BLACK DIAMONDS - Fact or Fantacy?

These days black diamonds are everywhere.  From camping equipment, tractors, computer software, brake pads, a Manhatten radio station, heavy metal music from Stratovarious, even our own big spending black yuppies are called  “Black Diamonds”. So what happened to the real original black diamond?  The hardest, blackest, most illusive gem that legends and folklore raved about and which often was the quest in adventure films and the crown in a pirate’s loot?  In the past real, natural black diamond gems have always been available to collectors and those fascinated by the unusual. Today the name black diamond is unfortunately used by whoever wants to brand a product, service or market segment.  However, the real thing,  polished black diamonds set in yellow or white, even rose coloured gold jewellery, have become plentiful and available from most jewellers.

Often we hear the question: “What is a black diamond?”

Experts have long believed that there are no true black diamonds and that they exist only in folklore. There are, however, three kinds of diamond that are often referred to as black diamonds.

The most accessible type is a dark yellow or dark brown diamond that has been artificially irradiated to produce a dark greenish diamond that looks black. These black diamonds are difficult to polish and may show polishing drag lines and cracks across facets that are visible to the naked eye. Their girdles are often chipped. They are plentiful and come in sizes varying from a millimeter to a few centimeters that can weigh hundreds of carats. They do not sparkle but are extremely hard and combine beautifully with brown, yellow or white diamonds and are used extensively in jewellery. Most ladies and some men appreciate the lore and mystery of black diamonds and, because they are quite affordable, are often seen on the hand or the neck of today’s fashion icons. Some modern couples discovered that they can afford a large black diamond and preferred it to the small speck of a white diamond that others had to settle for. Their “wow” factor came from the mystery and lore that black diamonds posess.

The only true black diamond is one which does not transmit any light. Even the thinnest sliver (when held up to a very brightest source of light) will not transmit any light. Such diamonds, if untreated, are extremely rare.

Another type of black diamond is called carbonado which is only found in alluvial gravels in the Central African Republic (Congo) and in Brazil.  Carbonados are made up of numerous tiny black diamond crystals that are “welded” into a porous aggregate normally the size of a pea.   Their origin is problematic as they do not occur in Kimberlitic volcanoes which are the normal primary source for most diamonds.  Some scientists believe that carbonados formed in interstellar space when two asteroides collided. Others say that it formed as a result of shock metamorphism during a meteoritic impact at the earth’s surface. An american geoscientist, Dr Stephen Haggerty, proposed that carbonados formed during the explosion of a supernova some 3.8 billion years ago. After drifting through space for about one and a half billion years a large lump fell to earth as a meteor approximately 2.3 billion years ago. During entry into the earth’s atmosphere the carbonado meteor broke up into millions of pieces and fell onto an area in Gondwana ,which would much later split into the Congo and Brazil - the only two known locations for this type of black diamond.

The origin of  black carbonados thus remains enigmatic. When even modern scientist cannot agree on it origin it is no wonder that the alchemists of old and the scribes of fantasy tales attach such significance and value to a small black lump of very hard rock. As they become more plentiful watch out for the new bling – it is based on an old cliché that; “Black is Beautiful”.

Cooking up Gems

Look at the diamond, ruby, sapphire or whatever gem is set in your ring. Beautiful isn’t it? Yes, but is it real, has Mother Nature created it millions of years ago, or did some alchemist cook it up overnight in a laboratory somewhere in the Urals? More than half of all sapphires and rubies that are set in modern jewellery have been created by man. They are still sapphires, still rubies - and often prettier than their natural counterparts - but they can be reproduced at will and are obviously much cheaper than the ones created by extreme earth forces and volcanic temperatures over many eons.

Does it then matter if your gem is natural or synthetic? Not really, both types are equally hard, with similar colour and sparkle and will last equally long. Except that the synthetic ones come at a more affordable price. However, what does matter is how you “feel” about the gem and your emotional attachment with it. Are you the type that does not wear imitations and rather have nothing than own a man made gem that only looks like the real thing? Or are you happy to own a number of synthetic items and enjoy them for what they are? There is nothing wrong with that. But when you thought you bought the real thing and thereafter discover that it isn’t, you lose respect for it and feel cheated - that’s the issue.

Have you been informed that the gem you are buying is not natural, that it has been heated to enhance its colour and that its original cracks have been filled with a glassy substance that my “leak out” under high temperatures? If not, you have the right to be annoyed and angry at your jeweller. By the way, most rough gems are heated at its source in order to permanently improve their colour - an enhancement process which is totally acceptable. Also, gem cutters enhance the rather dull appearance of a rough gemstone by polishing it – and no one even mentions such enhancement. So why bother about all the other types of enhancements that can be used to improve a gem’s beauty? Enhancements such as, dyeing, oiling, bombardment with radioactive alpha and beta particles, filling cracks with a coloured resin to improve its appearance and a legion other processes, some very high tech and still a secret to many? Because such enhancements may not produce a permanent improvement in the gem, while the result of heating and polishing is of a permanent nature.

The next time you look at a beautiful gem, ask the salesperson if it is natural or not and what enhancements were made to it. If he/she cannot give a clear answer, you had better walk away because you do not want your nail varnish remover to also remove the colour from that beautiful turquoise ring you are considering - which it will do if the colour of the turquoise was enhanced with a blue dye. That beautiful mystic quartz with its unreal colours - these unusual colours are often due to a fine film of titanium that has been deposited on the surface of the gem, which with normal wear and tear may come off and render the gem less attractive.

The same goes for your choice between buying a natural or a man made diamond. They are both beautiful, extremely hard and if well cut, sparkle with the same brilliance. But how do you feel about wearing a symbol of love and appreciation if it is not the real thing? The choice is yours, as long as the seller discloses the origin and durability of the gem.

Now would you like to know whether your diamond is natural or your sapphire the real thing? Then contact a qualified gemologist who will be able to set your mind at ease. If it is not the real thing, enjoy it for what it is – a beautiful gem that hopefully did not cost a fortune. If it is real, then appreciate it even more – Mother Nature did not make many of them and is surely not cooking up any more!

My Much Needed Vacation At Present

Please be informed that I am currently away on a much needed vacation at present. However, upon my return I will be inviting you ‘into my lounge’ as it were where you can join me and embark upon an informed journey into the incredible world of investment diamonds, gemstones and jewellery.