Get This: Black Diamonds

Though light diamonds are still the “I love you” rock of choice (see: engagement rings, stud earrings, Leo DiCaprio’s latest blockbuster), our cynical hearts find their darker, harder-to-come-by-than-true-love counterparts far more soulful. Black diamonds get their striking hues from graphite content, and their fashionably superficial gleam from sharp cuts and highly polished edges. (White diamonds, meanwhile, are transparent and sweetly reflect light from within—in their case, the fewer the impurities, the brighter the shine.) Mined in South America and Africa, the stones—termed carbonadoes by gemologists—are rare, prompting some “enterprising” jewelers to fudge them by darkening lighter specimens with heat. It’s hard for nonexperts to spot a phony, so be sure to pick a trustworthy jeweler.