It is said the ancient Greeks believed that diamonds were the tears of God.  But for those who want to add a touch of colour to their outfit there are other precious stones that can be just as spectacular.  An exciting array of choice awaits those who would like to take a step away from the traditional and delve into the rich sea of coloured gemstones we have today.

For thousands of years, coloured gemstones have piqued the interest, desire and greed of kings, pirates, men and women all over the world.

Although diamonds have become a timeless icon for women and men everywhere, these days many coloured gemstones are used to create unique and eclectic jewellery.  Emeralds, Sapphires and Rubies enjoy being the three most popular coloured gemstones in the world.  But other stones such as Peridot, Amethyst, Citrine, Aquamarine, Garnet and many others can be just as striking.

As with diamonds, the majority of coloured gemstones are also graded and priced in a similar way - based on colour, clarity, cut and carat.

COLOUR

The colour of gemstones is usually the most important in determining its value and rarity.  This is based on three criteria - Hue, Saturation and Tone.

Hue:  The hue refers of the subtle shades of colour that combine to make up the overall colour of the stone.  For example, a blue Sapphire might also be made up of shades of green or violet that adds to the richness of the overall shade.

Tone:  The tone of a gemstone is described by how dark or light a colour appears when the stone is first glanced at.

Saturation:  The saturation refers to how intense or strong the colour of the stone is.  This combined with the tone of the stone helps to determine its market price.

CLARITY

The clarity of a stone refers to how many imperfections there are.  This also helps to determine the value.  The fewer the inclusions the higher the set value is of the stone.

CUT

How a stone is cut will also help determine its value.  Factors such as depth, polish and symmetry all play a part in the overall finished look.  Coloured stones are often treated to improve their appearance and this is also taken into consideration when appraising a stone.

CARAT

How much a gemstone weighs is measured in the total number of carats.  One carat equals 200 milligrams.  The larger the stone, together with the colour, cut and clarity will determine its market value.

The Ruby

The Ruby has long been known as the king of gemstones.  Coming from the multi-coloured mineral corundum it is one of the hardest precious stones found on Earth.  Ruby colours can range from pink to pigeon-blood red.  The deeper the shade of the Ruby, the higher the price it yields.  Interestingly, chrome is the element that gives a Ruby its red colour yet is also guilty of causing inclusions in the stone.  Therefore Rubies with barely any inclusions and of that deep red colour are so rare that prices can top even that of diamonds!

The Sapphire

As blue as the deepest oceans and as romantic as the evening sky, not many people are aware that the Sapphire has the colour range of a rainbow.  From dark blues to yellow, pink, orange, black and purple, this magnificent stone caters for any look you want to achieve.  Click here to view a selection of Sapphire rings.

The Emerald

Nothing can beat the intensity of an Emerald shimmering in the light, its various shades of green second to none in the gemstone world.  All Emeralds are formed with inclusions or bubbles, yet these are regarded as an indication of their genuineness rather than a flaw.

The oval cut is a variation of the round brilliant cut and is considered a very traditional cut.  This shape appeals to people looking for a stone that is traditional in appearance but not too common.  Oval cut diamonds only account for a small proportion of all diamond sales.

The oval cut has the same number of facets as the round brilliant cut.  A well proportioned oval cut diamond should not be too short and squat, or too long and skinny.  Most experts agree that the length should be around one and a half times the width.

One of the benefits of the oval cut is that, like the marquise cut, it makes the finger appear more slender.  However, unlike the marquise cut, the oval cut has broader appear given its more traditional shape.

An oval cut diamond does however present some design challenges as it can be difficult to match with other shapes of diamonds.  In engagement rings, oval cut diamonds are typically set as solitaires, or teamed with other oval cut stones or contrasting cuts like tapered baguettes.

Click here to view a selection of oval cut diamond engagement rings.

The round brilliant cut is by far the most popular diamond cut for engagement rings and most other types of jewellery.  This type of cut accounts for around 75% of all diamonds sold.

Known for its superior sparkle, the round brilliant cut is generally regarded as the most optically spectacular of all cuts.  Today's brilliant cut is comprised of 58 facets.  The cut was developed over time with the first prototype having been traced back to the beginning of the 15th century.  The term "brilliant cut" was not a normally used term for some time with the first recorded use dating back to 1614.

