Black Diamond, the favorite of jewelers that remained in the shadow of other precious stones for so long time, today sets its own fashion. This gemstone looks luxuriously in the frame of white gold or platinum; it harmoniously pairs with the Colorless and Yellow Diamonds and is very popular among lovers of spectacular jewelry. But a few decades ago, almost nothing was known about the Black Diamond in the jewelry world.
Deep black color and excellent purity are not all the requirements that this gem must meet to become a Diamond. The concept of a Black Diamond includes several ranges: Dark Diamond chips which are waste from the extraction of more valuable varieties of a Diamond, Carbonado (Carbo; from Latin means coal) which has a polycrystalline and porous structure, and, finally, Pique Diamond, a stone with a single crystal structure and lots of impurities. It is the latter that is used in jewelry and turns into unusual Black Diamond.
Black Diamonds were first discovered in Brazil and a bit later in South Africa. Curiously, the deposits of these stones always have their own geography and never coexist with deposits of other Diamonds. This fact indicates their different origins. There are two theories about the origin of Black Diamonds. According to one of them, stones could appear on Earth along with falling meteorites formed because of an explosion. Another version said that Black Diamonds could come to the surface during volcanic eruptions. But the scientists are unanimous only in one thing: Black Diamond which is almost 4 billion years older than its colorless counterparts is one of the most amazing and unusual minerals on our planet!
What are the features of a Black Diamond? Carbonado has a polycrystalline structure that does not allow its use in jewelry while Pique Diamond has a single-crystal one. The black color of the stone is explained by graphite available which is supposedly part of the stone, and by such compounds as Magnetite and Hematite. Due to many inclusions, Black Diamonds are almost completely opaque devoid of the usual shine and sparkle, unlike other gemstones. From the time of the stone discovery until the middle of the last century, the Black Diamond, in principle, was not considered as a jewelry stone and a precious one. Such stone was perceived as ordinary waste during excavations and was used solely in technical purposes.
The path to the world of Black Diamond jewelry was opened by the ambitious jewelry designer Fawaz Gruosi, the founder of de Grisogono Jewelry House. Once having seen a Black Diamond at one of the jewelry catalogs, he decided to purchase a whole batch of stones. Their cost was low at that time, but Gruosi used the occasion of buying many unpopular stones at a ridiculous price. His first three, test-made pieces of jewelry with Black Diamonds had enormous success. Two years later the Black Diamond became a symbol of the jewelry house de Grisogono and one of the most expensive stones. After the next collection release, the price of Black Diamonds soared more than 20 times in an instant.
Today, the price of a Black Diamond weighing about 1 carat, having excellent features and GIA certified, can reach up to $3,000. For example, the largest Black Diamond in the world - the Nameless Dark Carbonado, weighing 489 carats, has been sold for $ 1.5 million at auction. The largest single-crystal Black Diamond Amsterdam weighs 33.74 carats. In 2001, it was sold at Christie’s auction in Geneva for $ 352 thousand.
Black Diamond is a mysterious and coveted gem. It is usually considered as a man’s stone: it surprisingly emphasizes male severity and elegance making him more mysterious and attractive. But this does not mean that the stone is banned for women. Many fashionistas wear rings, earrings, and other jewelry with the stone of the night. Anyway, Black Diamonds of Benito jewelry is a great addition to both a festive and everyday outfit. If you fell in love with Black Diamonds at first glance, check out the Benito jewelry catalog. There definitely is the jewelry of your dreams!