Boldly designed brooches, earrings and pendants, decorated with a mixture of multi-coloured gems and pearls, are set to be the trend in jewellery this year, but they may not appeal to Chinese buyers.
'Chinese people, especially mainlanders, won't accept these kind of designs. They still prefer the traditional look of wearing one big diamond,' said Lawrence Leung Chung-wai, managing director of Lawrence Jewellery.
Alain Shum, of Hong Wang Jewellery, predicted the trend would take off in the Southeast Asian market.
'Chinese people don't have enough knowledge about these colourful gems. These new designs are too fashionable,' Mr Shum said at the international jewellery fair. 'Chinese people don't care about the design. They pay for the stone.'
Mr Leung added that lightly coloured stones such as pink and baby blue rubies would be a big hit this year.
Despite the rise of colourful stones, Roy Kesel of Yerushalmi Bros Diamonds was confident white diamonds would remain a lady's best friend. But he advised consumers to be careful when purchasing diamonds.