Black Diamond Engagement Rings

Far less common than their clear counterparts, black diamonds are a stunning way to have that really special piece of jewellery. If you want to turn the heads of everyone in the room, just stretch out your hand and show them a black diamond engagement ring. You'll be the centre of attention in minutes!

Originating mainly in Brazil and the Central African Republic, these particular diamonds are one of the rarer colours of the world's most famous gemstone, but strictly speaking are not actually black. They have small defects in the internal structure of the stone, giving them the appearance of being black. As they are so rare, they are usually more expensive than clear diamonds, but are so striking and unusual that they are worth every penny. They are often set on their own in an engagement ring, but are more commonly used as a centrepiece, with smaller clear diamonds around them to contrast with the black.

It is quite common to find these stunning and unusual diamonds in men's wedding rings nowadays, as they are seen as less feminine than clear diamonds.

Most people have never actually seen black diamonds, and so don't realise how beautiful they can look when set properly. It is well worth looking around the jewellery shops, or browsing some web sites to see a few examples of how they look when set into rings. This can help you to appreciate them more.

When setting a black diamond ring, a jeweller will often use platinum or titanium instead of the more traditional yellow or white gold. The reason for this is that the brighter colours of platinum and titanium contrast more with the dark colour of the diamond, creating a more impressive piece of jewellery.

The world's largest cut black diamond is the Spirit of de Grisogono Diamond, which is the fifth largest diamond in the world. It weighed 587 carats (around 117 grams) before being cut, and was 312.24 carats (around 62.45 grams) after cutting. It was set into a black diamond ring with over 700 smaller white diamonds.

The most famous black diamond is the Amsterdam Diamond, which weighs 33.74 carats (around 6.75 grams). It has 145 faces, and has been cut to a pear shape from a rough diamond of 55.58 carats. In 2001 it was sold for $352,000 (US Dollars), which is the highest price ever paid for a black diamond at an auction. Apart from the difficulty in finding such large stones, most of us could never afford anything this large. However, black diamonds have become very popular in recent years, and are available in many high-street retailers at prices that most people can afford. The rise of on-line jewellers has brought the price down considerably.

Read more about black diamond rings and see some examples of these beautiful stones at A Diamond Ring For You.