These days, it would seem that we are seeing a drop in the popularity of the diamond. This has come as quite a shock to many observers of the jewellery world, as everyone thought that diamonds had cemented their place in fashion for eternity. Diamonds, as the De Beers corporation reminded us many times, are forever – except it turns out that they actually aren’t. Young people getting married these days are more likely to choose either unusual forms of the stone, such as the black diamond ring, or something else entirely – rubies and sapphires come to mind. Even the diamond tennis bracelet, once a sign of wealth and prestige, is losing a lot of its status.

Why is this happening? Well, there are a lot of reasons. The first, of course, is the whole story behind conflict diamonds – a lot of people were disgusted to learn of the extremely unethical practices that diamond firms engaged in. As observers of the jewellery world, we think it is a great thing that people are showing some conscious choice in what they choose to wear on their fingers and wrists.

That is not the only reason, however. There is also the fact that diamonds are far too expensive, and for no good reason. For years, the diamond cartels told us that diamonds were rare – it turns out that this was a lie. The only reason diamonds are expensive is because diamond firms choose to control and restrict their supply to the market quite heavily, in order to be able to control the prices and increase their profit. It turns out the consumer market is sick of this, and refuses to have anything to do with it.
So what’s next, then? Well, nobody really knows. As pointed out above, a lot of young people are experimenting with unusual choices, like sapphires and rubies. Emeralds are also quite a good choice, with their vivid green hues. All in all, it can only be a good thing that consumers are getting a wider range of choice.