Diamond Ruby Emerald 2014 Fashion Wedding Jewelry 119

Diamond Ruby Emerald Fashion Wedding Jewelry.   

By Farzana Aamir

The sentimental Victorians popularized ornate engagement ring designs that mixed diamonds with other gemstones, precious metals and enamels. Often these rings were crafted in the shapes of flowers and were dubbed “posey rings.” Diamond rings crafted during the Edwardian era continued the tradition of pairing diamonds with other jewels, commonly mounted in filigree settings.

Diamonds were too rare and expensive for those of lesser means to afford until the discovery of African diamond mines in the 1870s. The De Beers Company was the sole owner and operator of these newly discovered mines in South Africa. In the 1930s, when demand for diamond rings declined in the U.S. during hard economic times, the De Beers Company began an aggressive marketing campaign using photographs of glamorous movie stars swathed in diamonds. Within three years, the sales of diamonds had increased by 50 percent.