Coloured stones are in high demand in 2016. The Bonham’s auction house in London are predicting increasing trends for the use of gemstones in various hues, particularly as the fine examples get rarer and rarer.
There is an increasing demand for precious stones: emeralds, rubies and sapphires. There is also a demand for other coloured stones like spinel. The fancy coloured diamonds are also in high demand, especially the blue diamond, only 0.04% of gem quality mined diamonds are blue. These precious gemstones are also suitable for engagement rings, however I always warn about the risk of damage occurring with emeralds as they are not as hard wearing as the rubies and sapphires. Diamonds of course always remain the best choice when it comes to engagement rings.
Collectors are also showing a strong interest in spinels, tourmalines, and rubies from new locations such as Madagascar.
The rarer the gemstones, the higher their popularity as investors know that their return on investment will only increase as these gemstones become harder to source.
I will be interested to see if we have an increasing demand for these coloured gemstones in New Zealand in 2016. I love the variety of coloured gemstones available, particularly the sapphires. I love working with these stones to create gorgeous ring designs.
