The diamond in your ring might be forever but the gems on Diamond Beach in Iceland are fleeting.
The ice diamonds on the black beach are chunks of ice that float down from nearby Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon, part of Vatnajokull glacier national park. ( Are you getting your head around the names?) The ice comes from Breidamerkurjokull glacier. Huge blocks of ice, more than 1,000 years old break away from the glacier and float into the lagoon, then out to sea.
The lagoon is littered with enormous bits of glacier.
If the day had been clear we may have taken to the water in a boat, but it was raining and windy so we passed on that.
Ice diamonds are washed onto the black beach where the sparkling blue, white and transparent ice chunks form gorgeous sculptures. Some are made smooth by the ocean waves and some are rough diamonds. Strolling through a field of diamonds is a delight.
As with many things in Iceland, you will not be alone for the Diamond beach experience. Don’t be put off by that, wandering among diamond ice is magical.
Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon is in South Iceland beside ring-road 1. It is a must see in Iceland.