Bensons of Ludlow is proud of its reputation as the area's leading diamond merchant. We stock a wide range of diamond jewellery in 9 and 18 carat yellow and white gold as well as in platinum. This includes diamond rings, earrings, pendants and bracelets.



Of particular interest is the 'David Benson Diamonds' range, a selection of diamond rings designed and manufactured in our own workshop. We hand pick only the best quality, conflict free stones for use in stylish and elegant designs.

We can also create your own individual diamond set piece of jewellery using our 'Jewellery Design Service'. David Benson and his team will discuss your requirements in terms of metal, style of setting, and size, price and quality of diamond. We will then arrange to get a selection of stones in for you to choose from. Once you have chosen your stone we will work through our iterative design process to produce your completely unique finished product.



 
Diamond formed at least 990 million years ago and is the hardest mineral on Earth. It is also extremely beautiful with its brilliant fire and lustre. The name diamond comes from the ancient Greek word 'adamas' meaning unconquerable. They were thought to protect from the plague and to protect from evil and are the ultimate symbol of eternal love.



The Four Cs

Diamonds are graded according to the criteria of Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat weight.

Diamonds are found in many different colours including shades of blue and yellow. White or clear diamonds are the most popular and those that have no colour at all are deemed the most valuable as they allow more light to pass through and for the diamond to emit more sparkle and 'fire'.

Clarity refers to how flawless a diamond is. Due to the way in which diamonds are formed (under great heat and pressure), diamond crystals contain internal characteristics called inclusions. Some inclusions are visible to the naked eye; some can only be seen under a glass. The fewer inclusions a diamond contains, the more valuable it is.

Cut is the process of taking a rough diamond and transforming it into a finished gem. A diamond cutter will try to maximise the diamond's natural ability to reflect light, creating as much 'brilliance' or fire as possible.

The carat is the unit of weight used for diamonds. One carat is equal to 0.02 grams. Since larger diamonds are found less frequently in nature, a single 1 carat diamond will cost more than two ½ carat diamonds, assuming the colour, clarity and cut are the same.