Manish Malhotra’s brides are choosing the brilliance of diamonds, emeralds and rubies over conventional favourites

Here’s the thing: every to-be bride thinks her jewellery will feel timeless. But if you’ve been scrolling through wedding albums from even five years ago, you know “timeless” is a moving target. Manish Malhotra seems to know it too. His high jewellery line is built for the bride who doesn’t want to look back and wonder why she stuck to safe diamonds when colour was right there, waiting.

For this season, Malhotra has zeroed in on emeralds and rubies—the kind of stones that instantly put you in the upper ranks of bridal style. Not as secondary accents, not as a nod to tradition, but as the focal point. Why does that matter? Because today’s brides are balancing two timelines: the one on the wedding day, and the one ten years later when the photos resurface on Instagram (or worse, at a cousin’s sangeet slideshow). 

Colour carries differently. Emeralds and rubies photograph with personality, and they adapt to whatever version of you shows up in the future. A bold emerald choker can frame a blush pink plunging blouse, a ruby cocktail ring can reappear at your first-anniversary party, and you won’t look like you bought pieces only for one night.

Malhotra’s strategy is clear: offer brides pieces that feel heirloom-worthy while staying firmly modern. The emerald and ruby sets in his high jewellery line move past convention, giving you the chance to stand out as a bride who sets the tone for what’s next.

Green light

If you’re leaning green, Malhotra’s emeralds are maximal in the best way. Statement chokers are set with carved Zambian emeralds, edged in diamonds for extra bite. Cocktail rings go big, including a rectangular 44-carat solitaire framed with pavé diamonds, impossible to miss in photos. Floral motifs appear too, with pear-shaped emeralds clustered around diamond centres for brides who like a little softness with their scale. Earrings run the gamut from sculptural carved studs to round, oversized forms with intricate emerald-and-diamond detailing. Each piece underscores the stone’s adaptability, equally convincing as a single statement or layered into a larger bridal set.

Seeing red

Red has always carried bridal weight, but Malhotra’s rubies frame it in a fresher light. The mosaic choker, built from over 110 carats of square-cut rubies, is designed for drama and does not attempt to hide it. A more classic route comes through a diamond necklace anchored by a singular 63-carat ruby pendant—streamlined, bold, and deliberately restrained. For brides drawn to softer shapes, a ruby ring designed like a bloom, with pear-cut petals around a diamond cluster, balances romance with clarity. Earrings push scale with marquise rubies edged in diamonds, ensuring impact from every angle. In Malhotra’s hands, rubies move past tradition to become a colour you can claim as distinctly your own.

Pick your gem

So where does that leave you? If you’re drawn to polish and presence, emeralds are your match. If you lean into grandeur and a little theatre, rubies will deliver. Either way, Malhotra has set the colour code for the season, and it’s less about following rules than about choosing the shade that feels most like you on the day it counts.