How high jewellers reimagined classic bridal gems in 2022, from coloured diamonds like J. Lo’s engagement ring by Rahaminov, to Tiffany & Co.’s platinum rings and Boucheron’s minimalist series

Dec 15 , 2022

The trend for a return to coloured stones – diamonds or otherwise – in wedding jewellery means there are more ways than ever to say “I do”. Photo: Getty Images

When wedding dresses lit up the spring/summer Couture Fashion Week in Paris earlier this year, there were dreamy bridal gowns aplenty. Adding further sparkle, luxury high jewellers were also out in force, with reimagined classics and modern takes on traditional styles. Several maisons elevated the diamond code – fancy-coloured diamonds are the latest heroes in bridal rings with the mantra being “the rarer, the better”. Today’s haute picks are fancy yellows, blush pinks and orangey browns, and unencumbered by traditional aesthetics, the brands are flaunting these diamonds through stylish settings and pavéd shanks.

Rahaminov Diamonds has a penchant for blinging up Hollywood celebs. A beautiful recent example is Jennifer Lopez’s second engagement ring from Ben Affleck. Designed by Rahaminov’s team, at the heart of the three-stone setting lies a 8.5-carat natural green diamond sourced by Ilan Portugali of Beverly Hills Diamonds.

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Chaumet Joséphine Aigrette Impériale necklace.

Bridal jewellery, tiaras and diadems are unarguably Chaumet’s forte and the maison has enriched its offering with inspirations from the favourite jewels of Napoleon’s first wife, Empress Joséphine. The Joséphine collection includes the Impériale tiara and Aube Printanière tiara, bracelets and earrings, all embellished with dazzling diamonds that reinforce the maison’s desire to draw on the past, yet create modern jewellery. The rings in particular embrace colour through their use of yellow diamonds and sapphires. Finally, bridal jewellery is incomplete without a diamond-sprinkled timepiece – in this case the Joséphine Aigrette collection’s horological variations on the iconic pear shape with leather straps or jewelled bracelets.

Boghossian Les Merveilles hoop earrings.

Geneva-based Boghossian turns its classic diamond encrusted band on its head with a touch of gem-setting ingenuity in the Merveilles Bridal collection, cleverly setting diamonds along the sides to leave barely any metal in sight in its eternity bands, bridal rings, short drops and hoop earrings.

“In our bridal line, an abundance of light flows through each gem, representing the infinite love between two soul mates. We are setting the gems in designs that will surprise and astonish,” says Roberto Boghossian, managing partner at Boghossian. Besides diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds also take centre stage in Merveilles bridal rings.

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David Morris oval fancy intense yellow diamond ring.

British jeweller David Morris, meanwhile, celebrates the special moment by elevating the classic single halo diamond rings and three-stone settings with fancy pink round diamonds and fancy intense yellow oval diamonds tucked onto dreamy rings. Cushion-cut diamonds, and old favourites rubies and sapphires, are set with prongs or accented with a diamond halo to add extra sparkle. White pear-shaped diamonds – a fancy shape and a popular choice for bridal rings – let you nimbly try something different to the traditional. Then take your pick from their dainty tiaras encrusted with diamonds and you are sorted for the big day.

Boodles offer a variety of rings centred on pink diamonds

Boodles, another family-run jewellery brand from the UK, celebrates commitment with bridal rings in floral cluster settings where round brilliant or oval diamonds encircle fancy pink diamonds. Classic tennis bracelets and Ashoka-cut diamonds lend further sparkle to their bridal line.

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Bridal hairstyles offer another opportunity to sparkle. For something subtle, slide in a hairclip in bows or floral motifs – and no one does it better than Graff. The London-based jeweller is famed for its hair jewels and other adornments. Bows, a classic and beloved motif for bridal jewellery, are transforming into exquisite studs, bracelets and necklaces at Graff’s atelier. Then there’s the Promise setting which ever since its launch has been one of their most enduringly popular engagement rings. Graff revisits its Promise setting to maximise the play of light through the diamonds.

“We are constantly looking for new ways to develop our bridal offering, whether it is conceiving new bridal jewels or enhancing a classic like the Promise setting,” says CEO Francois Graff.

Graff Tribal Collection 31.74-carat diamond tiara.

Who says bridal jewels can’t be cool? Independent designer Fernando Jorge shows the way, his sensibilities likely to appeal to a modern bride keen to eschew classic shapes. The High Stream open bracelet electrifies with sinuous curves and mixed-cut diamonds. His perspective on diamonds stresses their symbolic light and purity, rather than seeing them simply as status symbols.

“I took some of our signature silhouettes and designs and reimagined them in their purest interpretation,” says the Brazilian-born jeweller. Modernism also takes to the floor for a twirl or two with diamonds in Jorge’s Disco pieces, crafted in yellow or white gold.

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Ronald Abram 73.68-carat Snowdrop Diamond necklace.

Hong Kong jeweller Ronald Abram always has a delicious stack of fancy pink diamonds and ready-to-wear bridal rings. The divine Snowdrop diamond necklace, totalling 73.68 carats, with its graduating diamond necklace and pear-shaped pendant a head-turner, no doubt. Other stand-outs are pigeon blood rubies dotting line bracelets, while fancy yellow diamonds mingle with white diamonds in ornate necklaces. More minimalist options see Asscher-cut diamonds gleaming on drop earrings.

Ronald Abram 24.60-carat Asscher-cut diamond earrings.

Mikimoto is celebrating pearls in its feminine bridal designs, looking lustrous alongside glittering diamonds in meandering necklaces and bracelets in floral compositions, or glistening in cluster settings on earrings and rings – all suiting the more traditionally minded bride.

French jeweller Boucheron has reimagined its Facette series of wedding bands and engagement rings. The brand’s pared-back minimalist style emphasises romance over flashiness: its sleek, geometric design carefully adorned with just enough diamond “as a promise of love and style”.

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Legendary New York maison Tiffany & Co.’s platinum engagement rings in its iconic Tiffany setting are classics of the form. The Tiffany True engagement ring features a square mixed-cut diamond unique to the brand and is a modern take on the solitaire ring.

With so many beautiful choices, every bride should feel liberated to find that special piece of jewellery that reflects their personality and will become an sentimental heirloom in time.

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Weddings

The spring/summer shows at Couture Fashion Week in Paris saw plenty of dreamy bridal gowns … and sparkling modern takes on classic bridal jewellery too
Mikimoto went the more traditional route with feminine pearls, Chaumet’s tiaras took inspiration from Napoleon’s wife Empress Joséphine, and you can’t go wrong with Graff’s bow motif