Colourful gems to wear in an alternative engagement ring: skip traditional white diamonds for unique wedding jewellery, from Piaget’s royal blue cocktail rings to Ronald Abram’s pink sapphires

Feel the traditional white diamond engagement ring is a touch staid? If a colourless stone just doesn’t capture your colourful personalities, there’s no reason you can’t go against convention and go for a gemstone that better hews to your style. You’ll find high jewellery brands are now more creative than ever, with a smorgasbord of choices outside the conventional engagement ring category that could be just the thing to grace your loved ones finger. “We see coloured gems becoming more popular for engagement rings. Couples want to express their love and choose gems that are connected to them personally,” said Raphael Gübelin, president of the House of Gübelin. Jonathan J Abram, director at Ronald Abram, has noticed an increase in the number of couples opting for yellow diamonds. “Yellow diamonds have become a popular engagement ring alternative to the traditional white diamond,” he said. “There are two main reasons for this – yellow is a stand-out colour and many couples see this as an opportunity to be different, plus the price point is often more appealing. You are able to purchase a larger yellow diamond than a white diamond at the same price point.” 14 most glamorous high jewellery looks at the 2022 Venice Film Festival One option Ronald Abram offers is an 8.88-carat fancy intense yellow diamond in a radiant cut, with a band of calibre step-cut trapeze diamonds. Another up-and-coming stone that is a different option for an engagement ring, and is also a little kinder on the budget, is the pink sapphire. Ronald Abram has created a ring featuring a 7.53-carat pink sapphire in an emerald cut, ideal for a bride that wants something pink, but in a deeper, bolder hue. Couples want to express their love and choose gems that are connected to them personally Raphael Gübelin, president, House of Gübelin “There’s a lot of potential in pink sapphires,” Abram said. “Particularly in the richer and more vibrant saturations of pink. They are a wonderful alternative to pink diamonds that are much higher in value and for many, unattainable.” Gübelin’s Splendid Feather line uses padparadscha sapphire, an intriguing stone where the pink is intermixed with orange tones. According to Raphael Gübelin, “Sapphires sparkle in all the colours of the rainbow. Especially rare are padparadscha sapphires with their characteristic orange-pink or pink-orange shades. Padparadscha sapphires combine two colours in one gem, which is also a very romantic symbol.” He pointed out that the engagement ring offered by Jack Brooksbank for the hand of Princess Eugenie was set with a padparadscha. The Splendid Feature collection took inspiration from the splendour of the birds of Sri Lanka, and is a particularly poetic choice for an engagement ring. One such ring features a padparadscha sapphire set in red gold and surrounded by coloured sapphires and diamonds, in a setting created to look as if the wings of a bird are cradling the sapphire. How high jewellery brands are embracing gender-fluid collections An equally poetic choice from Gübelin is a ring featuring a pink spinel and green tsavorite in a toi et moi design. French for “you and I”, it’s a fitting name to describe a style where two gemstones are set in a way that looks like they are embracing each other. Gübelin has such a ring in its Ancient Path line, which features a 4.21-carat pink spinel matched with 3.55-carat tsavorite in vibrant green, with a pavé thread of brilliant cut diamonds around the band. Chopard also offers a toi et moi ring – a subtle, elegant design featuring two brilliant-cut diamonds in fancy intense blue and pink, totalling 7.13 carats. The pink diamond steals the show in the brand’s striking Rose of Caroline ring too – a monster 10.88-carat rectangular modified brilliant-cut diamond in fancy intense pink flanked by two heart-shaped rubies that total 3.98 carats and another 1.12 carats of white diamonds. With green being such a vibrant, dramatic hue, it is easy to see why some brides see it as a more fitting choice for their engagement ring. The Bulgari Eden The Garden of Wonders collection, launched this year, features 140 creations in all, with 30 designs focused on the emerald. Among the stand-outs is a striking ring with an 11.38-carat cushion-cut emerald, with baguette-cut diamonds running along the side. How are NFTs affecting diamond and high jewellery investments? Both green and blue come together in a cocktail ring from the Piaget’s Solstice Chapter 2 collection, also launched this year. Piaget is famed for its cocktail rings, where gemstones and diamonds depict elements of actual cocktails such as slices of lime, ice cubes and mint leaves, making for a whimsical choice for a ring to celebrate your love. Usefully, each cocktail ring can be transformed to feature just the solitaire gem, should you want to wear it in a more traditional arrangement – say when you’re showing it off to the mother-in-law. The Royal Blue Ring, also from the Solstice Chapter 2 collection, features a cushion-cut indicolite tourmaline of 8.68 carats, along with emeralds, peridot and diamonds. If you are looking for a ring in a lighter shade of blue, one that leans more towards turquoise, try the Grace of the Sea Anemone collection by Gübelin that features a cabochon-cut Paraiba tourmaline, surrounded by brilliant-cut diamonds and a red ruby – a characteristic element in every piece by the brand. How the high jewellery market boomed in Asia throughout Covid-19 And while engagement rings were traditionally just for the bride, Abram also points to a growing trend for men to wear one as well. “One of the biggest trends we’ve seen is the rise in the number of men wearing diamond engagement rings. The designs range from the bezel set, single diamond solitaire to pavé diamond styles, and set in a variety of metal types from platinum to gold and titanium,” Abram said. While casting the net to include other gemstones and styles can garner more options, it is important to go with your heart. “There is no right or wrong – whether it be a more classic or more individual engagement ring, choose the gem and style that perfectly represent you and your love,” Raphael Gübelin said. Want more stories like this? Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.