By Deborah Yonick, jewelry style expert

The most memorable looks on the red carpet at the 72nd Golden Globe Awards in Hollywood Jan. 11 were adorned in color gemstones and pearls. While there was a sea of classic white diamond jewelry accessorizing the abundance of silver and sequin/beaded gowns on hand, the standouts were by far those wearing stunning, vivid color—from the precious gem trio to peridot, amethyst and citrine.

Bigger, bolder looks lead jewelry trends on the red carpet, with color stones offering enormous opportunity to capture the imagination in statement designs. Among the most talked about were Emily Blunt (Best Actress nominee for Into The Woods ) in Lorraine Schwartz Paraiba tourmaline and diamond platinum earrings and bracelet—the perfect pop against her white Michael Kors Grecian gown; and presenter Lupita Nyong'o in Chopard amethyst (nearly 30 carats) and peridot (over 8 carats) earrings in 18K gold, a great color combination and striking match to her purple and white Giambattista Valli embroidered silk gown.

Another dynamic duo in color was found in a dazzling Chopard ring that E! correspondent Maria Menounos flashed, pairing pear shapes of tanzanite (7.42 carats) and rubellite (5.88 carats) in 18K gold with diamonds. Allowing for big color without big prices, quartz gems have long been a designer favorite, with some great examples seen at this year's Golden Globes on Patricia Arquette (Best Supporting Actress for Boyhood ) in Fred Leighton 1940s citrine gold cocktail ring; and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Best Actress nominee for Veep ) in Irene Neuwirth moonstone drop gold earrings and blue moonstone gold ring.

Blues, Reds & Greens

Sapphire remains one of the most popular color stones on and off the red carpet, and at this year's Globes there were a lot of divas donning the gem in both blue and fancy colors, including Cindy Crawford in sapphire (22 carats) and diamond platinum earrings by Harry Winston; Claire Danes (Best Actress nominee for Homeland ) in sapphire cluster earrings, ring and bracelet by Lorriane Schwartz; Katherine Heigl in Neil Lane sapphire and diamond platinum ring and bracelet; Maura Tierney ( The Affair ) in huge sliced sapphire drop earrings totaling 80 carats set in diamonds and 18K black gold by Sutra; and Michelle Monaghan (Best Supporting Actress nominee for True Detective ) in Irene Neuwirth sapphire and green tourmaline 18K rose gold earrings.

Monaghan also was one of several Irene Neuwirth fans wearing labradorite, big in the designer's latest collection. She sported two 18K gold and diamond pavé rings, one set with 20mm rose cut labradorite, the other with a hexagon labradorite. While Ruth Wilson (Best Actress for The Affair ) wore a ring set with square checkerboard cut labradorite and another with lightning ridge black opal. And during the awards show telecast Golden Globe Mistress of Ceremonies, Amy Poehler, wore a stunning Irene Neuwirth necklace with mixed shape rose cut labradorite and diamonds set in 18K rose and white gold.

However, rubies and emeralds continue to nab attention on the red carpet, no matter the season. Among the best looks for Globe trotters in these classic precious stones were spied on Helen Mirren (Best Actress nominee for The Hundred Foot Journey ) in Chopard ruby (over 9 carats) and diamond 18K gold earrings atop her dazzling red Dolce & Gabbana; and Anna Kendrick ( Into the Woods ) in assorted Fred Leighton, including 1960s ruby and diamond pendant earrings, and antique ruby and diamond rings. Also in Fred Leighton, Rosamund Pike (Best Actress nominee for Gone Girl ) in Art Deco emerald and diamond platinum ring; and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Best Actress for The Honorable Woman ) in a 19th century emerald, ruby, enamel, and diamond snake cuff.

Retro Rules

Black onyx, too, is another red carpet darling with vintage flare, as demonstrated in the exotic Neil Lane onyx and lapis chandelier earrings worn by Katherine Heigl; Neil Lane onyx and gold chandelier earrings, and onyx and pearl gold ring adorning Jennifer Aniston (Best Actress nominee for Cake ); and the Fred Leighton antique 9-carat onyx and diamond platinum ring styling Golden Globe Mistress of Ceremonies , Tina Fey.

Red carpet fashion embraces a mix of retro, contemporary and exotic styles as these stars epitomize in their accessories: Allison Tolman in pieces from Craig Evan Small, provided by lovegold.com, including 1940s ruby and diamond cuff, retro sapphire and diamond bangle, 1960s peridot and diamond link bracelet, and rings from the early 1900s and 1950s set with sapphire, ruby and aquamarine. Fashion Police maven Kelly Osbourne in jewels from Platt Boutique, provided by lovegold.com, including antique sapphire and ruby diamond rings.

A chameleon gem, the pearl remains a red carpet staple, with some fresh, fun examples adorning the likes of Lena Dunham (Best Actress nominee for Girls ) in South Sea pearl ring and bangle bracelets in 18K gold by Irene Neuwirth; and Poehler's red carpet jewels from Beladora, including 11mm South Sea pearl drop and diamond necklace and 15.5mm South Sea pearl and diamond ring. She also rocked a Tiffany signed pink sapphire (30 carats) and diamond “Cobblestone” bracelet and vintage 1925 sapphire and diamond bracelet.

If white diamonds are a girl's best friend, color diamonds sets that girl apart, with one of the biggest red carpet WOWs that night worn by Laura Carmichael, ( Downton Abbey ) in Chopard radiant cut yellow diamond stud earrings (10.54 carats), and yellow diamond bracelet (27.03-carats) with 42 radiant cut diamonds, both set in 18K yellow gold.

Not exclusive to the leading ladies, the men on the red carpet also impressed in gem-set accessories including Hip Hop artist Common, who received a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for Selma, wearing Fred Leighton Art Deco carved moonstone elephant and diamond jabot; presenter Matthew McConaughey sported Bvlgari-Bvlgari High Jewelry blank onyx and diamond gold cufflinks; and Colin Firth ( Kingsman: The Secret Service ) in pearl platinum shirt studs and David Oyelowo (Best Actor nominee for Selma ) in black onyx and diamond platinum studs, both by Neil Lane.

The variety in color gemstones provides a spectrum of options to fashion big, bold red carpet ready jewels that will make headlines in your neighborhood!