Black Diamonds for Custom Engagement & Wedding Rings
What Is a Black Diamond?
Enigmatic black diamonds defy expectations, glistening with a depth that feels almost alive—recasting engagement rings and wedding bands as unapologetic expressions of who you are at the core. Their inky glow and cosmic origin story make these diamonds offer a compelling way to express love with substance and a unique soul.
Design Your Black Diamond Engagement Ring or Wedding Band
Any Krikawa hand-made, custom design can be customized with a black diamond as the center stone or accent stone. Everything from our delicate solitaires to design-forward, mokume-inspired treasures, and more—we’ll help you bring your ideas to breathtaking life.
Take a moment to browse our unique Engagement Rings, explore our Mokume styles, or Start Your Custom order.
Your custom-crafted black diamond engagement ring or black diamond wedding band begins with a conversation. Once you select your stone, your dedicated design consultant will work alongside you—via phone, email, or Zoom—to refine every detail of your setting, metal, inlay, or side stones.
From diamonds alive with dramatic inclusions to stones shaped into smooth, opaque depth, we’ll help you source the gem that reflects your style.
Types of Black Diamonds
What sets these two types apart is the way they are formed. However, these distinctions only influence appearance and sourcing, not the beauty or legitimacy of the diamond itself:
Natural Black Diamonds (Natural Fancy-Color)
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A natural black diamond, or more precisely classified by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) as a natural-color Fancy black diamond, gets its rich, dark tone from a dense network of microscopic inclusions. These tiny features, often graphite, magnetite, or hematite, create the diamond’s inky appearance without requiring any external treatment.
Because these inclusions are the source of the color, natural black diamonds are not graded for clarity in the traditional sense. To the eye, they read as opaque, but under intense light, you may notice a soft internal glow or subtle translucency in areas between the inclusions. This inner “landscape” is one reason many of our clients find a natural black diamond particularly captivating.
Natural-color black diamonds are considerably rarer than treated stones and therefore command higher prices. They remain a favored choice among collectors and clients seeking one-of-a-kind gems for custom black diamond wedding rings or engagement rings.
Treated Black Diamonds (Color-Enhanced)
Treated black diamonds, also called color-enhanced black diamonds, are the most common type used in jewelry today. These begin as genuine earth-mined diamonds, typically lighter or heavily included, and are transformed through high-temperature heat treatment or irradiation. The process deepens the stone’s appearance to a saturated, opaque black.
Unlike natural Fancy black diamonds, these stones do not exhibit an internal landscape of inclusions when held to the light; instead, they present a smooth, uniform, jet-black surface. Because the rocks are fully opaque after treatment, they are not assigned clarity grades. Their affordability relative to natural black makes them an excellent option for bold designs and larger center stones, especially in modern wedding bands or fashion-forward pieces.
Note: Lab-grown black diamonds are also available in the jewelry market today. Reach out to us as we’re always happy to discuss the broader options available to help you understand the types of black diamonds available before you select a gem.
Famous Black Diamond History and Lore
The Black Orlov
Possibly one of the most famous, this is a 67.50-carat diamond. The legend surrounding the Black Orlov, or the “Eye of Brahma,” was an uncut black stone originally weighing 195 carats, pried from the eye of the sacred Brahma statue in a temple in India, and claimed to have cursed two Russian Princesses: Leonila Galitsine-Bariatinsky and Nadia Vygin-Orlov, the latter whom the diamond was named after.
The Amsterdam Diamond
Weighing 33.74 carats with 145 facets, this pear-shaped gem is another stunning example of an exquisite black diamond. This stone was unmounted in a blue leather fitted case. The diamond was sold at a Christie’s auction on November 14th, 2001, and sources are unclear about who purchased it or whether it has been mounted.
The de Grisogono Diamond
The Spirit of de Grisogono, at 312.24 carats, is a huge gem, the world’s third-largest cut black diamond. It was discovered first as a 587-carat rough stone in the Central African Republic. Bought and cut by Fawaz Gruosi, it was set in a white gold ring with 702 smaller diamonds. And eventually sold to a private buyer.
Black diamonds carry the same powerful symbolism cherished for centuries: endurance, wisdom, and everlasting love. Distinctive lore has long surrounded these dark gems. In the 16th century, legends surrounding black diamonds often centered on mystery, power, and whispers of curses, while today they can represent power, strength, rebellion, and unconventional love.
Where do Black Diamonds come from?
Natural black diamonds (carbonados) are found almost exclusively in Brazil and the Central African Republic—regions that were once connected as part of a supercontinent. Their unique distribution and chemical makeup have led some scientists to propose a dramatic cosmic origin: that these diamonds may have formed in stellar explosions or interstellar space, arriving on Earth inside a diamond-rich meteorite over 3 billion years ago.
Whether born from the intense pressure of the Earth’s mantle or the collision of stars, their mysterious journey only adds to their allure.
Wondering which black diamond will make your partner’s eyes light up? You don’t have to figure it all out alone. Together, we’ll create a custom black diamond engagement ring, wedding band, or full bridal set that feels made just for you.
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