Love and marriage may go together like a horse and carriage but I dare say that a bride and her diamond ring may have an even better fit.The tradition of a bride receiving a diamond ring from her fiancé has now been entrenched for a number of decades and, just like the institution of marriage, it shows no signs of abating. However, even though this ritual seems firmly entrenched, that doesn’t mean that it has not evolved or moved with the times.
Just as wedding dresses were once only made in white, today it is not uncommon to see a bride wearing any colour that she desires, so too have the colours of diamonds in a ring changed. Whereas in the past a bride only ever received a ring with a colourless diamond, today there is a growing trend toward natural fancy colour diamonds as the stone of choice.
As with almost all trends, it began with the wealthy and famous and is now finding its way to the masses, notwithstanding that as a rule of thumb a fancy colour diamond is more expensive than a similar sized colourless stone.
J-Lo and Kate Hudson are just two famous recipients of colour diamond rings from their partners on the occasion of their engagements and there are numerous other examples of those from the upper echelons of society spoiling their significant other with colour diamond jewellery. Just as wealthy and famous people are rarer than ‘normal’ people, fancy colour diamonds are rarer than colourless diamonds with only one in every 10,000 diamonds being coloured.
The two most popular coloured stones are pink diamonds and yellow diamond, also known as canary diamonds. Prices for these stones can reach well into the seven figures per carat depending on their size, intensity of colour, cut, and other factors such as provenance. There are colours rarer than pink and yellow though. Red, purple, violet, and blue are all considered to be rarer than pink and yellow and are often priced accordingly.
By now you are probably thinking that fancy colour diamonds are solely the domain of the extremely rich. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even fine examples of pink diamonds and yellow diamonds can be found for those who aren’t listed in the Forbes Rich List. Other colours of diamonds such as green, orange, champagne, gray, black, white, and chameleon are usually more affordable than their rarer coloured counterparts.
Should you decide to stick with tradition but do it with a classy twist, a fancy colour diamond ring could be just the ticket. There are reputable online dealers with the perfect ring at the perfect price. Only one caveat – just as you wouldn’t settle for second best with your man, do sufficient research to ensure that your diamond dealer is trustworthy and honourable.