In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky, a mathematician from Antwerp, analysed the proportions of the brilliant cut and came up with a mathematical formula for how to cut a round brilliant cut in a way that would maximise the brilliance (the amount of light reflected) and fire (flashes of spectral colour).  Different versions of this style became known as the Tolkolsky Cut and the Modern Brilliant Cut.

Click here to read more about different diamond shapes or to view a range of round diamond engagement rings.

Emeralds were first discovered in a collection of mines near the Red Sea in Egypt in what came to be known as Clopatra's emerald mines.  The first discovery of emeralds in Australia was in 1890 in New South Wales.

The word "emerald" derives from the Persian word smaragdus which means green.

Emerald belongs to the beryl family which also includes gems like aquamarine.  The colour of the highest quality emeralds is almost pure spectral green, sometimes with a faint touch of blue.  Emeralds derive their green colour from chromium and vanadium.

Emeralds are rarely found as clear crystals and often contain fine inclusions that are evidence of it being a natural stone.

Even though emeralds are a fairly hard stone, they can chip easily as they are slightly brittle.

Emerald is the birthstone for May and the 55th wedding anniversary gemstone.

Click here to view a few examples of emerald rings.

Sapphires are an increasingly popular choice in wedding and engagement rings.  Larsen Jewellery specialises in custom made jewellery and sells loose sapphires and other coloured gemstones.  Please click here to view a range of sapphire engagement ring designs.

Sapphires can be found in many different colours ranging from blue, which is the most common of its colours, to pink, orange, green and brown.  Sapphire is a form of corundum which is a colourless mineral formed from crystalised aluninium oxide.  The blue colour is created by different types of trace elements within the crystal.

Several explanations for the origins of the word "Sapphire" have been suggested with the most plausible being that it is derived from the Greek word Sappheiros, the name of an island in the Arabian Sea where the gem was mined in achient times.

Nowadays, sapphires are mined mainly in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia, Madagascar and Tanzania.  A sapphire's value is determined by its cut, colour intensity, consistency and purity.

Sapphire is the gemstone for the 5th and 45th wedding anniversary and is the birthstone of September.

Sapphires and rubies belong to a gemstone family called corundum, also known as crystalline aluminum oxide.  As they both have the same chemical composition, their physical characteristics are very similar.  The presence of small amounts of trace elements however creates noticeable differences in colour.

Ruby is red corundum while sapphire can be all the other colours, including blue, green, pink, yellow, orange, purple and others.  As they share the same physical characteristics, a similar approach is taken to both when cutting the gemstones.

Perhaps more than any other type of coloured gemstone, rubies and sapphires are often cut to retain as much weight as possible, while still aiming to retain a pleasant shape.  Weight is important because rubies and sapphires can command prices in the thousands per carat.  Unfortunately this tendency can lead to stones that are disproportionately deep or overly shallow for their girdle size, and therefore lack brilliance due to light not being reflected up through the crown of the cut stone.  A well-cut stone should have pleasing proportions, good internal reflection and a symmetrical girdle regardless of the shape.

Both sapphires and rubies are well suited gemstones for jewellery.  They are tough stones, right behind diamonds on Moh's scale of hardness, and are therefore suitable for all types of jewellery, including engagement and wedding rings.

Please click here for a selection of sapphire engagement rings and sapphire wedding rings.

Your choice of metals comes down to a personal preference, but let me give you a run down of the main features of each so that you can make an informed choice for your rings.

In jewellery, platinum is used in its almost pure form with most alloys being 95% pure platinum, making it a very durable and dense metal.  It wears down at a much slower rate than other precious metals making it an excellent choice for engagement and wedding rings.  Platinum is roughly twice the density of gold per gram, which makes a platinum ring heavier than the same ring in white gold. Polished platinum has a natural greyish/white colour and maintains this throughout its lifetime.  It has a tendency to scratch more easily than white gold, however its strength makes for a longer lasting piece of jewellery. Platinum is more expensive than white gold because it is a rarer metal that is harder to mine and refine as well as being a more difficult metal to work with.

