鑽石光芒減淡 彩色寶石成新寵

在過去八年中，紅寶石和藍寶石的價格增長速度超過了鑽石，這一現象反映出彩色寶石在全球日益流行的趨勢。究其原因，一方面可能是因爲彩色寶石的價格相對低廉，人們可以承受得起；而另一個重要的原因，或許是越來越多的女性消費者開始爲自己購置寶石飾物，因爲受到安吉麗娜•朱莉和凱特王妃等名人的影響，彩色寶石往往會成爲她們的首選。安吉麗娜•朱莉是綠寶石的忠實用戶，而凱特王妃手上一直戴着戴安娜王妃留下來的那枚藍寶石戒指。鑽石製造商公司的創始人表示，2010年以來，彩色寶石的需求量增長了三倍，相比之下鑽石的銷量下降了。他認爲這是女性主導市場的表現。他指出，購買珠寶對男人來說通常是一種望而生畏的經歷，他們往往連戒指的碼數都不知道，而女性非常清楚自己想要什麼，她們有時甚至會要求將戒指上的鑽石換成彩色寶石。

Over the past eight years, the price of rubies and sapphires appears to have increased faster than that of diamonds.

Coloured stones are, of course, much more affordable than their pricier, harder, relatives.

And millions more people, especially in Asia, want to buy them.

But could another explanation be that many more women are now buying gems for themselves?

That is the theory being put forward by one of Hatton Garden's most established jewellers.

Vashi Dominguez, the founder of the firm Diamond Manufacturers, believes prices are now being driven by the choices that women make.

When men choose gemstones for their partners, they often go for diamonds, he says. But when they do the choosing themselves, many women prefer at least one coloured gemstone in a piece of jewellery - a ruby, a sapphire, or an emerald.

They have also received encouragement from celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz, who can afford diamonds aplenty, but who often choose to wear sapphires and emeralds instead.

Not to mention the Duchess of Cambridge, with the engagement ring she inherited from Princess Diana.

Demand for coloured stones has increased threefold since 2010, according to Diamond Manufacturers' Mr Dominguez.

As a result, the company is selling fewer diamonds.

"It's because women are driving the market," he says, "even in China."

If men choose jewellery, he says, they tend to buy a ring with a single diamond in it, otherwise known as a solitaire.

"Buying jewellery is normally a very daunting experience for a man," he says.

"Often they don't even know the ring size, while women really know what they want. Some women even say, 'Can you change the diamonds to sapphires?'"

The market price of coloured stones appears to reflect their growing popularity around the globe.

Gemval, which claims to offer the world's first online valuation tool for gemstones, reckons that the price of sapphires rose by 37% between January 2006 and January 2013.

Rubies rose by 47% over the same period.

Emeralds rose significantly in 2005, but between 2006 and 2013 only rose by about 6%.

According to the RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI), the price for one-carat diamonds has risen by 32% since 2006.

In other words, sapphires and rubies have outpaced diamonds over the past seven years.

Jaspreet Chawla, a London-based gemmologist, believes the price rises reflect a growing trend in certain markets.

"In the US and Germany there is a more pronounced move towards coloured stones," she says, "increasingly so after Kate Middleton wore a sapphire.

"But the UK is still diamond-dominated."

Celebrities may indeed be helping to make coloured gemstones fashionable.

Penelope Cruz and Elizabeth Hurley both have sapphire rings, while Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie are fans of emeralds.