While black diamonds may have entered our public lexicon when Mr. Big presented Carrie Bradshaw with a black diamond engagement ring in Sex and the City 2 (“because you’re not like anyone else,” he told her), jewelry aficionados have known about this fancy colored gemstone — as well as the appeal of vintage black diamond necklaces, black diamond bracelets and other black diamond jewelry — for centuries.
Black diamonds seem especially appropriate around Halloween, that most spooky day of the year, but there’s really never a time when the gem isn’t fashionable. In fact, some women prefer black diamond jewelry accessories set with other diamonds.
Usually a black diamond is faceted and either used as an accent or, if it is a solitaire, then it has been treated by a combination of high heat and low pressure to bring out its opaque black color. While they may look exotic, black diamonds are less expensive than white diamonds and are not held to the same standards — in other words, the 4Cs diamond grading system will not apply.
Black diamonds fall into the “fancy diamond” or more specifically, “fancy black” category. These gemstones are appreciated for their unusual color and appearance instead. In their natural state, they resemble something that fell out of the sky, or emerged from the Earth’s core. Carbonados are most often found either in Brazil or in Central Africa.
A black diamond known as the Korloff Noir, originally 421 carats before it was cut and polished down to 88 carats, was shown in recent years at the international diamond shows and is being praised as the largest black diamond on the market today.
Find a range of antique, new and vintage black diamond jewelry on 1stDibs.
