Black Diamond Rings
Black is quite an unusual color to use for exquisite pieces of jewelry like rings. Western culture embraces the color as sexy, classy, elegant and even powerful. Orchestras don black costumes when performing; ‘formal wear’ at dinners and functions often dictate that men, especially, have a spot of black somewhere on their clothes – usually in the form of tuxedos, pants and shoes.
Diamonds have long found a home in jewelry or just as pure keepsakes. Black diamonds, however muddled and double-faced in meaning, are no exception. Black diamonds have been used for necklaces, bracelets and rings, slowly at first, but now they are beginning to gain momentum as more people become aware and have taken a liking to them. Even men are interested in such rings for themselves because black diamond rings do not have the flashy appeal of clear or colorful rings that are deemed inappropriate for men.
But how did black diamonds come to be?
There are several theories surrounding the formation of black diamonds, but several parties claim that the color manifested when the molecular structure of the diamond – the strongest in the world, which means diamond can cut through almost everything – becomes infused with carbon, which lends the stone its color; hydrogen; and countless tiny, bonded crystals, and that this mutation occurred due to an asteroid crash millions of years ago. It is said that it was first found in Portugal in the 1800s by a group of miners and scientists. Today, black diamonds are mostly mined in Africa, Australia, Brazil and Venezuela.
Black diamonds have grown in usage, favored by men and women both. But why is it so? Here are some of the reasons:
High contrast
As anyone with even the most basic sense of color coordination should know, the achromatic colors – black and white – provide the highest and most versatile contrast of all. Not only does black deliver a strong punch all on its own, but it can also stand with other colors like silver – a close, albeit shiny, cousin to white – gold, blue, green and almost any color you can think of. Of course, the darker the complementary color the lower the contrast will be. However that is not a cause for much concern when it comes to black diamonds and the metal rings into which they are set.
Why not? Well, that might be because the metals used to make rings are of a limited color palette themselves. Most rings are silver, gold (or a variation of it, like white gold or yellow gold), platinum or titanium: all colors that are bright, close to white – or almost-white, due to their good reflectance – and contrast well with black. And when that black sheen comes from a diamond…well, that’s even more perfect, isn’t it?
This means that your black diamond ring will not only steal the limelight from most other rings for being unique and high contrast, but it will also blend well with your attire without looking too flashy (though this creates a bit of a paradox, the reasons for this will be explained later). At least now you or your partner will no longer need to worry about matching your outfits to your rings, yes?
Solid Color
Perhaps the most commandeering aspect of black diamond rings is that the diamonds are opaque, rather than translucent like most diamonds. There are more transparent ones, too, but these are much rarer and much, much more expensive – and they will never reach the clarity possessed by other diamonds.
This unique trait makes black diamonds all the more valuable; in fact, they can be valued at much higher prices than even the more conventional white and yellow diamonds! This opacity, coupled by the rarity of black diamonds to begin with, make black diamond rings a real treasure should you ever purchase one.
Little to No Sparkle
Its solid color – black – is the best light absorber there is. It is also a poor reflector, which means that natural black diamond rings stand little to no chance of blinding anyone’s eyes with their sparkling. In fact, natural black diamonds have no sparkle: it’s a part of their charm. The black diamond rings are like chasms or voids that swallow light. They demand attention that way, unlike their light-reflecting cousins.
Some women might be turned off by the lack of sparkle, but men have a special interest in black diamond rings for that same reason. While it is fine for – and even expected of – a woman to wear flashy accessories, men who do so are considered too feminine and definitely out of place. Black diamond rings fix the dilemma of ring-wearing men perfectly: they do not sparkle, therefore they are not flashy, not exceedingly feminine (although they can be, depending on how you interpret them: only by the color, or by the design of the ring as a whole?), and very suitable for men.
However if you still want that glitter and sparkle in your black diamond ring, not all hope is lost. There really are black diamond rings that sparkle, with a catch: they aren’t really black diamonds to begin with. Instead, these are synthetic black diamonds, which basically means that they were once colored diamonds which have been enhanced in laboratories to make their colors morph into black. These black diamonds are black post-enhancement, while retaining the polished and sparkling look of colored diamonds.
Conclusion
Black diamonds are the rarest of all those in the diamond family (except perhaps red diamonds), and they are extremely special at that. This makes them a very expensive investment. The controversy surrounding their color must also be considered if you are getting a black diamond ring for another person, so do some subtle prodding to find out if that person favors or disfavors the thought of getting one – or you can persuade him or her to learn the history of the metal and accept it for what it is. If you do get one, remember to get a certificate of authenticity for it to prove that it really is what it is: a black diamond ring.