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Last updated:  June 2006

If you are looking to buy a black diamond, let us tell you why you should consider Black Spinel instead - the superior choice in black gemstones. Totally natural jet black colour - the way Mother Nature intended.

Black diamonds have become extremely popular in recent times and have a price tag to match. However, there is a totally natural alternative which is actually a better product - black spinel. It looks better, performs better in jewellery and is available in a range of sizes and shapes at an affordable price.  Dont settle for second best - in this case, diamond is definitely not the best choice!

Black diamond is almost always treated to create a black colour using a combination of radiation and heat treatments. If you want to learn more about black diamond treatments including some handy tips on how to identify these gems, read the Diamonds.net article by following the link below.  In fact, these diamonds have been altered so much that they sometimes give a false negative reading when using a diamond/moissanite tester - please note, they are still diamonds but the treatment has altered some of the thermal and electrical conductivity properties of the gem.

Although diamond is the hardest of all gems with a hardness of 10, due to the high level of inclusions present in black diamond which weaken the stone, they can be very hard to polish well, often have surface pitting or inclusions and are usually only available in small sizes. To be perfectly honest, black diamonds often just dont look that great.  Buyers should also ve wary of very large black diamonds at cheap prices without a laboratory report confirming the gemstone identification.

Black Spinel - the superior choice in black

Black Spinel has a good hardness (8.0) making it very suitable for any jewellery.  The consistent nature of the rough allows for putting a great shine on the gemstone without the problem of surface pitting or internal cracking. These gemstones are fantastic in cabochon or faceted form and are available in a huge range of sizes and shapes. Black spinel is extremely affordable and is a rare gem found only in a handful of places in the world. Aussie Sapphire offers you the best black spinel available direct from the miner at reasonable prices - check out our online shop for a selection from our inventory.  If you have a specific requirement, we can custom cut to your specifications ( us any time).