The Champagne of Diamonds
Brown, most common natural-colored diamonds, have uncommon appeal
Mar 24, 2007
Imagine diamonds the color of champagne bubbles, sparkling as they rise up in a crystal glass; or the shade of warm cognac, catching the light at every angle. Or even the sheen of honey and caramel, butterscotch and chocolate, silkily diaphanous as they glow.
The shades and hues of brown diamonds, usually grouped under the category of champagne diamonds, can be light and pinkish-bubbly as the elite, effervescent wine; or dark, rich and spicy as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; but whether espresso-deep or café au lait-soft, their sparkle, fire and flash is as captivatingly warm as the whitest white diamond is cold.
No wonder white diamonds are called “ice.”
But brown diamonds are very “hot.” And getting hotter.
Although they are the most common natural-colored diamond, production in the world’s largest diamond-producing mine, the Argyle Mine in Australia, has been down in recent years, and geologists and miners there have not discovered any new deposits.
And demand for champagne diamonds has increased. In recent years, $5 billion worth of champagne and cognac diamond jewelry has sold annually around the world, meaning these jewels are the most accessible natural-colored diamonds for consumers. As more and more celebrities have been spotted sporting all shades of brown diamonds on the red carpet, the popularity of these natural beauties has been taking off.
Found in Australia, Africa, and Russia, the largest champagne diamond producer is the Argyle Diamond Mine, located in a remote corner of northwest Australia. The mine began producing in 1979 and along with champagne and cognac diamonds, also produces white and all varieties of fancy colored diamonds—yellow, blue, orange, green, red, purple and pink. Brown and yellow are the most common naturally-colored diamonds; red, blue and green are extremely rare, and pink is the rarest. Some brown and yellow diamonds can be irradiated and heated to produce the blue, red, and green shades, but these artificially-created colors are not as valued as the natural ones created by Mother Earth.
Champagne diamonds were created by over 3 billion years of geologic pressure. The compression of the diamond lattice network by tremendous forces deep within the earth is said to have created these gems.
The Argyle Mine has a grading system just for brown diamonds. They are graded according to color, cut, and clarity.
Color
C1-C2—light champagne
C3-C4—medium champagne
C5-C6—dark champagne
C7--fancy cognac
Bad cutting can affect the color of the diamond, so the better the cut, the better the color presentation in the diamond. The amount of color usually outweighs clarity, unless the stone is visibly marked/included.
Champagne diamonds with a secondary pink color are higher-priced than regular champagnes diamonds because they are more rare.
The Natural Color Diamond Association grades brown diamonds according to shade:
Pastels
Cinnamon (pinkish-orangish brown)
Champagne (yellowish brown)
Chocolate (pure brown)
Dark and Deep
Cognac (greenish-orangish-yellowish brown)
Honey (yellowish-orangish brown)
Clove (olive brown)
The largest cut natural-colored diamond in the world is the Golden Jubilee, a 545-carat dark, rich champagne diamond given to the king of Thailand to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his rule. It took three years to cut and polish this stone.
Although brown diamonds have been generally less-valued than white diamonds, if the Argyle Mine doesn’t start producing more of these scintillating golden beauties, the “champagne of diamonds” might become just as prized as “ice.”