White gold is an alloy of yellow gold and a combination of white metals, such as fine silver and palladium. White gold is alloyed to produce a strong metal that is suitable for use in jewellery, as well as to change its colour from yellow to white. The amount of pure gold in the alloy is graded as 18ct, 14ct or 9ct, all numbers which refer to the  amount of pure gold in the alloy. For example, 18ct white gold is a combination of 75% pure (yellow) gold and 25% white metals. The alloying process allows white gold to be fairly tough, hard wearing metal. It is not scratch proof, but will not scratch as easily as platinum.

The 18ct white gold alloy that we use at Larsen Jewellery is a combination of pure gold, palladium (a platinum family metal) and fine silver. The unplated colour of this alloy is greyish white. As a result of this, white gold is almost always Rhodium plated. Rhodium, a platinum family metal, is very bright white, reflective, and extremely hard. It is electroplated to the surface of white gold to produce a very thin coating of bright white metal to cover the greyish tone of the white gold. Rhodium plating will eventually wear away, but rings can be replated regularly and is cost effective in maintaining the appearance of white gold.

Platinum and white gold have their own properties that make them unique. The decision between the two will come down to what best suits your needs and wants.

This beautifully unique shape is nearly identical to the emerald cut, except that it is square.  Also, this shape has a pavilion that is cut with rectangular facets in the same style as the emerald cut.

The Asscher cut diamond was developed in 1902 by the Asscher Brothers of Holland and became very popular in the 1920s.

With deeply angled corners and remarkable depth, Asscher cut engagement rings are stunningly beautiful alternatives to more traditional emerald or princess cut rings.  From vintage rings to modern stones, an Asscher diamonds makes a sophisticated statement about the bride’s individuality and personality, and the timeless cut is sure to remain an elegant gem for many years.

The Asscher stone’s distinctive shape - square with deeply trimmed corners resembling an octagon - is sometimes called the square emerald cut, and is also a type of modified cushion cut.  An Asscher stone is cut with a series of many parallel steps, creating a hall-of-mirrors effect when looking deeply into the stone.

Because step cuts allow more depth of the diamond to be seen, precise cutting is extremely vital for a quality Asscher diamond.  As with emerald cuts, flaws and inclusions can be easily seen and it is important to choose a quality stone.  Furthermore, colour is an important consideration because it may be more visible at the stone’s wide corners.

Because such high quality is necessary, however, many Asscher diamonds tend to be smaller than easier cuts.  For couples interested in a large diamond for their engagement ring, an Asscher cut is not the most economical choice.  On the other hand, the uniqueness and intricacy of the cut can outweigh the stone’s size by providing a truly exceptional look, even with a smaller stone.

Larsen Jewellery has a wide range of modern engagement rings.  Click here to view a few examples of our engagement ring designs.

As all our rings are custom made at our jewellery workshops in Sydney’s Strand Arcade and Melbourne's GPO, any modern engagement ring design can be made and with your choice of diamond or coloured gem stone.  You deal directly with the jeweller who makes your ring and you can either choose from our wide selection of engagement ring designs or you can come up with your own unique design.  You can also have your engagement ring made in a number of different metals including white gold, yellow gold, rose gold and platinum.

You are welcome to come in to our jewellery studio for an obligation-free design appointment or to view our selection of modern diamond rings.  To make an appointment with one of our jewellers, please call us on 02 9223 2006 (Sydney) or 03 9662 3005 (Melbourne) or send us an email.

Art Deco engagement rings have been coming back in fashion in recent years.  Unfortunately there are not many jewellers who sell Art Deco engagement rings.  One of the few jewellers who is able to make these types of designs is Larsen Jewellery where all the engagement rings are custom made.  Click here to read more about their custom designed engagement rings.

As everything is custom made at the Larsen Jewellery workshops in Sydney’s Strand Arcade and Melbourne's GPO, any Art Deco engagement ring design can be created and with your choice of diamond or coloured gem stone.  You deal directly with the jeweller who makes your engagement ring and you can either choose from a wide selection of engagement ring designs or you can come up with your own unique design.  You can also have your engagement ring made in a number of different metals including white gold, yellow gold, rose gold and platinum.

You are welcome to come in to the Larsen Jewellery studio for an obligation-free design appointment or to view a selection of beautiful engagement ring designs.  To make an appointment with one of the friendly jewellers at Larsen Jewellery, please call on 02 9223 2006 (Sydney) or 03 9662 3005 (Melbourne).