Jewellers return to salt and pepper diamonds for a dash of individuality

To the uninitiated, the nomenclature of diamonds that feature inclusions can be confusing. Terms such as “salt and pepper”, “dusty” and even “Dalmatian” are used to indicate diamonds with mottled patterns or milkiness. Such stones tend to be selected more for their aesthetic value than because they are cheaper than a flawless white.

Interest is growing in diamonds that do not conform to the typical grading of the carat, colour, clarity and cut of a stone — the “four Cs”. “There’s a greater appreciation of these types of natural diamonds, as more pioneering jewellery designers use them and consumers seeking stones with personality embrace them,” says Lisa Levinson, UK head at the Natural Diamond Council, a non-profit. She notes that prices have increased but are still more affordable than most other diamonds.

Levinson adds that, according to the journal Science, mineral inclusions in diamonds display the oldest, deepest and most pristine samples of Earth’s mantle, while also providing critical age and chemical information about the planet.

“It’s the first time we’ve worked with this type of diamond,” says Athens-based jeweller Lito Karakostanoglou, who recently opted for salt and pepper diamonds in her 14ct gold Protection ring and whose brand Lito is best known for designs featuring hand-painted eyes. “The smoky tones give the piece a very cool, modern feel, and we love how it wears beautifully on anyone,” she says.

“I believe the salt and pepper diamond market was rocked when lab-grown diamonds hit the market,” says Bear Brooksbank, a jeweller based in Shoreditch, east London. It is an opinion shared by Lauren Wolf and Rebecca Overmann, US-based jewellery designers-cum-founders of showcase events Melee The Show. Both use included stones in their pieces. “As designers, we saw the explosion of salt and pepper diamonds about 10 years ago. What we’re seeing now feels like a second cycle of that trend,” says Wolf.

“With the rise of lab-grown diamonds and a wave of clean, minimalist consumerism, that same fatigue has set in again, and salt and pepper diamonds are back in vogue.”

Lately, London-based Scottish jeweller Ellis Mhairi Cameron — an exhibitor at Melee’s New York and Paris shows — has turned to salt and pepper diamonds because of the “wide tonal range” available. “My clients and I choose these stones for their visual interest, not because they’re at a lower price point than a flawless white,” she says.

So far, Cameron has incorporated these stones into solitaire rings, cocktail rings, trilogy settings and engagement rings, and even a bespoke sgian-dubh (a small knife worn with traditional Scottish Highland dress). “I think the idea that no one else would have the same diamond feels really special,” she adds.

Liberty London and Cameron’s new stockist, 1924 at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, have both selected and sold salt and pepper pieces, and are well placed to shift tastes and perceptions. “Natural flaws are what make them beautiful, and that aligns completely with the ethos of my jewellery,” Cameron says.

“I sourced a particularly moody pear-shaped rose cut for a client in the US; she wanted a dark, almost stormy grey throughout, with very little translucence. At the other end of the spectrum, I recently used small, brilliant cuts as accents in a male client’s wedding band, as an ‘unexpected’ detail and to contrast with my erosive textures.”

Elliot Andre, a London-based radio producer turned founder of jewellery brand EX-A Studio, uses salt and pepper diamonds on a ring destined for The Jewelry Cast, an online showcase for emerging talent. Andre believes imperfection and a subdued appearance, rather than sparkle, appeal more to his male clients.

London-based jeweller Sophie Keegan recalls buying her first salt and pepper diamond in 2009. Today, her statement-making salt and pepper rock ring incorporates a 6ct stone. “I buy the stones that speak to me and that have a good, even display of salt and pepper and liveliness in them,” she says.

Rachel Boston has been working with what she describes as “imperfect diamonds” for well over a decade. Necessity and a desire to go against the grain first prompted her to carve out this niche. “As a young jeweller, I wouldn’t have been able to start with white diamonds in 2012,” she explains. Boston operates an eponymous boutique and workshop in east London, where she meets with her largely millennial and Gen Z clientele, some in search of engagement rings.

Imperfect grey diamonds are a feature of Boston’s distinctive art deco-inspired Grey Halo diamond engagement ring (£8,250), comprising grey tapered baguettes circling a white brilliant-cut diamond. She says, however, that the making process behind it can be “laborious” because of the difficulty of finding enough expertly cut grey diamonds in the right size and colour.

A company targeting that demand is specialist wholesaler Misfit Diamonds. Founded by Ashkan Asgari in Vancouver, Canada, it specialises in imperfect diamonds sold through a roster of international jewellers that it details on its website. Boston began working with Misfit Diamonds in 2019. Today, her customers can order stones she has curated herself from Misfit’s extensive catalogue.

“Misfit offers an incredible range of unique cuts and colours and champions traceability, which is difficult in the diamond industry,” Boston says. “It cuts a lot of Canadian diamonds, which you can trace back to the mine.”

Still, there are purists, some of them gemmologists, who are not fans. “The whole point of diamonds is their ability to sparkle,” is a common refrain. “Inclusions go against this, and so included diamonds were most often used for polishing grit and industrial applications,” is another.

Rui Galopim de Carvalho, who lectures internationally on the history of gemstones and the decorative arts, says: “Historically, there was no such thing as affordable, budget or special-price jewellery, as there was no middle class to buy it. Only gem quality was good enough for jewellery making.”

The use today of included diamonds is more of a 21st-century phenomenon, a generational shift rather like the impact of natural wines on viticulture — something that is not always to everyone’s taste.