“It’s hard to be a diamond in a rhinestone world.” ? Dolly Parton
Ah, the diamond. For our last post in April, I thought I’d take a moment to ruminate one of my most favorite gems (and the birthstone for all you April birthday babies). While I can appreciate the sparkling allure of a bright, twinkling white stone, what really spikes my heart rate is the romance of a gray diamond that is naturally flawed, its inclusions elevating it into truly one of a kind territory. Even the descriptions of these stones make me swoon: salt and pepper, champagne, cognac, whiskey, smoke. Heavily speckled, cloudy, moody, and complex, these are the stones that leave me breathless, the jewels that I want to peer into every day and get lost in. Below are some of my favorite “dirty diamonds” from the cases at Esqueleto:-
POLLY WALES The Polaris ring from Polly Wales reminds me of unearthed buried treasure. The rich, golden tones in the center of the stone glow from within as if warmed by the sun, while the murky edges add a hint of mystery.
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REBECCA OVERMANN Rebecca Overmann’s halo ring seems to be a nod to the artist’s hometown of San Francisco: the center diamond a cool, swirling, mystical fog circled by a band of white pave and contained within clean, angular prongs.
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REBECCA OVERMANN Another Overmann masterpiece, this ring’s stone reminds me of looking up at a cloudy sky or staring at a Rorschach test: every gazer will see something different within the diamond’s depths.
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LAUREN WOLF I love the clean, modern setting of this Lauren Wolf design - it perfectly balances the churning, dappled texture inside the stone. Diamonds with these carbon specks are referred to as salt and pepper, but this one, with its delicious zesty hue, must have a bit of nutmeg or saffron mixed in.
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LAUREN WOLF Here, Lauren Wolf takes a classic setting (her signature three diamond ring), and pushes it to the edge, flipping the center stone upside down and flanking it with dark gray, murky side stones. Looking into the elongated planes of the facets from this angle, you can really see the inclusions suspended inside the crystal. The way the light hits it makes it sparkle with an almost metallic glint.