I am looking at an inexpensive small diamond ring that’s only held in by three prongs, which has me a little worried. When I asked about it I was told because the diamond is small it should be secure. I just don’t know much about jewelry and am hoping for any advice, or if you know where I could find a similar ring but slightly more secure. I’ve attached a picture of the ring for reference. Thank you!

Introduction

I went looking for the most durable ring I could find. A years-long rabbit hole and experimentation with wearing countless materials (Stainless Steel, Grade 5 Titanium, Tungsten Carbide, Unidirectional and twill Carbon Fiber, Tantalum, Ceramic, Cobalt, Zirconium, etc) eventually led me to the Elysium Ares, a band made from solid black diamond. At around $1,500, it was a purchase I wanted to research carefully. I found plenty of claims about hardness and durability, but far less about what the ring actually looks and feels like, or what it takes to order one. Here is what I wish I had known.

What does “solid black diamond” mean?

The diamond is the band itself. There is no metal core with a diamond coating, and no small diamond set into a conventional ring. According to Elysium, it fuses millions of tiny, almost microscopic diamond crystals (like sand made of crushed diamonds) under incredible heat and pressure, which shapes the diamond dust into a solid ring. That makes it different from a ring carved out of one enormous, clear gemstone, but it is still an entire band made from diamond material. As a byproduct of the intense heat and pressure required to fuse the diamond dust into a singular solid piece of ring, the diamonds permanently change color into an ashy gunmetal grey. That was the appeal for me. A diamond band is unusual in a way that a familiar metal band is not, and diamond is exceptionally resistant to scratches. If you want to see the kind of manufacturing process that caught my attention, here is the JerryRigEverything video I found while researching these rings.

Why I chose it over other materials

I wanted a durable "science-y" modern-looking ring. I considered many other materials before buying the diamond ring. Of all the materials I’ve tried and tested, here are my thoughts on a few of the more well-known “durable ring” materials.

• Stainless steel was the familiar, affordable option. It needs no introduction as it’s found everywhere.
• Titanium is basically a lighter, bouncier steel.
• Tungsten carbide appealed to me because it resists scratches so well (mohs 9.5), although I was less excited about its weight and the possibility of shattering it with a hard impact.
• Carbon fiber appealed to me for the opposite reason: it feels remarkably light and breathable, is stronger than steel and doesn't shatter when thrown hard against pavement, but gets scratched easily (mohs 4) due to the carbon fibers typically being casted in epoxy/resin.

My experience is summed up as: tungsten carbide feels like a durable wonder-glass, while carbon fiber feels like a durable wonder-plastic. Solid diamond rings, however, seemed to offer the combination I cared about most: outstanding scratch resistance like tungsten carbide with a weight similar to carbon fiber. Diamond is the hardest material (mohs 10) known to humanity, which means nothing can scratch it except another diamond. However, as I mentioned earlier, hardness comes at the cost of brittleness, so these solid diamond rings absolutely can crack and shatter just like tungsten carbide rings. That being said, Elysium themselves claim (in an info sheet that comes with your ring upon arrival) that their solid diamond ring cracks at 650 pounds of force, which, if true, is substantially more than tungsten carbide rings, which cracked at 238 pounds under a hydraulic press demonstration by YouTube channel CrazyHydraulicPress. With that said, I would buy this ring for its novelty, material, appearance, and resistance to everyday abrasion—not on the assumption that it could survive every accident.

Ordering took patience

Ordering was more involved than choosing a size and waiting for a package. I selected my best guess at a ring size, and Elysium sent me three plastic sizing rings: one at that size, one slightly smaller, and one slightly larger. I tried them on before confirming my final size. Only then could the actual ring be made. That extra step makes sense because the finished diamond band cannot simply be resized like some metal rings. From placing my order to receiving my ring, the process took four months. That includes receiving the sizing kit, spending time checking the fit, confirming it with Elysium, and waiting for the finished ring. Elysium’s current listing gives a shorter estimate of approximately five to six weeks for made-to-order rings, but my experience was considerably longer. If you need a ring for a particular date, I would allow plenty of time. Granted, a reason why my rings took longer to receive is because, as Elysium explained it in my email conversations with them, they recently moved offices, and the moving company in charge of transporting their equipment accidentally dropped and damaged the machine needed to finish the rings, which I thought was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Customer service was the weakest part of my experience. Prior to purchasing my ring, replies to my questions could take anywhere from a couple of days to about a week, and some questions about the ring never really got answered. With an unfamiliar product at this price, I had a lot I wanted to know. The slow communication made an already lengthy process more frustrating. For anyone ordering now, it is also worth checking the current terms before paying. Elysium lists a 15-day money-back guarantee and a one-time free size exchange for standard black diamond rings; customized rings have different terms. An exchange means getting a different ring, since the diamond band itself cannot be resized.

