What A Gem

Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but for girls who want to invest, gems may be their best bet yet. After all, "Charles Tiffany (who founded Tiffany & Co in 1837) was not only known as king of diamonds, he was also known as the king of coloured gemstones," says Tiffany & Co's chief gemologist and vice president Melvyn Kirtley.

Historically, the brand has had the privilege of uncovering the sources of rare coloured gemstones thanks to Tiffany's most revered gemologist George Frederick Kunz. In 1876, Kunz sold an exceptional tourmaline to founder Charles Lewis Tiffany, who later hired Kunz and set him on a lifelong quest for the most extraordinary gemstones for Tiffany's clientele. Some of the finest are known as the Tiffany Legacy gemstones - kunzite, morganite, tanzanite, tsavorite plus Montana sapphires and turquoise.

Mr Kirtley, who was in town in early April for "Vivid Dreams, The Extraordinary Colors of Tiffany" - a special high jewellery collection - has had a long and illustrious career with Tiffany & Co. He speaks passionately of the brand's DNA in coloured gems: "For us, it's really introducing the rarest and the very finest coloured gemstones to our customers in ways that they find appealing, wearable and collectable."