"We're seeing a shift in much larger center stone engagement rings, primarily as a result of lab-grown diamonds, and sapphires and rubies tend to be very hot," Daga said.
A decade ago, about 5% of engagement rings were colored gemstones, according to Daga.
watch nowIndustry giant Signet Jewelers is seeing the same gemstone trend in the wedding category as well as in fashion pieces.
Beyond engagement rings, Signet said amethyst and ruby are always popular stones for the Valentine's season.
Solidcolours | Istock | Getty ImagesWholesale prices for sapphire gemstones are up 12% per year over the past three years, Daga said.
Persons:
Craig Hastings, Ankur Daga, Daga, Jared, Kay, Signet, Beth Gerstein, Gerstein, Boonyakiat, Tourmalines
Organizations:
Industry, Signet, Getty, Istock, Rolex
Locations:
London, Madagascar, Angara, Kashmir, Sri Lanka, Zambia, Colombian