Looking for an alternative to typical gems, shoppers are turning to black stones and natural cuts.
When Sarah Taylor, a 27-year-old law graduate from London, received an engagement ring, she was more than a little shocked, and not only because her boyfriend proposed on a railway platform in northern Scotland on a rainy Monday morning in March. “It was black — a band of tiny black diamonds, set in black gold,” Ms. Taylor said. “When I finally managed to compose myself and look at the ring, it was exquisite.” Her 30-year-old fiancé, Paul Williams, a teacher, wanted to buy something different, so he opted for a black diamond. “Why go for bog-standard solitaire?” he said. “I wanted something out of the ordinary.” – From WSJ
now that’s a diamond! I for sure think colored diamonds can make a real nice alternative. one thing I’ve noticed though is that with a colored diamond it’s impossible to tell the 4 C’s. so you’ll want to look for a grading report from a third party lab like GIA if you were to get a black diamond. there’s a whole section on GIA’s site that talks about colored diamonds and how the reports work. now i just need to save up so i can get one!
I agree about colored diamonds being a nice alternative. Lab grown diamonds (real diamond, not CZ) are now available in yellow and recently blue diamond.
These are another option for real diamond beyond the standard white mined diamond.
(note: white lab growns are not available yet in sizes over .50ct…give it another few years).