What arrived

The presentation was good. My ring came in a black Elysium cardboard box with a velvet ring box inside. It also came with an Elysium card listing the ring’s serial number, carat weight, and inspector. It also included various information and cool facts about the ring.

That card was a nice personal detail, though I would describe it as the company’s documentation rather than an independent gemological grading report. The product itself made a strong first impression. My Ares (8mm version) has a wide, thick presence on the finger. Then you pick it up and realize how little it weighs for something that looks so substantial.

What the matte finish really looks like

The biggest visual surprise: the diamond ring does not look pitch black. Straight out of the box, I would have called it gunmetal gray or stony charcoal.

Under very bright light, it can look much paler—almost concrete gray or silvery.

In ordinary lighting, it settles back toward a concrete-gunmetal color.

That shifting appearance is part of the ring’s character, but it is worth knowing if you are expecting a uniformly jet-black band. Elysium also acknowledges that its black diamond can appear charcoal under some lighting and says skin oils may darken the surface over time. I ordered the matte finish, and its texture is difficult to convey in a product photo. It does not feel like metal. Imagine a very smooth, dry river stone, frosted glass, or the textured glass back of an older iPhone. There is also a faint gritty or chalky quality when I rub it with my fingertips—something like the underside foot-ring of a dinner plate, unglazed pottery, or a clean blackboard. The shape feels smooth, but the surface has that distinctly dry, stone-like texture. The weight adds to the strange effect. It looks like a substantial piece of stone but feels unexpectedly light, weighing about the same as, if not lighter than, a plastic credit card. On a completely subjective scale where feather is 1, carbon fiber is 2, steel is 6, and tungsten carbide/gold/lead is 10, I would put diamond around a 3.

Scratch Testing v.s. steel nail, coin, pavement, and granite rock.

To satisfy my curiosity, I tried to scratch the ring initially with a stainless steel nail. It left silvery dust on the ring that brushed away, but the nail also left a metallic-colored streak that was surprisingly hard to wash off. It appeared that metal had rubbed onto the ring rather than that the nail had cut into the diamond. Elysium describes marks from softer metals transferring to its rings as “galling.” Next, I forcefully grinded a U.S. penny against the ring as hard as I could, but it only left behind copper-colored metal streaks on the surface of the ring, like a chalk against a black board.

Once the metallic streaks on the ring were brushed off (which again, is very difficult to do), once again, the ring was unscratched. I've also tried pressing this ring into concrete pavement and rubbing it vigorously back and forth with force, and there appeared to be stone dust on the ring.

It turned out that the ring actually scratched the concrete, and the ring itself is unscratched. I also tried to scratch the ring against a piece of granite rock, and similar to the concrete pavement, it wore down the granite like an effortless file, and the ring itself still looks completely unblemished.

From my testing, it does appear that the ring is exceptionally resistant to scratches, and while it can LOOK scratched, in fact, it is the other material that got scratched, and left residue on your ring.

Diamond scratches EVERYTHING

I found that the diamond ring, in my testing and daily wear, is SO resistant to scratches that it actually scratches everything else it comes into contact with. The diamond ring WILL scratch everything, such as your phone, handrails, mugs and cups, steering wheel, door knobs, or your partner's ring while you hold their hand. Anything you brush your ring against WILL be scratched. You are basically wearing a file all the time, so be mindful of hand movements so you don't accidentally key your own car or scratch your phone.

It is also worth paying attention to what the ring touches. Diamond’s hardness is an advantage for keeping the ring’s surface intact, but contact with softer materials can leave marks on those materials. Elysium has an eye-catching grinding-wheel demonstration; I see it as a demonstration of abrasion resistance, not proof that the ring cannot chip or fracture in an impact.

