All that glitters

OUR GENERATION may have grown up coveting emeralds, sapphires and rubies, but we’ve come of age embracing a wide spectrum of glamour that also includes tourmalines, citrines, topaz, amethysts and other great things from the good Earth. With so much to choose from, however, it’s not enough to love a gem or its setting. With that in mind, there are measures a bride can take to ensure the lustre of what captures her eye will endure for years to come.

While the process of buying “investment” pieces that fit the dress and the bride’s personality can be emotional, designer Margo Manhattan notes that one’s emotions can serve one well. ‘You’ll want to look for that glimmer and sparkleinside the stone,’ she advises. ‘You need to look below the surface, and not buying something because it is a certain stone you happen to like. Look closely at gems and ask yourself if they are too dark, or have little white fractions or other flaws. You want something that is clean and lively from the inside out, something that excites you enough to wear it all the time.’

Konstantina, creator of the Mahlia collection, suggests that when buying jewellery, ask the dealer lots of questions. For example, is the stone very rare, and why? How will a stone translate to the piece I am wearing or having designed? Does the mounting make the stone more valuable? Though a lot of the industry is catching up to the question of conflict-free stones, the origin of a stone is also an extremely valid question.

‘It’s not just about what kind of a stone it is,’ she adds. ‘Take note of the way the stone is cut, as certain cuts add to a gemstone’s value. It could be a special cut by a noted stonecutter, or an unusual specimen of its kind. It can be something fairly mundane, but the setting makes it more expensive. While “conflict-free” is still tough to pinpoint, there are more and more ways to certify what is truly conflict free. This has become a huge topic among jewellery designers because their consumers care about where the diamonds and other stones come from.