Do you want to join the jet set?

When Moti Ferder was thinking of ways to mark his 27th wedding anniversary to Idit Ferder, his partner in life and business, the CEO and co-founder of Lugano Diamonds decided to think outside the box. Instead of rose, yellow or white gold, he framed his chosen commemorative white diamond in black ceramic. “What I love most is that it’s a modern interpretation of the traditional anniversary ring,” says Idit. “It resonates with our journey together – adventurous, distinctive, uniquely ours – and symbolises our dedication to celebrating love on our own terms.” 

A selection of black creations are now part of the collections of Lugano Diamonds, which is headquartered in Newport Beach and has boutiques in London, Aspen, Houston and Palm Beach. Among them are a signet-like geometric ring in black ceramic with rose gold, as well as a white-gold ring with an undulating line of fusion and brilliant diamonds surrounded with black ceramic. 

Lugano rose-gold, black ceramic and diamond ring, POA

Fernando Jorge rose-gold, diamond and horn Surrounding Circle earrings, £13,200

From glossy lacquer and ceramic to rare types of wood and darkened alloys, black has become a focus for both independent designers and luxury maisons. London-based Fernando Jorge works with black horn to give an organic feel to his designs, as in the Surrounding Small Circle earrings that spiral from the ear. “When I choose black materials for my pieces, it adds depth and intensity,” he says. Krishna Choudhary, the founder of Santi Jewels, has a one-off baguette diamond-set ring cast from platinum that is then blackened. “It brings a sort of gravitas to the pieces with its weight, and holds a rich lustrous quality even after being darkened,” Choudhary says. “As a colour, if used correctly, black brings a lot of focus on the gems.” 

As a colour, black brings a lot of focus on the gems

For her Warrior collection of fine jewellery, which comprises earrings and pendant necklaces made with ebony and gold, Hannah Martin partnered with a craftsman who was originally trained in carving the wood for musical instruments. “It’s a great material to work in,” Martin says. “It brings a richness, especially when paired with yellow gold – I always like that as a combination.” Black with gold is also at the centre of Pharrell Williams’s collection with Tiffany & Co, Tiffany Titan. Inspired by the shape of Poseidon’s trident, Williams has designed angular pendant necklaces and spiky chain-link bracelets, as well as a yellow-gold and diamond ring with a contrasting black titanium band. 

Cindy Chao diamond Walnut necklace, POA

Messika pink-gold, diamond and onyx Lucky Move ring, £4,330

Cindy Chao recently unveiled a necklace in deeply coloured walnut wood, carved to resemble a tree branch and dotted with oval- and pear-cut white diamonds, like dew drops. The Taipei-based jeweller, whose work features in the collections of institutions such as the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, first started exploring unconventional materials “because I realised the more traditional way of setting could no longer fulfil my creative vision”, she says. “The use of wood, including ebony, walnut and incense cedar, offers pieces an elegant texture.”

Place Vendôme’s brands are embracing the mood too. Diamond expert Valérie Messika has long worked with onyx, while Dior’s Color Dior offering of fine jewellery spells out the house’s famous CD initials in gold, diamonds and black ebony. In Boucheron’s latest high-jewellery collection, artistic director Claire Choisne includes pieces made with obsidian, antique marble and black sand. At Chaumet, artisans have set geometric cuts of onyx in op art-like designs. 

“Black appeared quite early at Cartier, in the 1910s,” says the maison’s image, style and heritage director Pierre Rainero. “It was used as a counterpoint, a way of giving emphasis to the light. It appeared as a shadow.” Today, the Cartier Collection safeguards archival treasures such as a 1914 platinum tiara with white natural pearls, diamonds and glossy onyx.

The brand continues to innovate with black gems and finishes. At this year’s Baftas, both Emma Corrin and Paul Mescal wore Cartier jewellery accented with black onyx from the brand’s Libre Polymorph collection. In Nature Sauvage, Cartier’s most recent high-jewellery collection, the Alae necklace has onyx and diamonds mounted in white gold. “It’s a way to add more life to the colour of the stones,” says Rainero.