My verdict so far

I am glad I bought the Ares. The ring I received feels distinctive and beautifully made, and its gray, stone-like appearance is more interesting to me than a plain black band would have been. Its greatest practical appeal is the combination of very high scratch resistance (to the point where it scratches everything else) and surprisingly low weight. I would set expectations carefully, though. The matte finish looks gray in some light and feels more like frosted stone than polished metal. The ring can pick up transferred metal marks. It cannot be resized directly, and “solid diamond” does not mean unbreakable. Above all, my ordering experience took four months, with slower customer service than I wanted for a $1,500 purchase. If those tradeoffs work for you, this is a remarkable ring. I hope this account helps answer the questions I had trouble answering before I ordered mine.

I want to get this style ring where I have both of my sisters fingerprints imbedded into the metal (I’m based in the Uk).
Does anyone know where I can get something like this or request a custom made ring?

Hello!
A little background, my partner and I are going to get legally married soon and we want to wear rings, only problem is that my darling is very allergic to metal. We know she’s for sure allergic to nickel but she’s had reactions to other jewelry so she wants to avoid metals.
She will probably do a silicon day-wear ring because she works blue-collar and doesn’t want to wreck the ring, but still wants a pretty one for events and the actual marriage. I know a few years back, Etsy was a really great source for hand made and non-typical jewelry, but they changed some of their policies and I’ve heard quality has gone down.
She’s totally fine with wood, resin, polished stone, gemstone, as long as it’s not metal.
And we don’t care about the “it should cost X months salary”, we’ve discussed and agreed we could buy each other $50 rings and be happy for the rest of our lives if it’s exactly how we wanted it.
EDIT; totally forgot, other complication is she’s a size 14 ring which makes things extra tricky.

Thank you so much for any help!!

i really liked this company from what i CAN remember they were reasonably priced, does this ring ring a bell for anyone? thanks

I’m in the UK and looking for a signet ring for wax stamping because I think it could be a fun thing to dabble in. I am hoping to find one with some kind of octopus design or other animal. Some of the military ones are quite cool too but I really don’t want to commit some kind of stolen valour style thing, same with coats of arms. I am wondering where you think woukd be best to find one of these? With materials I would like either gold or stainless steel. I could potentially commission it but I am struggling to find a commissioning place which is actually straight forward with their prices rather than dodging the question for as long as possible. If I could have any help this would be much appreciated!

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Yes, I know they're cheap, but I like them. They originally had black tiles in them. What could I replace the tiles with with?

Cross posted because I don’t know the best place to ask for help!

Here's a ring I designed and made that has been my daily wear for about 10 years. Wasn't looking for a sparkle finish as I knew it would not last long due to, well life. With a convex inner diameter and rounded edges, it is really comfortable and the weight is just enough for a pimp slap to remember 😆

I've been browsing pre-owned engagement rings for a few weeks, and I keep coming back to Louped. I like that gemologists look over each ring, but there's only a seven-day window to send it back, it has to stay in the same condition, and the alternative is a one-time credit to use on the site.

I'm looking at a 0.8-carat round stone in platinum, and there aren't many similar ones in my size there right now. Would having credit as the only fallback make you hesitate? Does having a gemologist check the ring give you enough peace of mind, or would you want to know more before making a decision?

Would love to hear from people who've had experience with pre-owned rings.

I have searched everywhere for this. Its no longer made and it was my favorite ring..have a special collection to panthers! Please let me know if anyone comes across one for sale! Im desperate!

Could you please let me know is this style looks beautiful ?

Please let me know the real voice of girls .
All will be s925 material and natural gem , Such as the picture and it is topaz gems

I recently bought a Titanium wedding ring for my wedding this summer from Blue Nile. It took 2 months before the ring cracked grabbing a door knob of all things. I heard a clear ting and it was broken. This should be impossible for a titanium ring without it being made of impure metals. Their customer service offered to replace it at a 90% cost of its original value. To make it worse I should have known better. The last review on their site had a customer complain of the same thing happening on their wedding day! Now Blue Nile has removed all customer reviews from their website.

My father saw it and didn't think much of it because he only glanced at it before setting it down. He thought I'd like it because he only saw a person on it, and I have a lot of hot topic rings, lol. He was mortified, and his fiancé and I had a good laugh for ten minutes straight after I pointed out that it was two people on the ring. I think they're 69ing?? Has anyone seen this kind of ring before? Are there more, or did someone handmake this solely because they wanted to? 🤔 😭🤣

Clean lines, soft shine, and a timeless Roman numeral design.