Diamonds

Standard clear diamonds can have some degree of tint to them. In many cases the yellowish to brownish tint can only be seen under magnification. Other diamonds have strong hues and are labeled as colored or fancy diamonds. Green diamonds are the result of a clear diamond being exposed to radiation over a long period of time. Red or pink diamonds happen with a clear diamond receives extremely high pressure during its formation.

Other color diamonds are born when elements such as hydrogen, nitrogen and boron are present during formation. Hydrogen present during formation can cause the diamond to be violet. Nitrogen creates warm shades of yellow and orange. Boron makes diamonds blue.

Today the black diamond is growing in popularity and its formation may be the most spectacular of all. The black appearance of the diamond comes from fissures inside the diamond forming in a crossed pattern filled with sulfides. The black diamonds are classified according to the intensity of the color. Charcoal is a pale black. Gun metal is a bright black. Ink is a dull black.

The carbonado is a variety of the black diamond that is found in Brazil. Due to its irregular shape and frequent flaws it is used more in drills than jewelry. Some of the stones are used in jewelry, but their properties make them difficult to polish and the finish typically looks dull.

These black diamonds don't seem to follow the same stages of formation that created the standard whites and fancy diamonds. In recent years scientists have been taking a closer look at the black diamonds and have reached some out-of-this-world conclusions. By analyzing the hydrogen levels in the black diamond, a group of scientists believes that black diamonds were formed during the explosion of a supernova in outer space.

The scientists feel that the black diamonds reached the earth's surface as part of meteorites. Because black diamonds are only found in Brazil and the Central African Republic, there distribution does seem to correlate with meteorite impacts.

Like the famous blue diamond, the Hope Diamond, there are well-known black diamonds. The Black Orlov has 67.5 carats. The Black Star of Africa is an impressive 202 carats. But by far the largest black diamond is a stunning natural stone known as the Spirit of de Grisogono. It weighs in at 312.24 carats. It is the 5th largest diamond of any color in the world. It is mounted in an unimaginable white gold setting with 702 white diamonds which total an additional 36.69 carats.

While the Spirit of de Grisogono is a natural black diamond, most of the black diamonds in use today in jewelry are diamonds that have been treated with radiation to give them a black appearance. They are actually a very dark green. Natural black diamonds have a high level of inclusions that make them very subject to fractures and difficult to cut, polish and finish.

Today the jewelry industry is embracing the enhanced black diamond. By treating a white diamond to give it a black appearance, the jeweler can control the uniformity of the color and have a diamond that will cut and finish into a quality stone. But with their outer space mystique natural black diamonds have a certain hold on the public's imagination.