Are you wondering about the best place to purchase diamonds on the internet?
In this article, you will get all the information you need to know about buying black diamonds and also answers to frequently asked questions such as:
- What are the unique features to look out for when purchasing black diamonds on the internet?
- Does a black diamond look good on an engagement ring?
- How to know whether the deal you are getting is good or not?
- Some of the warning signs to look for when purchasing black diamonds online?
Where to Buy Black Diamonds Online
Here is a quick list of the best places to get high-quality black diamonds. Keep scrolling to learn more about each of the reputable stores on this list.
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What is a Black Diamond?
In the past, a black diamond was not considered a valuable or desirable piece of jewelry. Today, there are more fans of black diamonds especially when it comes to people who have an affinity to gothic themes and drama. More people prefer black diamonds in engagement rings settings and fashion jewelry.
You need to keep in mind some things when selecting the best black diamond jewelry pieces.
Best Place to Buy Black Diamonds Online
1. James Allen’s Black Diamonds
James Allen has a limited inventory of fancy black diamonds. There are about 10 options of these diamonds to choose from. The reason for this small collection is that black diamonds are not often used as the center stone, thus their low demand.
When customers want to buy black diamond wedding or engagement rings, they usually ask for them in large carat weights.
Unless you want a halo setting, a black diamond stone is not normally desired as a melee stone, it is commonly loved for its dramatic effect.
When buying black diamonds from James Allen, the least you are likely to get is a 1-carat stone and the biggest 5-carats, if it is a real black diamond, you are not going to pay anything more than $10,000.
There are several styles of black diamonds to select from when shopping at James Allen. Black diamonds appear very attractive in a vintage setting because of the dramatic look they exhibit. They even look prettier when the vintage setting is either in milgrain or filgree designs.
Sometimes the black diamonds are put in floral settings with vine detailing that makes them look cute too. Check out the black diamond ring below. You can replace the fancy colored diamonds with an oval black diamond and all eyes will be on you everywhere you go.
Fancy Black
[su_button url=”https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/fancy-color/black/emerald-cut/0.86-carat-sku-14073758?a_aid=twirlweddings” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ef412d” size=”4″ center=”yes” radius=”0″ icon=”icon: shopping-cart” rel=”nofollow”]ON JAMES ALLEN[/su_button]
If not for any other reason, buy black diamonds from James Allen because of their lifetime warranty. The warranty is complementary and takes care of all the routine works that you will definitely need as long as you still own the jewelry, especially if you settle for a ring.
With this warranty, James Allen will take care of white gold rhodium plating, re-tipping of prongs, stone tightening, cleaning, and polishing. Furthermore, if you buy a ring, you qualify for a resizing once in the first year of purchase.
2. Leibish & Co’s Black Diamonds
Leibish & Co. specializes in the sale of fancy colored diamond jewelry online. Among the many-colored diamonds is a collection of 30 varying black diamonds. This collection is also made up of countable pairs of black diamonds. All their diamonds are beautifully colored and not treated.
All the diamonds also have reliable grading certificates from the most trusted laboratories. Leibish & Co. have diamonds that bear high price tags than most other diamond vendors. However, your wallet can accommodate, Leibish and Co. is the best place to shop.
One of the advantages of shopping at this store is that you will get diamonds cut in shapes that step away from the traditional shapes. You get to choose shapes like octagon, lozenge cut or the kites shape black diamond earrings pictured below.
[su_button url=”https://www.leibish.com/black-diamonds/fancy-black-kite-56009#a_aid=twirlweddings” target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ef412d” size=”4″ center=”yes” radius=”0″ icon=”icon: shopping-cart” rel=”nofollow”]ON LEIBISH[/su_button]
If you need the black diamond ring made as soon as possible, this is not be the place since they take about 22 working days to make the ring and have it delivered to your address. They offer free shipping to international addresses, but if you want it shipped faster than normal, you will incur a cost. If you want the ring as an emergency, you can get the order from the 48-hour shipping catalog.
Leibish offers its customers two kinds of product warranties. One is the manufacturer’s warranty that will repair all the faults that arise from the design of the jewelry. The other warranty covers routine metal works like re-tipping prongs, rhodium plating, and tightening stones. None of the warranties repairs or replaces any broken clasps or chains.
Why James Allen is Better: Leibish has a wide selection of loose black diamonds, but James Allen offers better pieces that are budget-friendly, especially for ring settings. The settings at Leibish are pretty too but very expensive since they have 18-karat platinum and gold only. At James Allen you can find less expensive 14 karat gold pieces.
3. Zales’ Black Diamonds
The black diamond selection you will get at Zales is similar to that at Kay’s since both stores are owned by the parent Signet Jewelers. There are some differences between the two stores when it comes to their collection.
