Some jewelers may balk at the idea of color for bridal but brides today don’t.

While the idea of a white wedding is still the majority view, the trend toward color—in everything from gowns to jewelry—is one of the strongest in the bridal industry. Research debunks jewelers’ long-held myths that bridal automatically means diamonds, and that selling anything else could hamper profits.

Right now, about 5 percent of women, according to research from 2° Freedom, London, prefer a little color on their big day, and not necessarily as a cost-saving measure. Some colored gemstones are an affordable option to diamonds—2° research shows that gemstone rings, such as tourmaline with diamond accents, cost an average of 24 percent less than diamond-only engagement rings (which cost an average of $1,901). But the precious variety—featuring emerald, ruby, or sapphire with diamond accents—cost an average of 54 percent more than diamond-only pieces.