Vivid colors and bold designs are the jewelry trends of the season.

Taking the lead from the catwalks of New York, London and Paris, jewelry this season is full of color-from the bold reds and greens of rubies and emeralds or the subtle hues of quartz, it's clear that color is at the top of every designer's agenda. With so many gems to choose from, where do you begin when picking your statement piece of the season at Ultrajewels?

While most of us would be able to identify a ruby, sapphire or emerald, the world of gemology is more complex than first meets the eye. How many of us could pick out morganite, peridot or tanzanite at first sight? Familiar stones are usually recognized by their color. Sapphire, a precious stone, is normally blue but also comes in a vast range of others colors including orange, pink and purple; beryl comes in several forms including emerald, heliodor (yellow), aquamarine (green-blue), and morganite (pink).

One lucky gem that has been upgrated to precious classification is tanzanite. Once a semi-precious stone, it can only be found in Tanzania, Africa, and the cost-per-carat has risen considerably due to depleting sources. A beautiful stone in a deep blue hue with touches of purple, it's certainly deserving of its precious stone title.

Equally as gorgeous as their more valuable counterparts, semi-precious stones comes in many guises. Some of the most commonly known are topaz, quartz and garnet. Orange imperial topaz is highly valuable, but colors ranging from blue and green to pink and red, can be produced by heat treating white quartz.