| I'm sure there must be some females who never | | | | This is why cocktail rings can be such fun. |
| wear any jewellery through choice, but I | | | | What differentiates a modern cocktail ring from |
| personally have never met them. Ask any | | | | other rings is the size of the focal stone. This |
| woman whether she prefers gold to platinum, or | | | | needs to be 3 carats or above in order to truly |
| what her favourite gemstone is and she usually | | | | dazzle the beholder. The stone can be a precious |
| will not have to think for long before answering. | | | | gem like ruby, amethyst, or aquamarine, or |
| She may not own any of these, but she will | | | | semi-precious, like topaz or crystal. A third kind is |
| know what she likes. | | | | the man-made cubic zirconium, which can look |
| Fortunately, with the range of cocktail jewellery | | | | great in the right colour, but if the stone is too |
| available today, and so many highly convincing and | | | | large, it will not look convincing. More traditional |
| affordable imitation gems, there is no reason why | | | | styles often contain more than one stone. |
| any girl should not own just a little bit of 'bling' for | | | | Interestingly the demand for the big and flashy |
| that special prom night or party. Twenty years | | | | has not translated to earring tastes and to offset |
| ago, fake jewellery might well have been frowned | | | | the glitterati effect of the modern cocktail ring, |
| upon but nowadays it is the norm - in fact, the | | | | rather more subdued earrings, such as crystal |
| rage. Apart from the advantage of not having to | | | | earrings are often the style of choice. These also |
| rob a bank to buy it, costume jewellery is far less | | | | go well with more traditional cocktail rings |
| likely to be stolen, and, if it were, you would | | | | There is a growing demand for vintage cocktail |
| almost be inclined to feel sorry for the burglar, or | | | | jewellery at the moment, particularly art deco |
| laugh at his stupidity. And replacing it would not | | | | rings featuring bold, geometric designs and |
| cause you any real hardship. | | | | contrasting colours and these have more |
| Some modern reproduction jewellery is so | | | | investment value, so if you are looking for |
| well-made that it is hardly discernible from the real | | | | something more traditional, or searching for the |
| thing. Gold plating can look quite convincing at a | | | | antique of the future, you might want to check |
| glance and some stones would take a jeweller's | | | | out your local auction rooms for a bargain. |
| loupe to confirm their provenance. Since the | | | | Alternatively, you might want to buy a loose |
| purpose of a modern cocktail ring is to bedazzle | | | | gemstone to replace a stone in a traditional |
| by its size and stunning setting, genuine stones | | | | surround, but, if this appeals to you, be sure to do |
| would be prohibitively expensive - and you would | | | | your homework first and only buy from a reliable |
| live in fear of losing it every time you wore it! | | | | source. |