Coloured gemstone engagement rings celebrate individuality through rich, delicate and changing hues. Explore lab-grown sapphires, emeralds, rubies and alexandrite in platinum and gold, with settings from refined solitaires to halos and trilogy designs. Each gemstone has its own colour character and care considerations, making the choice of centre stone as personal as the ring's silhouette.
Lab grown sapphires, rubies, emeralds and alexandrites have the same essential chemical composition and crystal structure as their natural counterparts, but are grown in controlled conditions rather than mined. They are not simply coloured imitations of those gemstones. Individual stones can still differ in colour, clarity and appearance, so choose the material and the particular stone together.
Sapphire offers a palette from deep blue to pink, yellow and pink-orange padparadscha tones. Emerald provides a green centre, ruby brings red, and alexandrite changes appearance with the light. Compare photographs or video in different lighting to judge the colour you will enjoy wearing. In our Aquamarine Blue and Morganite Pink ranges, those names describe sapphire colours: the stones are sapphire, not aquamarine or morganite beryl.
Round gemstone rings give the centre a balanced outline, while oval gemstone rings add softly elongated curves. Emerald-cut gemstone rings offer a rectangular outline with stepped facets. Emerald cut describes the shape, not the gemstone: an emerald-cut ring need not contain a green emerald.
A gemstone solitaire leaves the centre as the main focus. A halo adds a visible frame, a trilogy creates a three-stone composition, and shoulder-set designs introduce detail along the band. Check the material and dimensions of any accent stones separately from the centre.
Carat measures weight, not the area visible on your hand. Different gemstone materials and cutting proportions can produce different dimensions at the same weight. Compare length and width in millimetres, the band width and the full setting. A halo adds to the outline without changing the centre stone's weight. Check which size appears in the photographs and examine the side profile for setting height and wedding-band clearance.
Platinum and white gold create a pale frame around colour; yellow gold introduces warmth, while rose gold adds a pink tone. Compare the same gemstone in the metals available for your preferred design. Consider the band and claws as well as the centre, and confirm ring size and wedding-band fit before ordering.
For a different combination, explore our bespoke ring service. Our team can discuss the options, price and timing for your chosen design, or help you compare rings at our London showroom or Manchester showroom.
Sapphire and ruby resist scratching well, but no gemstone or setting is immune to damage. Emerald generally requires more care around impact and cleaning. Alexandrite also needs protection from hard knocks. Hardness describes scratch resistance, not every aspect of durability; the selected stone, any treatments and the mounting all matter.
Remove your ring for sport or heavy manual work and follow the care advice for the complete piece. Our emerald engagement ring guide explains emerald-specific care. For a closer look at the blue range, read our blue sapphire engagement ring guide.
Diana frames an oval lab grown blue sapphire with a visible halo of lab grown diamonds. Its 950 platinum setting and 2.50mm band create a different composition from a three-stone ring: the diamonds surround the centre rather than sitting only at its sides.
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Louella pairs an oval lab grown emerald with two lab grown diamond side stones in 18ct yellow gold. The trilogy leaves the green centre unframed by a halo, while its 1.70mm band is slimmer than the specified Diana band.
View this designA lab grown ruby, sapphire, emerald or alexandrite has the same essential composition and crystal structure as its natural counterpart. Laboratory-grown origin is different from mined origin and should be stated clearly. A simulant only imitates another gemstone's appearance and is a different material.
Sapphire and ruby are resistant to scratching; emerald generally needs more care around knocks and cleaning. Alexandrite can also suit a ring worn regularly, with appropriate care. Choose for your routine as well as colour, and follow the advice for the selected stone and setting. No ring should be treated as damage-proof.
No. Material density, shape and cutting proportions affect the dimensions. Use length and width in millimetres to compare the centres, then check the full setting and band. Centre-stone weight and total weight including accents describe different things.
Available metals, centre sizes and design options vary by ring. Our team can explain the choices for your preferred design or discuss a bespoke enquiry. Confirm feasibility, ring size, the complete price and expected timing before ordering rather than assuming every combination is available.
Consultations are available at our London and Manchester showrooms. Contact the team with the gemstone and designs you are considering so they can confirm which samples are available for your visit. This allows you to compare colour, proportions and settings without assuming every online option is held in each showroom.
We’re proud to be recognised consistently by the UK jewellery industry’s leading awards programmes. In 2026, Lily Arkwright has been shortlisted for Branded Boutique of the Year at the Professional Jeweller Awards and Bridal Jewellery Retailer of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards, reflecting our continued commitment to exceptional customer service, product innovation, and ethical craftsmanship.
These latest nominations build on previous industry recognition, including being shortlisted for Bridal Jewellery Retailer of the Year at the 2025 UK Jewellery Awards and Independent Retailer of the Year at the Professional Jeweller Awards 2025. We were also finalists for Retail Team of the Year at both the Retail Jeweller Awards and Professional Jeweller Awards in 2024, recognising the passion, expertise, and dedication of our team.
We’re honoured to be recognised for helping thousands of couples find the perfect engagement rings and wedding rings, with a strong focus on choice, transparency, and personalisation. As an award-winning jeweller, we remain committed to delivering exceptional service, exceptional craftsmanship, and responsibly sourced lab-grown diamonds, moissanite, and natural diamonds, ensuring every customer can find a ring that perfectly reflects their love story.
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Read moreIf the ring will be worn every day, we'd start by considering the gemstone's durability alongside the colour you love. Sapphire and ruby are both forms of corundum and are highly resistant to scratching, whereas emeralds can be more vulnerable to knocks. Alexandrite offers a fascinating colour-change effect. No gemstone is completely impact-proof, so we'd look at the chosen cut and setting too. Our lab-grown sapphire engagement rings are a useful starting point if you want colour with excellent scratch resistance.
Yes. A correctly identified lab-grown emerald, ruby or sapphire is a genuine example of that gemstone, with the same essential mineral composition as its mined counterpart. The distinction is its origin. Sapphire and ruby are both corundum, whereas emerald belongs to the beryl family, so their characteristics and care needs differ. We're happy to explain those differences and help you compare colours without treating every lab-grown gemstone as if it were the same material.
Gemstones interact with light in different ways. An alexandrite can show a particularly noticeable colour change between daylight and warmer indoor lighting, while some sapphires, rubies and emeralds simply appear lighter, darker or warmer. We'd recommend viewing the selected stone under more than one light source, especially if you love a very specific shade. Your precious-metal choice matters too, as yellow and rose gold create a different frame from platinum or white gold.
A coloured lab-grown diamond remains diamond, while a sapphire, emerald or ruby is a different mineral with its own optical character and care requirements. If it's the colour you're drawn to, we'd suggest comparing actual stones rather than deciding by gemstone name alone. A rich blue sapphire may look very different from a blue diamond with similar dimensions, for example. Our coloured lab-grown diamond rings offer another way to explore colour.
We'd choose the setting around the particular gemstone rather than apply one rule to them all. Emeralds, for instance, merit a little extra thought about protection from impacts, while pointed shapes need careful support regardless of material. A bezel covers more of the stone's perimeter, whereas claws make more of the outline visible. We'd also check the height of the basket and how the ring will sit next to a wedding band, especially for everyday wear.
Our jewellery specialists would be delighted to help you compare designs at our London or Manchester showrooms, or in a virtual consultation.
