Abstract: Detailed are highly durable and abrasion-resistant composite diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings with controllable color ideally, but not exclusively, suitable as decorative coatings for metal substrates, for example. The composite DLC coatings typically include at least a layer of Si-DLC which comprises the elements C, H, and Si, and color choices include light yellow, bronze, copper-gold, burgundy, bluish-black, and black.

Abstract: The invention provides a highly durable and abrasion-resistant composite diamond-like carbon coating with controllable color which is ideally suitable as a decorative coating on electrically conductive, e.g. metal, substrates, including architectural hardware and fixtures made of brass and other metals, jewelry, medical and dental instruments, writing instruments such as pens and pencils, musical instruments, eyeglass frames, cigar and cigarette lighters, automobile hood ornaments and other components, sporting equipment and other products for leisure activities such as golf club shafts, golf club heads, cycling equipment, and fishing and hunting equipment, and other similar electrically conductive substrates. The invention also provides the process for depositing a highly adherent, highly abrasion resistant composite diamond-like carbon coating to metal substrates.