Bridal jewelry maker Kirk Kara is going green this year with the introduction of a diamond and tsavorite (green garnet) engagement set. Unveiled at JCK Las Vegas, the style is part of its popular Dahlia collection, and features four marquise cuts of tsavorite (among other stones) versus the two set in the original look of this particular SKU.

“It has more of a leafy floral design rather than flowers incorporated in an antique-style setting,” explains Grace Terezian, the company’s codesigner and sales and marketing director. Plus, the company has found that when somebody loves color, they really love color. “We get a stronger response when there’s more color on a ring,” Terezian adds. Orders for looks like this tend to come from tropical places like Hawaii where wearers favor floral designs featuring grassy-colored accents.

Named for its founder (Terezian’s father), the eponymous design firm opted for tsavorite instead of emeralds for durability; emeralds can be fragile, thus compromising the integrity of rings worn daily. “Tsavorite is the most sturdy of the stones that are green in color,” she says.

The rings are shipping now to retailer accounts, and Kirk Kara aims to add the style to its own online inventory of images in September, the same time the SKU will appear in advertorial efforts on the TheKnot.com.

Though the company has had what it calls an “awesome response” to the style—along with a handful of orders for the tsavorite SKU—most retailers ordered the ring in all diamond, says Terezian. “Retailers are conservative,” she explains. “For looks this unusual, the consumer is the driving force in showing retailers that this is the color they want. We are eager to see the consumer response come September.”

Hand-engraved engagement semi-mount and matching band from the Kirk Kara Dahlia collection in 18k gold with 0.05 ct. t.w. diamonds and 0.40 ct. t.w. marquise-cut green tsavorite, and 0.04 ct. t.w. diamonds and 0.40 ct. t.w. tsavorite; $2,830 and $2,030

JCK