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You may be surprised in hearing that some scientists believe the origin of a black diamond ring is actually outer space. And you thought Canadian and African diamond mines were far away... A study done recently by a team of researchers at Florida International University in Miami suggests that an asteroid brought black diamonds to our planet billions of years ago, ultimately crash landing in Africa and Brazil.
Let me see if I can explain the science: Black diamonds show a plethora of hydrogen carbon bonds which indicate they formed in a hydrogen rich environment such as outerspace. They also show similarities to nanodiamonds which are found in meteorites. Also, the gas bubbles within the black diamonds would not have been able to form deep within the Earth's crust, where conventional diamonds form. However, this theory is not without controversy and other scientists have different theories to explain the black diamond ring origin, which don't necessarily include space. The origins of carbonados have long puzzled scientists as they don't adhere to the rules of diamond mineralogy, and they don't occur in the usual places where clear diamonds are found
Called carbonado or "black" diamonds, the other worldly stones are described as being the color of charcoal or melted glass as well as full of bubbles. They can weigh thousands of carats and can present in shades ranging from black to grey. They often occur in irregular fragments with a texture varying from compact to porous. Their surfaces are often flawed and only some pieces can be polished and used in jewelry. Unlike the white diamonds typically found with engagement rings, which are single crystals, black diamonds are comprised of clusters of individual crystals, which form its dark color.
Up until recently, black diamonds were used for diamond drills in Brazil but have been marketed as suitable for jewelry as of late. Only time will tell if black diamonds will have a large presence in the fickle jewelry marketplace of tomorrow.
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Jewelry
