Cake Jewelry - Edible Diamonds / Sugar Diamonds

Edible diamonds are a great way to add a bit of sparkle to a cake ~ without adding a sparkling price tag.

We all know diamonds are a girls best friend, and sugar diamonds are definitely high on the list of a cake decorators best friends too.

Whether you're after a diamond encrusted look for your cake or cupcake, want to add a bit of sparkle and shine, or want to add a bit of realism to a novelty cake - for example a jewelry box cake holding a diamond engagement ring - sugar diamonds are the way to go.

Beautiful on wedding cakes these edible crystals look great on both sugarpaste and royal icing and can add a real touch of elegance to an occasion.

Edible diamonds are generally made from Isomalt, a low calorie sugar substitute. You can buy Isomalt from good cake stockists and melt it down to make your own diamonds and gems, but as with all sugars you will need to get it to high temperatures to achieve the correct results. So if playing around with sugar at 180C / 390F isn't your idea of fun then buying them is the best option.

Edible diamonds are stocked by many good cake shops and are widely available online.

Always store you edible diamonds in their original packaging and apply them to your cake at the last possible moment. The reason for this is that they can react with moisture and mist over ~ it's not the end of the world if they do and you can get their shine back by painting over the surface with a little vegetable oil (so if you're using them on a cake it's best to take a little bit of oil with you to the location for any last minute touch ups that may need to be done).

 Of course diamonds are not the only edible gems you can make. Isomalt can be coloured so you can make (or buy) a whole range of colored edible diamonds and other sugar gems.

If you can't find the colour gem you want online, and don't want to mess around with melting Isomalt there is another option. Clear and coloured boiled sweets when smashed look like shards of precious stones. Of course you don't get the precise shape of edible diamonds this way, but if you were doing something that required a pile of multi-coloured stones, i.e. a pirates treasure chest cake, then crushed boiled sweets may be a good solution.