All About Black Diamond: Types, Colors, Description, Origins & Details
Black: the color of class, fashion and drama! That when combined with the lustrous elegance of diamond makes for an irresistible pick. Looking like a stylish diva that is ready to take on the world doesn’t seem tough with a pair of black diamond jewelry. It indeed has a separate place in all of our jewelry boxes. As much as we love styling ourselves thanks to the fashion appeal of black diamond, doesn’t a diamond in lush black color make you a little curious to explore it further? No worries! Our black diamond education guide is here to get you glued right from the history and beliefs to the properties and informative 4 Cs. We address all the basic to not so basic knowledge revolving around black diamond. The increasing hype for black diamond asked for it, isn’t it? Let’s take you to this fun filled discussion.
Properties of Black Diamond
Hardness
The much hailed feature of a Diamond! Having a hardness rating of a perfect 10 on 10 on Moh’s scale, Black diamond is doubtlessly the most durable stone out of all. That’s exactly why it is such a sought after choice of jewelry to be worn on a regular basis. Style and comfort combined!
Luster
Being polys crystalline, the adamantine luster of black diamond is what makes it so alluring. These are known to be opaque.
Colors
What makes a black diamond black? Apart from it being heavily included, it also gets its black color from the presence of graphite. But that doesn’t come in the way of their sparkle. They sparkle just as much as colorless diamond.
Origin & History
How did this gorgeous April birthstone come into picture? What exactly is the history behind it? Is there any story? Let’s give you a glance with our black diamond education guide. Although officially discovered by Brazilians in 1840, the history of black diamond dates back to as early as 2.6 to 3.8 billion years ago. And it has been a captivator of attention ever since with the likes of royalties like Louis XVIII and duke of brunswick proudly flaunting it. And of course, came with it a great deal of historical beliefs attached to it with people of Italy having strong beliefs that it could resolve the conflicts in marriage and of course with diamond comes good fortune has always been the saying. The value for black diamond has been such that Nadia Orlov, a Russian princess, is believed to have sold Black diamond for money during revolution.
Where is Black Diamond found?
Wondering where exactly is black diamond mined today? Let’s give you a look with our black diamond guide. It is commonly found in Brazil followed by South America, Venezuela and Ubangui. Talking about its specific formation, it is usually formed in alluvial deposits along with riverbeds in hard crystallized carbons. Thanks to the presence of graphite in its composition, it has a natural black color.
Natural versus Lab Created Black Diamond
Natural Black Diamond
A natural black diamond is known to take billions of years in its formation. These have not been heat treated and get their natural black color thanks to the presence of graphite. Apart from that, a natural diamond is more heavily included which adds to its dusky appearance and are more in value as well.
Lab Created Black Diamond
More like a heat treated black diamond whose formation doesn’t take much time! After being subjected to heat treatments in labs, a black diamond gets its lustrous black color. Thus, they are colorless in their natural state. These are also less included since are formed in labs.
Black Diamond Quality and Price Filters
Wondering how to buy black diamond jewelry? What to look for while judging the quality of black diamond? Do you know what determines the quality of a black diamond? Its 4 prominent Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat with our black diamond buying guide:
Color
Like any other colored gemstone, color plays an important role in determining the grade of the gemstone. The signature black color of these diamonds arise due to the high number of inclusions. As far as black diamonds are considered, they are expected to have a rich and lustrous black hue and the tone should be uniformly dark throughout. The color of this April birthstone ranges from an evenly hued deep black which is quite rare to medium black to slightly brownish black.
Clarity
In case of Black Diamonds, inclusions are what give them their unique look. The clarity of these gemstones is based on the amount of inclusions. Though desirable yet some inclusions reduce the value of the Black Diamond. The inclusions include pinpoint, indented, chip, feather and cavity. However, while buying a Black Diamond you might need to pay much attention to the clarity factor.
Carat
The weight of black diamonds usually ranges from a minimum of 0.01 to 2 CT in our collection, which has an equivalent impact on its price,
Cut
The overall grade of the Black Diamond can be determined by the Cut offered by skilled cutting. Therefore, any skilled cutter keeps in mind the overall shape, width, depth and faceting of a Black Diamond. For the April Birthstone, there can be many cuts such as round, oval, pear, cushion, marquise etc.
