Rather than bring on a headache following the rise and fall of gold prices, the jitters on the financial front have given girls an excuse to flirt with other baubles.
Semi-precious stones like topaz and quartz are making their rounds in jewellery collections.

At Lee Hwa Jewellery, they are stealing the limelight in four out of the six collections for the spring/summer 2009 range.

Kean Ng, assistant business director of Aspial-Lee Hwa Jewellery, notices that more customers are picking out such pieces at the chain's 26 outlets compared to last year.

'This is because the price of large coloured stone jewellery is still within the reach of most people', he said, adding that prices start from $1,209.

One of the leading jewellery chains here, Lee Hwa will be showcasing its collection on the 100m-long catwalk outside Ngee Ann City and Wisma Atria today to kick off Orchard Reloaded - a 21-day event to rebrand Orchard Road as Singapore's premier retail belt.

Urban susses out these gorgeous gems and shows you that all that glitters is not always gold.

COLOUR YOUR WORLD

Hot looks: Bold sparkling tones add drama to your digits - from the zesty blue of topaz to the regal violet flush of the amethyst.

The glittering accents of diamonds and the coloured stones' oversized shapes make these pieces heirloom-worthy.

Best worn with: Anything from the little black dress to a flowing evening gown for that glam factor.

For the latter, opt for either complementary or matching colours to your stone.

Just do not commit supermodel Heidi Klum's fashion faux pas: She turned up at this year's Oscars decked out in American jeweller Lorraine Schwartz's blackened platinum, diamond and coral pieces and a crimson Roland Mouret slit dress, looking like a gypsy vagabond.

Clockwise from top: Citrine and 18-carat white gold ring; blue topaz and 18-carat white gold ring; amethyst and 18-carat white gold ring; smoky quartz and 18-carat rose gold ring

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times.