Black Diamonds – What Makes a Diamond Black?
Diamonds are found naturally in over 300 different hues in colors ranging from red, orange, yellow, blue, pink, green, brown, white and of course, black. In fact diamonds are found in the greatest number of hues of any gemstone. All natural fancy colored ones are incredibly rare compared to the normally colorless, or white gemstone. And this makes them substantially more expensive. Like all the colored fancies, a natural black diamond has the same crystalline structure and chemical properties as a white one. It is made from crystalline carbon and is the hardest natural substance known to mankind. This means that it cannot be cut or scratched except by a harder diamond. However, the inclusions and impurities contained within the structure of a black diamond make it more likely to fracture and splinter during the cutting process than its white counterpart, although blacks tend to be harder once cut. The color of natural blacks comes from countless microscopic particles of smoky carbon gr