Picking engagement rings with diamonds in pink, yellow, blue

By Debra Cano Ramos, Special Advertising Sections Writer

Scoot over traditional white diamond engagement ring and make room for the rare, colored diamond — a girl’s new best friend.

“Not every girl is a traditional white-diamond type,” said Carley Roney, editor of The Knot, a wedding magazine. “She may be artistic and modern, and a colored diamond will reflect her creativity and uphold the tradition at the same time.”

Samirah Jenks, 29, is among a growing number of brides dazzled by color. She caught a glimpse of a canary (or yellow) diamond ring in a mall jewelry store window a few years ago, went in, tried it on and fell in love with it.

Gauthier

She had never seen such a unique diamond before, but had hoped that one day she’d be wearing something that striking on the fourth finger of her left hand, she said.

Two years ago, her dream came true: Greg Jenks, 29, now her husband of one year, proposed to her alongside a waterfall on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. With a princess-cut canary diamond ring in his pocket, he asked her to marry him.

“I love it. It’s beautiful,” Samirah Jenks said of the 1.5-carat canary stone, set in yellow gold, flanked by scores of tiny white diamonds . “Yellow is also one of my favorite colors; it reminds me of happiness and sunshine.”

Eighteen years ago, acclaimed jewelry designer Scott Gauthier of Scottsdale, Ariz., gave his wife, Naomi, a 5-carat canary diamond engagement ring, and it still is her favorite, he said.

Diamonds come in a rainbow of colors, with the most popular being canary, pink and brown, also referred to as champagne or cognac, jewelry experts say. Deep reds, vibrant blues and greens are some other colors. Gauthier admits a passion for color and makes 60% of his jewelry in colored gems. Moreover, one-third of the engagement rings he designs feature colored diamonds, he said.

“Almost everybody who marries gets a white diamond,” said Gauthier, owner of Jewelry by Gauthier with two stores in Scottsdale. “Couples are waiting longer to get married; and they are looking for more collectible diamonds to express their love. I think they’re looking for something that their friends don’t have, [something] that’s unique to them.”

Roney also said she hears the constant refrain that brides and grooms want to be different, and colored diamonds (referred to as “fancy” by gemologists) break tradition.

All the rage

“Color is all the rage in weddings today and couples are looking to incorporate it into all aspects of their union, right down to the jewelry,” she said.

“The demand for colored diamonds in the last 18 months has exceeded the last 10 years combined; it’s increasing in a manner that is off the charts — beyond my wildest dreams,” said Alan Friedman, a designer and manufacturer of colored diamonds.

Friedman, owner of Alan Friedman Designs in Beverly Hills, has a colored diamond engagement ring line, with matching accessories.

or the Jenks, who live in Northridge and were married last summer in Malibu, the yellow diamond makes a personal statement.

“It’s different, and not everyone has one,” said Samirah Jenks, vice president of sales and marketing for a Van Nuys company that makes custom wardrobes for professional athletes.

Added Greg Jenks, an assistant director in the entertainment industry: “It’s just so beautiful, and I wanted to make her happy.”

Grooms also are finding that they don’t have to settle for a traditional gold or platinum wedding band.

“There are numerous ring options available to suit various styles and tastes,” Roney said. Examples are rings with black, champagne, yellow and blue diamonds, she said.

The fascination with colored diamonds has been around for decades. But in the 1980s, interest began to rise and by the 1990s, the public was keenly aware that these diamonds of various dramatic colors existed, said John King of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), based in Carlsbad.

“In general, from our activities and services, the popularity of colored diamonds has consistently increased, and in the past few years, has grown considerably,” added King, laboratory projects officer for the GIA Gem Laboratory in New York City.

For instance, GIA, the world’s foremost authority in gemology, has received a surge of requests from members of the diamond trade to grade fancy-colored diamonds over the past few years. Since 1998, GIA has experienced a 68% increase in demand for colored diamond services, which indicates that the public is buying more of these diamonds, King said. The media and celebrities can be credited for playing a big role in creating more public awareness of these hued gems.

“They are more and more popular among media stars, and consumers have become aware through articles,” King said.

Historically, celebrities, aristocrats and royalty have worn exquisite jewels.

Celebrity style

But, what’s grabbed the public’s attention in recent times is the 6.1-carat, radiant-cut fancy intense pink diamond engagement ring mega-star Jennifer Lopez received from actor Ben Affleck, an ex-fiancé, said Penny Proddow, author and In Style magazine contributing editor in fine jewelry and watches.

“ It’s the penthouse of engagement rings,” Proddow said.

Because celebrities are visibly wearing fancy diamond colors, consumers have become enamored with them and want to know more, she said.

“It’s a trend, in the sense it’s happening — but it’s a personal choice,” she added. “More people are aware of them, but not all have committed to them.”

Proddow, who with Marion Fasel wrote “With This Ring: The Ultimate Guide to Wedding Jewelry,” (Bulfinch Press, due in stores in November) warned that colored diamonds might not be every bride’s best friend.

“ To give color to a bride who wanted white is a disaster. It’s not the norm, and it’s not for every bride either — neither the expense, nor the size nor the color,” said Proddow, whose book covers all aspects of wedding jewelry from its romantic and glamorous history to how to choose the right engagement ring.

Greg Jenks said he had no idea that his bride-to-be wanted a yellow diamond until his mother-in-law made the suggestion.

“If I didn’t have the guidance of her mother, I wouldn’t have gone with a colored stone, and would have bought her a white diamond,” he said.

Jenks admitted he was naïve about colored diamonds, but after he began shopping for one and did some research, he too became intrigued by their natural grandeur. “It’s just a beautiful piece of jewelry,” he said.

Pairing gems

Because colored diamonds are usually more expensive than white diamonds, they might not fit into everyone’s budget, Roney said.

“To get that punch of color without breaking the bank, couples may consider colored diamonds for side stones or pave work in the band,” she said.

Roney added that couples also are electing to match up white diamonds with a colored gemstone, such as a sapphire, emerald or ruby, as an alternative to colored diamonds.

“Since they’re more affordable per carat, you can get a larger stone for your money, but still have a diamond engagement ring,” she said.

Colored diamonds usually command higher prices per carat because they are far rarer than their colorless counterparts, experts say.

Examples of these dramatic stones and their premium price tags include two sold by Gauthier. He sold a pink (bubble-gum pink) diamond, just under a carat in size, for $450,000 and a 4.14-carat pink diamond for $2.5 million.

“A fine pink or blue diamond of unquestionable color, meaning, you see the pink or blue, can cost 10 to 50 times more than a white diamond of the same size,” Friedman said.

King, an authority on fancy-colored diamonds, noted some record breakers: a .95-carat purplish-red diamond, known as the Hancock Red, that sold for about $880,000 in 1987; a 7.37-carat purplish-pink diamond that sold for more than $6 million in late 1995; and a 20-carat fancy deep blue diamond that garnered almost $10 million in 1994.

“ Because of the rarity of colors, if consumers truly want a colored diamond, they need to be flexible based on what’s available and the price,” King said. “But in general, the beauty of all of the colors — from the pastels to the stronger ones — makes them fascinating.”

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