Most of the black diamond pieces found in Zales’ collection are from the store’s Disney Villain collection. This special Zales collection is a unique offer of fine high value jewelry particularly made to attract millennials. Below are a few of the black diamond jewelry from the collection:
[su_button url=”https://www.zales.com/3-ct-black-diamond-solitaire-engagement-ring-10k-rose-gold/p/V-20306153″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ef412d” size=”4″ center=”yes” radius=”0″ icon=”icon: shopping-cart” rel=”nofollow”]ON ZALES[/su_button]
All the black diamonds at Zales are color-treated and not 100% natural. The black shade is achieved by using high heat intensities.
You can also get black diamond rings, although most are in a 10K gold setting. It might take longer to have your ring if you want it in a 14K setting. The price of black diamonds at Zales is affordable with pieces going for less than $3,000, whether engagement or wedding rings.
RECOMMENDED: Difference Between 14K and 10K gold
Like Kays, Zales also offers a Lifetime Diamond Commitment warranty. This warranty requires you to get the diamond checked every after six months and the stone will be replaced either with a similar quality or one that is better.
Zales also offers a Lifetime Jewelry Protection Plan that is similar to the Extended Service Plan from Kays. This warranty covers wear and tear, replacing missing stones resizing, and prong tightening.
Why James Allen is Better: at James Allen, you get the freedom to view the loose black diamond to include in the ring through their 360-degree technique. With Zales, you only get to see the diamond only in-store. You have no option but to hope that the diamond you buy online at Zales is the same that will be delivered to you.
4. Kays Jewelers’ Black Diamonds
When shopping at Kays, you get the feeling that black diamonds are just as common as a piece of jewelry made using amethyst. A simple “black diamonds” search at Kays website will yield the results in hundreds.
All black diamonds sold by Kays are treated using heat. Heat-treated diamonds are still real diamonds only that their color has been a little enhanced using high heat levels.
With less than $2,000, you can get a complete black diamond ring at Kays. Their black diamond fashion jewelry pieces are sold for a few hundred dollars.
[su_button url=”https://www.kay.com/black-diamond-ring-114-carats-tw-10k-white-gold/p/V-991111802″ target=”blank” style=”flat” background=”#ef412d” size=”4″ center=”yes” radius=”0″ icon=”icon: shopping-cart” rel=”nofollow”]ON KAY[/su_button]
Kays Jewelers make black diamonds seem common. This is because these stones are real and also treated. The real diamonds are color-treated to make them more appealing but of low quality.
If you want a high-quality real and treated black diamond, you will need to explore the LeVian collection only that you will pay a little extra for the brand name.
There are two kinds of warranties at Kays Jewelers. The first covers the diamonds and specific colored gems if you take your ring or any other jewelry to one of their sister stores for routine repair. The diamond will also be replaced in case you drop it or lose it.
Extended Service Plan is the other kind of warranty. Unfortunately, you need to pay for this warranty. How much you will pay for the warranty is dependent on the kind of jewelry you have. This plan takes care of all routine repairs that the metal may need over time. It will cover resizing, stone tightening, soldering, rhodium plating, cleaning, and any other form of routine service.
Why James Allen is Better: Kay is known to put a black rhodium plate on their black diamond rings to make them seem high quality in melee settings. The truth is, the rhodium will fade after some time and leave your jewelry as dull as it is minus the coat. James Allen does not do this, instead, you get 100% transparency. You will get exactly what you see at James Allen.
FAQs on Buying Black Diamond Jewelry
Is a black diamond good for an engagement ring?
If you have been researching fancy colored diamonds, you probably already know that diamonds are one of the best minerals used to make jewelry. Most jewelers and wearers love diamonds especially for jewelry for every day like wedding bands and engagement rings. For these kinds of jewelry, it does not matter if the diamonds are lab-created, pure natural, or treated natural. However, for fancy black diamonds, the nature of the diamond is very important.
It is very rare to find natural black diamonds that are not treated. If you were as lucky as to find one in the above-mentioned stores, you most likely would not wear it every day.
Diamonds are known to be the toughest and strongest mineral on earth regardless of how many times you bump your hand into things in a day. However, black diamonds are not as strong as normal diamonds are.
The black color in black diamonds is gotten from graphite that is trapped in the diamond, this is what contributes to the stone’s fragility putting it at risk of chipping. If you have a natural black diamond, you need to make sure that the ring is secured in a protective setting such as a flush, tension, or halo setting.
Is a black diamond more expensive than other fancy colored diamonds?
In the past, before the 20th century, black diamonds were not popular and thus there was no value attached to them. A diamond was considered beautiful if it reflected rainbow lights. Lab-grown diamonds and color-treated black diamonds carry an affordable price tag. You can find these diamonds at anything less than $5000.
Real black diamonds are not easily found and can be very expensive. Your wallet will dent even more if you get natural carbonados from Central Africa or Brazil.
Features to Consider When Buying Black Diamonds Online
That you would like to buy black diamond jewelry means you are aware of the 4Cs of diamonds that were decided by the Gemological Institute of America as the best way to grade diamonds. Gemstones also use the same grading system only that they do not have actual grades.
