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While there’s no competing with the timeless beauty of a classic round brilliant diamond solitaire engagement ring, another stone has been creeping into the bridal marketplace. Rough-cut, and wildly flawed, Earth diamonds (or salt and pepper diamonds) are gaining a following among brides-to-be who want something unusual and very cool. And for those hoping to receive an alternative engagement ring? This is the centre stone they imagine, even if they don’t yet know it by name.

The appeal of these unique diamonds, which tend to be a silvery grey and speckled with visible white and black inclusions, might be lost on consumers who live and die by the Four Cs, but that’s kind of the point. “Our clients who choose Earth diamonds appreciate the raw flaws in the stone because they reveal its natural origins, they’re looking for an undercover stone, something one-of-a-kind that also offers the durability and ‘foreverness’ of a traditional diamond.”

Aesthetics aside, Earth diamonds are also inherently sustainable, a selling point that resonates with eco-conscious millennial consumers. As Jodi explains, “The use of irregular speckled and veined diamonds and diamond slices creates a lot less waste of precious resources. As a result, we’re seeing a design wave of definitively unique jewellery and engagement rings that, by nature, cannot be mass-produced.”

Earth diamonds or salt and pepper diamonds are mostly white, grey or black with ‘salt and pepper’ like flecks. Add to this the sparkling facets of the rose cut shape and you have a truly unique gemstone, reminiscent of a clear night sky. “I first started designing with Earth Diamonds two years ago. I think they are so hypnotic and distinctive and I love how each one is totally unique from the next, with tiny little galaxies trapped inside the diamond. Mother Nature really is amazing.”

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CUT

The rose cut diamond, so named because the facets are intended to look like an opening rose bud, have a flat bottom with a domed top, which allows for a lower profile than a standard brilliant cut diamond with a deeper culet.

Rose cut diamonds are also hand cut, ensuring that no two are exactly alike. Coupled with the fact that they are natural, non-enhanced and feature unique inclusions that give the diamond its own colour and character, it’s easy to see why people favour this unique cut.

Here at Jewels of the Kimberley, we guarantee every diamond from our Earth Diamond Collection to be of natural colour and clarity and true to its grading. These diamonds have been ethically sourced and have not been artificially enhanced or treated in any way.

Our qualified in-house Gemmologist personally selects all of our diamonds and strictly follows the international grading standard developed by the GIA (Gemmological Institute of America). Each stone is unique with different characteristics, some with translucency, others more opaque. Most feature a distinctive salt and pepper matrix and are as they appear when first discovered in the Earth.

We hope these diamonds bring generations of happiness to their recipients. You may wear them with the confidence that they are among the world’s most unique gemstones.