements. Gems are often the choice for second (or third or fourth) marriages and those who marry later in life, as well as for contemporary brides with more sophisticated taste.
"Couples looking for a unique way to express personal symbolism and style choose colored gems for their rings," says Lucinda Rogers of Gold 'n' Carats Jewelers in Irving, TX. "Usually, the bride motivates a colored stone purchase. The groom is more comfortable with a diamond because he sees it as traditional."
Requests for colored gem engagement rings and wedding bands are more prevalent at guild jewelry stores specializing in color and custom work. Better-quality sapphire, ruby and emerald – in that order – are the most favored colored gem choices for engagement rings, set in simple mountings and flanked by diamonds. Fancy-colored sapphires are popular also. "We encourage couples looking for colors like yellow, pink and purple
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to consider sapphire for its durability," says Diane Alfillé of Eve Alfillé Designs, a designing jeweler in Evanston, IL. "Most people are surprised to see the variety of colors it comes in."
By and large, however, it appears colored gems are more widely accepted as accents to diamond engagement rings than center stones, says Mark Loren, president of Mark Loren Designs, a manufacturing jeweler in Fort Meyers, FL. Gemstone accents in the same or complementing shapes as the center diamond are very popular, such as oval centers with trilliant- or pear-shaped sides, notes Richard Mason, president of Barnett Robinson.