Cut
The best cut that a diamond can have is a round brilliant cut, but black diamonds do not accommodate this. There is no official cut grade for black diamonds.
In most cases, the black diamond’s shape will depend on your preference. If you choose a pear or marquise shape, you need to ensure that the corner points are well protected by putting them in a setting.
The high amount of graphite in real black diamonds makes the jewelry susceptible to damage, if the edges are left exposed, they will break easily. The best settings to use for black diamond protection are halo and bezel.
Color
Using the GIA grading system, a gemstone is more valuable if it has high tone and hue concentration as well as saturation. The same applies to fancy colored diamonds, but not black diamonds.
Black as a color in diamonds does not have tone or hue variations, and thus these factors do not apply when grading the diamond. In fact, GIA does not provide any grading certificates for fancy black diamonds. Their certificates only indicate if the diamond is treated or not and its origin. The report is referred to as Colored Diamond and Identification Report.
The quality of a fancy black diamond is also determined by its saturation. You would not like to buy a big black diamond solitaire ring that is discolored in some areas and looks splotchy. Most of the black diamond engagement rings you will find are nicely saturated. However, most of them are treated to enhance their clarity and color.
Clarity
Black diamonds are not graded for their clarity because they are opaque as a result of the graphite inclusions. GIA does not place them in the traditional scale for clarity, instead, a Colored Diamond and Identification Report is given.
Carat
For most gems, the higher the carat weight, the higher the stone’s price. The price of black diamonds will go up only at an exponential increase in carat weight. As earlier mentioned, James Allen has large carat weight black diamonds at less than 10,000. However, not all black diamonds will match this cost.
Common black diamonds have large carat weights. The largest black diamond known in the world today is the Sergio black diamond that is as big as 3195 carats. This stone is a carbonado gotten from a meteorite and was first identified in Brazil in 1895.
Red Flags When Buying Black Diamonds Online
Buying jewelry online can be very tricky especially when you do not know what warning signs to look out for. When it comes to black diamonds, you need to watch out for certain words that are used to describe the diamond, how the diamond was treated, and the origin of the stone.
It is very rare to find real black diamonds that have not been treated. Not to say that they cannot be found, if you shop from the stores mentioned above, you can be lucky. You can start from James Allen where you will get a 360 viewing technology to critically look at the diamond before you buy. You will get both treated and untreated diamonds.
You need to watch out for any “deals” that are common in social media platforms like Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook. You will come across private jewelry vendors who offer deals online but end up not sending the product or instead send a substandard product. Whichever deal you get, a black diamond should not have a high price like fancy colored diamonds. In fact, it should cost less than $1,000 if it is a real stone with 1-carat weight and not treated. The prices will be different for different diamond cuts, such as cushion-cut black diamond.
You also need to watch out for the term “simulated” when used to describe jewelry. A stimulant refers to any other material or gemstone that is being sold or passed off as a valuable stone. In the place of black diamonds, you will find black moissanite and black onyx stimulants. Boron carbide is a new black diamond stimulant.
The jewelry vendors are required to indicate any imitations, although this is not always the case with online stores. In most cases, you will see phrases like “natural black diamond simulated diamond pendant”. Make sure you always look for the fine print of the jewelry for all the product descriptions.
The good thing is that all the diamond sellers we have mentioned in this article are trustworthy and reputable. You trust that they describe exactly what they sell. Now that you know what each online store has to offer, your decision (no doubt James Allen) should not be a hard one to make.
Get the Best Deal When Buying Black Diamonds Online
Below are some useful tips and tricks to have in mind when shopping for black diamonds online.
Know the Available Treatments
To make your buying experience friendly, you need to know what treatment options are used. You may not be interested in buying an expensive black diamond that is untreated, but you also don’t want to pay more for a color-treated black diamond or a lab-grown black diamond.
The majority of black diamonds come with many inclusions, appear gray, and are of very low grade. Laboratories use high temperature and high pressure to turn the inclusions into graphite. This leads to the diamond having better saturation.
If the diamond is irradiated for color enhancement, it will turn green. The green is extremely dark that it looks like black. If you shop at Kays Jewelers, you will find black diamonds with large carat weights that look green when exposed to light.
Remember, a black diamond that is treated goes for about $300 for each carat. A black diamond that is not treated goes for between $1000 and $3000 for a carat. You notice the big difference, hence the need to inquire about the treatments.
A Grading Certificate is Necessary
There is a variety of ways of telling the difference between a natural and synthetic diamond, although you may not get all the options online. One common way of knowing if a diamond is natural is to vapor it with your breath. Unfortunately, with the prevailing COVID-19 conditions, this is not the best way.
The most appropriate and reliable way to know if the black diamond you are buying is genuine is to ask for its grading report. The retailers mentioned above that deal with untreated diamonds all provide a GIA grading certificate.