For nearly 75 years white diamonds have dominated the jewellery industry. This is due to a very clever marketing campaign by De Beers during America's "Great Depression" in the 1930's. Engagement rings at this time were hardly ever bought, due to them being a luxury and that they simply were not the "done" thing. Of course to a diamond cartel, this is not good for business, De Beers needed diamonds to be viewed as a necessary luxury. And so, in 1947 the slogan coined by Mary Gerety, "A Diamond is Forever," was introduced. Ultimately, the De Beers campaign sought to persuade the consumer that an engagement ring is indispensable, and that a white diamond is the only acceptable stone for the engagement ring. The campaign was very successful. In 1939 only 10% of engagement rings had diamonds. By 1990, it was up to 80%.

This, almost feverish desire for white diamonds, spilled out across the world and into almost every jewellery collection. The popularity of sapphires, rubies and emeralds hit an all-time low in west. Furthermore, the knowledge that diamonds come in an array of stunning colours were lost to the mists of time.

But over the past 12 years the trend tide has started to turn, especially in high jewellery. Where once there was a sea of ice white diamonds, pops of colour are emerging. Consumers are once again seeking out sapphires, rubies and emeralds to add individuality and liveliness to their jewellery. And the knowledge that diamonds don't just come in the white, but a variety of colours is slowly becoming more wide spread.

Pink diamonds are currently the most popular of the fancy coloured diamonds. This ultra-rare gemstone came into the public eye in 2002 when Ben Affleck proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a monumental 6 carat fancy vivid pink diamond. Since that day the glitterarty have clamoured to get coloured gemstones in the latest setting for red carpets.

Yellow diamonds are a close second in popularity with many celebrities such as Kristen Bell and Carrie Underwood opting for canary yellow engagement rings. Tiffany & Co have really jumped on board offering coloured diamond solitaire engagement rings now too. Their classic single yellow diamond ring set in platinum was made famous by Kate Hudson in 2005 in her first engagement.

Many jewellers are now recognising that using coloured diamonds and gemstones is a huge asset to their business. Apart from adding a coloured sparkle to a collection, they add profit. Designers in the industry are now looking to use stones that they have never used before to give their pieces distinction and character. For example, brown diamonds, no longer thought be used solely for industrial purposes, have been remarketed very recently and are now referred to as chocolate diamonds, these are very much in vogue and are especially stunning when used with rose gold for the more contemporary look.

I guess the biggest benefit to anyone selling fancy coloured diamonds is that they are much more profitable than selling white diamonds. Perhaps this is why their popularity has taken off so much.

Visit our stock of Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds to see what we're talking about.