What are salt and pepper diamonds?

The term salt and pepper diamonds refer to diamonds that have multiple, easily visible inclusions.

These diamonds can come from all over the world and be cut into any shape, though rose cuts and slices are popular shapes for these stones. They can also be any colour, from D which is the whitest, down to Z and include fancy colours such as yellow and brown.

Typically salt and pepper diamonds cost less than other diamonds, this is because of the marks, or inclusions that they have. The upside of this is that you can go for a larger stone than you might be able to afford if you were going for a diamond with good clarity.

The inclusions inside a diamond are natural and they make every stone unique and arguably more interesting than diamonds without natural inclusions. You can be sure that if you have a salt and pepper diamond it is natural, as all lab-grown diamonds are created without large inclusions.

Salt and pepper diamonds have become a trend in alternative engagement rings and bridal jewellery in the last 10 years. Before this, they were virtually unknown and many would have been used industrially.

Ethical Salt and Pepper diamonds

Salt and pepper diamonds, like all diamonds in the UK must conform to the Kimberley process, though this does not mean that you can be guaranteed they have been ethically sourced. The Kimberley Process was established in 2003 however since then it has been widely criticised and NGOs who supported its created have withdrawn that support.

Salt and pepper diamonds can be found in the same locations as other types of diamonds and therefor the same issues with working conditions, pay, conflict etc can apply to salt and pepper diamonds as they can with any other diamonds.

There are currently no independently validated vendors offering ethically sourced diamonds.

An upside to salt and pepper diamonds now being used in jewellery is that their price has increased. This means that miners can now expect to get a higher price for stones that they find.

How much do salt and pepper diamonds cost?

The cost of a salt and pepper diamonds depends on its size, its colour, cut and transparency.

A stone that is mostly clear but has a few large visible inclusions will be worth more than a stone which has many tiny inclusions. A stone with multiple small inclusions may appear to be grey or milky white because of the way they affect the light that enters the diamond and is reflected out.