RAPAPORT... As colored diamonds permeate the awareness of U.S. consumers, designers find creative new ways of showcasing these gems, from the most spectacular to the funkiest of stones.
Colored diamonds are one of the most intriguing offerings in the world of gemstones. Long prized by royalty, collectors and connoisseurs, these treasures have been coveted in the Asian and Middle Eastern markets for many years. Now, U.S. consumers are starting to wake up to the electric energy of colored diamonds. The new consumer awareness of their existence has come about through media attention propelled by celebrities donning these precious baubles, most of which are out of reach to all but a few elite aficionados with a wallet to match their taste level.
While many colored diamonds reach into the millions pricewise, there are also colored diamonds to be had at very reasonable price points — blacks, browns and colored material so included that it is opaque and faceted into shimmering beads. Today’s designers have found ways to use them all. And certainly a rare pink or blue diamond of size is showcased much differently than colored diamond beads, yet each has its own charm and individual place in the design vocabulary.
“Jewelry has many different stylish uses and you don’t have to use a traditional stone. To be creative, when I want to put color in a piece or something instead of pearl, I can take advantage of colored diamond beads. The refractive index is high because they are diamonds and it creates a whole different look,” observes Cathy Carmendy, designer for the Santa Monica, California, firm bearing her name. “I could do the same piece in white gold and white diamonds. It would look a lot more bling. But using the brown and muted tone diamond beads makes it not so serious, but very cool; something that you can wear every day.”
Working with more traditional high-end diamonds, Pasadena, California-based Christian Tse showcases the color rather than the stone alone. “I want to showcase the color of the diamond, but I want to make it one with the piece as a whole rather than just showcasing one stone.”
Of course, there are colored diamonds of size that are mounted in simple settings — and perhaps accented with white diamonds or framed by colored diamonds for more classic tastes — for those consumers who want to show off their rare rock. The simplicity of these settings allows the size and color of the diamond to speak for itself.
“We are trying to enhance the true color of the stone, bringing out the highest possible potential of the stone; we are trying to bring out the full potential of the color. Any of the frills around the stone is an added value that we give to the customer. It is all done to enhance the appeal to the final client. It is done in different ways. We have to figure out who our final client is going to be — European, American or Asian; there are different tastes in all markets. Then we design the piece according to our final goal,” says Davide Scarselli, N.B.S. Diamonds in New York City.
COLOR PALETTE
Along with their great scintillation and sparkle, colored diamonds offer a palette of color not necessarily found in other gemstones. It is these colors that often inspire the creativity in designers or allow them to achieve special effects.
“There is a visual difference between colored diamonds and, say, sapphires. The colors in diamonds are softer; they whisper, rather than shout,” comments Paul Klecka, principal of the eponymous firm in San Diego, California. “A colored diamond has a brilliance and lucid effect that is crisp, sharp and clear, which is pleasing.”
Carmendy agrees that colored diamonds bring a special effect to a piece of jewelry like no other gemstone. “I can use other colored gemstones, but you don’t get the same halo of light as when you use colored diamonds, especially in pavé,” says Carmendy, who notes that even the opaque beads and brown or black diamonds have a sparkle that other gemstones don’t have. “For me, it’s all about effect. When I put it on, does it look amazing? It’s about adding shimmer. All jewelry doesn’t have to have top-of-the-line diamonds when it comes to colored diamonds. You can get well-cut, colored diamonds that are much less money in muted browns or beads and get a great effect.”
Colored diamonds are also affected by the color of the metals in which they are set, adding even more punch to a design. Diamonds are often set in color gold — pink diamonds in pink gold, yellow diamonds in yellow gold, to bring out the color. “I alloy certain golds to match diamonds. I use the correct hue to complement the color of diamonds; it gives it more of a sense of wholeness,” notes Tse.
“From a fashion standpoint, colored diamonds open up a fresh palette with wonderful subtlety. There is a nice interplay of pink, yellow and white diamonds and the color of gold,” remarks Klecka. “Yellow diamonds with yellow gold or pink diamonds with pink gold really punch up the impact of the design.”
New York City–based jewelry designer Judith Ripka is always looking for something new and different and she recently began designing with a variety of colored diamonds. “I am passionate about color and using colored diamonds in my jewelry adds dramatic depth and dimension to a design,” she says.
Paula Crevoshay, of the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based design firm bearing her name, uses colored diamonds in a completely different way than she uses white diamonds.
“I had recently used white diamonds as accents in designs, then I started working with yellow, brown and black diamonds. I use them to accentuate the color of other stones. They are an echoing of the other colors rather than a contrasting, like white diamonds.”
BRIDGING BRIDAL
Colored diamonds also provide a new offering in the bridal category. “It’s opening up a completely new consumer market in a young engagement crowd who don’t want a conventional mounting or stone,” says Solana Beach, California, designer Katey Brunini, principal of the firm bearing her name. “Colored diamonds show a palette that is huge and represents the personal style of the one wearing the diamond. The next generation is into doing something more unconventional for an engagement ring. Colored diamonds show the individuality of the person and the union and it gives consumers more options.”
Klecka also finds that colored diamonds in unique designs fit a changing bridal market. He says that his colored diamond rings made with smaller diamonds and negative space appeal to brides looking for something different. “Diamond buying doesn’t have to be so serious; it can be fun. Color allows that. More women are open to drawing outside of the box. As the public becomes more educated via traditional diamond houses selling colored diamonds, it will make colored diamonds more known,” concludes Brunini.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - October 2006. To subscribe click here.