An engagement ring is more than a piece of jewellery — it’s a symbol of love, commitment, and individuality. For generations, couples have chosen the timeless brilliance of diamonds to express enduring devotion. Today, a new trend is enriching this tradition: combining diamonds and coloured gemstones to create designs that are both personal and strikingly beautiful.
At Prins & Prins Diamonds, each creation tells a story of harmony — where natural diamonds meet vivid gems to reflect the wearer’s personality and heritage. Whether you dream of royal blues, romantic pinks, or serene greens, our bespoke Engagement Rings Cape Town collection brings together artistry, authenticity, and emotional meaning.
Choosing the Right Gemstone
Selecting the right gemstone is both an aesthetic and practical decision. While diamonds remain unmatched in hardness (10 on the Mohs scale), many coloured gems are durable enough for daily wear when set with care. Sapphires, rubies, and spinels — ranking between 8 and 9 — are excellent choices for engagement rings, offering lasting beauty and resilience.
Emeralds, tanzanites, and tourmalines, though softer, remain popular for their unique colours and rarity. With expert craftsmanship and protective settings, these gems can be worn confidently for generations.
Each gemstone also carries emotional significance:
- Sapphire — loyalty, truth, and wisdom
- Emerald — harmony, renewal, and love
- Ruby — passion and vitality
- Tanzanite — transformation and self-discovery
- Aquamarine — serenity and trust
At Prins & Prins, our gemmologists personally examine every gemstone for authenticity, quality, and provenance. Every diamond and coloured gem used in our rings is natural, ethically sourced, and certified — ensuring that your engagement ring is as honest as it is beautiful.
Design Considerations: Setting, Balance, and Proportion
Designing a ring that balances diamonds and gemstones requires both technical expertise and an artistic eye. The relationship between colour, proportion, and light defines the final result.
Popular Setting Styles
- Halo setting: A central coloured gemstone surrounded by a halo of diamonds. This enhances brightness and creates a timeless, romantic look.
- Three-stone design: A coloured centre gem flanked by two diamonds — symbolising past, present, and future. It’s a classic choice that tells a story of enduring love.
- Pavé accents: Rows of small diamonds on the band add refined sparkle without overpowering the central gem.
- Hidden halo: A subtle under-gallery of diamonds for a modern touch of brilliance visible only to the wearer.
Proportion is essential. The centre gemstone should command attention while remaining balanced with the surrounding diamonds. Skilled goldsmiths ensure each element is perfectly aligned — from the symmetry of the setting to the precision of each facet’s reflection.
Cape Town’s natural beauty often inspires our designs. The city’s golden sunsets, ocean blues, and vineyard greens are subtly echoed in gemstone combinations — a celebration of local elegance and artistic heritage.
Symbolism and Personal Meaning
No two love stories are the same, and neither are our rings. Combining diamonds with coloured gemstones allows couples to weave personal meaning into their design.
Some choose birthstones that represent each partner; others incorporate heirloom diamonds with a newly selected gem to honour family heritage. A ring featuring a ruby might reflect passion and energy, while a sapphire conveys trust and loyalty. For some, the choice is purely aesthetic — a way to express individuality through colour.
Each combination tells a unique narrative — one that becomes a lifelong heirloom. A diamond’s brilliance symbolises enduring love, while the gemstone adds character, emotion, and depth — a perfect harmony of two elements, just like a relationship itself.
At Prins & Prins, our bespoke design process begins with a conversation. Clients are invited to share their inspirations, whether it’s a vintage motif, a meaningful colour, or a personal story. From there, our designers translate emotion into form — crafting a ring that feels as individual as the bond it represents.
The Prins & Prins Approach
Crafting a diamond and gemstone engagement ring is both an art and a science — one perfected through decades of expertise at Prins & Prins Diamonds.
Located inside Huguenot House, one of Cape Town’s historic landmarks, our workshop combines old-world craftsmanship with modern precision. Every design is brought to life by master goldsmiths and overseen by gemmologists who understand that the smallest detail defines the final masterpiece.
Our team ensures that each natural diamond and gemstone meets strict ethical and quality standards. Every gem is graded and set in-house to maintain integrity, provenance, and artistic cohesion.
Whether clients prefer a classic sapphire halo or a contemporary diamond-and-emerald trilogy, our approach remains the same: create harmony between brilliance, colour, and meaning.Visit our showroom or explore our collection of bespoke Engagement Rings Cape Town to discover how your vision can be transformed into a timeless jewel.
Conclusion: A Ring as Unique as Your Love
A diamond may represent forever, but when paired with a gemstone, it also tells your story. Together, they express not only commitment but also personality — the shared balance of light and colour that defines a relationship.
At Prins & Prins, we believe the most meaningful rings are those created with intention, authenticity, and artistry. Each design is guided by decades of gemmological expertise and inspired by the beauty of Cape Town itself.
Whether you are drawn to the royal elegance of sapphire, the vibrancy of ruby, or the calm of aquamarine, we will help you find the perfect balance of brilliance and hue.
Celebrate your love with a creation that captures both light and life — handcrafted by the experts at Prins & Prins Diamonds, the home of natural beauty in Cape Town.
