January’s birthstone, garnet, is known for its impressive variety of eye-catching colors, which can be almost any color of the rainbow. Garnets occur in green (demantoid and tsavorite), orange (spessartine), red (almandine and pyrope), and purplish red (rhodolite), plus a few rare garnets even change color under different types of light. But color is far from a garnet’s only attractive feature.

Pantone recently announced Radiant Orchid as the 2014 Color of the Year. A polar opposite of last year’s color of the year Emerald, this beautiful color “reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

The ever-changing nature of jewelry trends are driven by a number of factors. Right now, rose gold is having its moment in the sun after precious white metals were the color of choice for the past few years. Let’s take a look at why that might be.

In the 2013 GIA Holiday Buying Guide, we’ve talked about diamond jewelry styles and trends, and how to buy diamond jewelry, but as we near the end of the holiday, there is still one significant topic to address: how to buy her something she’ll love.

While holiday jewelry purchases are predominantly for women, many men would love to be on the receiving end of the jewelry-giving. Today, GIA’s Holiday Buying Guide series continues with tips for buying jewelry for men.