How jealous we were when pop queen Jennifer Lopez landed the desirable 6.1-carat pink diamond ring from Harry Winston, as a token of her (short-lived) engagement to Ben Affleck.
Pink diamonds are all well and good for a Hollywood celebrity, but the rest of us are forced to make do with what we've got (or, more pointedly, what we can afford).
Fortunately, there is a cheaper alternative to coloured diamonds that has been around for hundreds of years and, more recently, has been popping up in jewellery shops all over the United States and Europe - semi-precious stones.
Experts often debate what makes a gem precious or semi-precious, but semi-precious stones are clearly valued less than their precious relatives even though they can easily rival them in terms of colour.
The diamond, the ruby, the sapphire and the emerald are generally accepted as the true precious stones. Every other gemstone (apart from jade and jadeite, which is a whole other category) is considered semi-precious. The good news is that we are spoilt for choice when it comes to variety, and because supplies are plentiful there is enough to make every woman forget about J.Lo's engagement ring (well, almost).
'Semi-precious stones have recently become more popular because women have become more fashion conscious,' says Vickie Sek, director of the jewellery and jadeite department (Asia) at Christie's. 'Nowadays, when people choose their jewellery, they want to make sure it matches their outfit.