words Hannah May

Lustrous, alluring and twinkling with timeless style, diamonds are as coveted now as they've ever been. What's more, diamond wedding rings can be personalised to utterly stunning effect in a number of ultra modern ways, from the design to the colour, shape and setting.

 "We find that lots of people are going for a different metal for the claws to draw attention to the stone with contrasting colours, as well as to keep them safe in a strong setting," says jewellery designer-maker, Justin Duance. His innovative sandcast metal rings make unique and spellbinding settings for diamonds, and he is currently fine-tuning his new diamond and wood inlay ring designs. "Brown diamonds and cognacs are getting much more popular too, which is a great (and cheaper) alternative to the traditional whites if they're not your style," he observes.

"Coming away from a classic white diamond is both unusual and cost-effective," agrees contemporary jeweller, Erin Cox. "Black diamonds (carbonado) are intriguing and much more affordable than their white counterparts. Some geoscientists even theorise that they are extra-terrestrial in origin. Who doesn't want a diamond from outer space?"

"Diamonds can be treated to be many different colours nowadays, but I always prefer to work with natural colours," she adds. "Champagne tones range from pale yellow through to orange or chocolate brown. Putting these together in a medley is particularly satisfying."

Juxtaposing the tones of the diamond and the metal can also create an exquisite finish. "It looks really lovely when the colour of the diamond contrasts with the colour of the metal, for example, rose gold or yellow gold with a white diamond, or cognac diamonds with rose gold," says Justin. "If you'd prefer matching colours, champagne diamonds and white gold harmonise really beautifully - or a traditional white diamond with 18ct white gold with antique polish go together perfectly," he adds.

Nicola Price from Drakes has also observed this latest diamond-wearing trend amongst brides and grooms-to-be. "Platinum and white gold wedding rings are still the most popular choice in 2016 - however, yellow gold bands are growing in popularity."

"Channel set diamond wedding rings are another popular choice as brides-to-be go for something sparkly to sit nicely with their engagement ring," she notes. "And shape-to-fit wedding rings are becoming trendier as more and more couples break away from traditional engagement rings."

1.Drakes www.drakesjewellers.co.uk

2.Michael Spiers www.michaelspiers.co.uk

3.Justin Duance www.justind.co.uk

4.Erin Cox www.erincox.co.uk

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1.Drakes www.drakesjewellers.co.uk 

2.Michael Spiers www.michaelspiers.co.uk 

3.Justin Duance www.justind.co.uk 

4.Erin Cox www.erincox.co.uk