Contemporary metal
Black zirconium
Black all the way through the surface
The same oxide process taken to its end point. Heated in air, zirconium forms a genuinely black ceramic surface that is part of the metal rather than a coating over it. Black plating on a steel or tungsten ring wears through at the knuckle within a year or two. This does not, because there is nothing to wear through to.
Right for
- Anyone who has had a plated black ring wear through
- Manual work
- A ring that should look quiet
Wrong for
- Anyone who wants to resize it later
Honestly
Deep scratches can reach past the oxide to the pale metal beneath. It takes a real impact, not ordinary wear, and we will refinish it free.
In this material
9 rings
Relieved black
Black cut back to bright metal along both edges.
Twin groove
Two tones divided by a V cut around the centre.
Hammered black
Struck by hand, so the facets never land twice the same way.
Faceted
Cut into flat planes rather than a curve.
Scattered set
Diamonds flush set at irregular intervals, not in a line.
Colour line on black
One narrow line of real colour through matte black.
Brushed centre, polished bevels
Matte through the middle, bright along both edges.
Stepped two tone
A machined step, black on one level and bright on the other.
Roman numeral
Your date, cut around the whole band in numerals.
Weighing it up
Compare it against something else
Black zirconium questions
- Can a black zirconium ring be resized?
- No. Black zirconium cannot be stretched or cut and rejoined the way precious metals can, and anyone claiming otherwise is describing a replacement. We replace free for life instead, which is the same outcome stated honestly.
- Is black zirconium hard wearing?
- Its surface sits at Mohs 8.5. For comparison, airborne dust contains quartz at Mohs 7, which is why anything below that picks up fine scratches from ordinary wear. This is comfortably above that line.
- Is black zirconium hallmarked?
- No, and it does not need to be. The Hallmarking Act applies to gold, silver, platinum and palladium. Black zirconium is not a precious metal, so no hallmark exists for it and none is required.
- How heavy is a black zirconium ring?
- 6.5 grams per cubic centimetre. Titanium is the lightest thing we make at 4.5 and platinum the heaviest at 21.4, so this sits at the light end of the range.
- Is black zirconium safe for sensitive skin?
- Yes. It contains no nickel, which is the metal that causes almost all jewellery reactions.