Black Diamond Grading Value
How do you categorize the different qualities of black diamond? These are typically graded on the basis of their color and clarity, the most sought after features of a black diamond. Come, let’s get you well versed with the black diamond grading chart for you to judge your jewelry better:
AAAA
The most sought after, rare and valuable category of black diamond with only top 1 % belonging to this category. Having a jet black color, supreme luster and clarity free of inclusions and scratches, a black diamond belonging to this category is a great find.
AAA
Another rare category with only 1 % of black diamond possessing even saturation, deep black color and good clarity making it to this grading standard of quality.
AA
With top 10 % of black diamond belonging to this category, these possess a medium black color and luster along with slightly included clarity.
A
With 20 % belonging to this category, it is known to possess medium to light black color along with included clarity.
B
With almost 50 % of all diamond belonging to this category, it is more common and lesser in value. It is believed to possess a little less lustrous black color than its counterparts and that’s what makes it not so sought after.
Benefits of Black Diamond
Like we discussed, although the modern discovery of black diamond was in the 1800s, the craze for it is pretty old. A lot older actually and comes with it, not any less old beliefs. Since black is such an expressive color, it comes with its share of ancient beliefs and astrological benefits as well. Take a glance with our black diamond education guide:
Physical Healing
Ever thought style would come with its share of advantages? Well, that’s black diamond physical healing properties for you including help with bleeding problems, strengthening of metabolism, endocrine gland issues and eye sight problems. Pretty versatile, isn’t it?
Emotional Healing
Just like its powerful black color, a black diamond imparts strength and confidence to the wearer. It is known to balance your mind, body and soul along with bringing passion to your life. It has long been believed to bless the wearer with a fearless attitude as well.
Spiritual Benefits
Hailed as a timeless symbol of love, black diamond strenghthens loyalty, love and purity in a relationship. Got an idea why it is such a sought after gift for loved one? It is also believed to keep the wearer away from any kind of negative energies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is an Black Diamond formed?
Like their white counterparts, Black Diamonds are formed under high pressure and temperature subjected carbon which forces to form a crystal lattice. The exceptional black color of these diamonds is owed to the graphite inclusions.
What is difference between lab grown and natural Black Diamonds?
Like most of the gemstones, there is an option to choose between natural and lab-created Black Diamond. One must not confuse “lab grown” with the “fake”. While synthetic is a replica the lab grown is developed in a controlled lab environment.
The color-enhanced black diamonds are mostly same as their natural counterpart, however, the lab-grown black diamonds are found to be comparatively weaker in their crystal structure.
Where do Black Diamonds come from?
Black Diamonds naturally occur in three locations and they are Brazil, the Central African Republic and Kamchatka, Russia. Most of the black diamond are usually found in riverbeds and alluvial deposits.
How to take care of Black Diamond Jewelry?
Black Diamond Jewelry is quite easy to clean due to their hardness and durability. However, a few things must be kept in mind like avoiding contact of the gemstone with make-up, harsh chemicals, abrasives.
While cleaning the jewelry make use of lukewarm water and mild cleaning detergent. Soft toothbrush can be used to clean the underside of the Black Diamond.
Also, the jewelry must be individually kept to avoid contact with other jewelry to avoid unnecessary scratches.
What is a Black Diamond certification?
The most common Black Diamond Certifications includes from GIA, IGS and HRD labs. It is usually a document you receive on the behalf of the aforementioned 3rd party labs which describes an Black Diamond in all of its characteristics.
Each and every party’s defining grounds may defer.
Who is known as black diamond?
Carbonado is famously known as a black diamond, thanks to its natural black color.
What is the birthstone of black diamond?
Black diamond is a famous birthstone of April, making it extra lucky for all the April babies out there.
Are black diamond expensive?
Well it actually depends on the size, cut and weight of the black diamond. In our collection, it ranges from under $ 500 to a maximum of $ 1500 and above.
Conclusion
Grace of diamond combined with the fashion appeal of black, that’s probably what makes for the hype of a black diamond. The trend for this April birthstone is timeless just like its color. We aren’t ever going to get bored of black, are we? And that’s why it becomes all the more important to know your gemstone more. What is or black diamond education guide here for? Covering right from the history and beliefs to the properties and 4 Cs, we have tried to get you well versed with every aspect of this April birthstone. That being said, here we sign off wishing you all the luck in selecting your favorite black diamond jewelry. We hope you had a lot of take away and are a lot better informed.