With its stunningly broad range of colours, bright vitreous lustre and almost-unmatched durability, there truly is a sapphire for everyone. This stone runs the spectrum from hot pink to deep indigo, through yellows, oranges, greens and its most famous shade: blue. Sapphire is notable for its colour zoning, which allows different colours to meet and mingle in a single stone – so even when you think you have a sapphire pinned, new light can unveil a whole new aspect to these stunning stones.

More expensive than a diamond per carat and absolutely arresting in its vivid beauty, the ruby is one of the most prized materials on earth – and it has a secret. This red stone is the sister stone of sapphire, and shares its high lustre, excellent durability and perfect suitability for daily wear. Treasured by kings and warriors alike, its allure is almost magical.

Known as ‘the great imitator’, it’s only relatively recently that spinel has come into its own as a gemstone – because for much of history, it was mistaken for sapphire and ruby. But unlike its more famous cousins, spinel can offer exceptional value per carat, and often displays clear, vivid colours. With a hardness of 8 on the Mohs scale, it’s more than suitable for everyday wear. 

From vibrant reds through to rich, dark purples and blues, spinel is a versatile stone with a bright lustre.

Lovers of colour are often drawn to tourmaline, because this stone combines variety, vibrancy and value. While some stones – in particular the electric blue paraiba tourmaline – can break the bank, most shades of this stone are more affordable than sapphires in similar colours. And the playful bi-colour tourmaline – like the pink and green watermelon tourmaline – has long been the cool girl’s go-to gemstone.