Initially people always ask, “What is a Brown Diamond”. Brown diamonds are the most common colour variety of natural diamonds. In most mines, brown diamonds account for 15% of production.
Baumgold Bros. a diamond cutter and fine jewellery importer in the 1950s and 1960s, rebranded brown diamonds in order to entice sales. Names included champagne, amber, cognac & chocolate. Other companies followed and named different shades clove, coffee, caramel, cappuccino, mocha, espresso, cinnamon and even tobacco. This rebranding had some initial success, but ultimately the massive number of names caused confusion in the marketplace.
Our stock at champagnediamonds.store is categorised into 3 colours – C1-C3, C4-C5 and C6-C7 and we carry a complete range of calibrated sizes in each of these three shades.
Make no mistakes, brown diamonds are still diamonds and they are valuable, but within the niche of rare natural fancy-coloured diamonds, brown diamonds are among the most common (along with yellow diamonds) and are the most affordable from all coloured diamonds.
Brown diamonds are the most common colour variety of natural diamonds. There are several causes for the brown colour, including irradiation treatment, nickel impurities and lattice defects; the last is the predominant cause, especially in pure diamonds.
Apart from several brown, caramel, and champagne coloured diamond mining sites in Brazil, Angola, the Congo and Borneo, most brown diamonds and other similarly coloured stones originate from the Argyle Diamond Mine located in North-western Australia. However, the recent closure of the Argyle mine has led to a major shortage of brown diamond supply.
Brown is one of the most common colours in natural-coloured diamonds. Diamonds with natural pink, blue, orange, green, red, and violet body colours are extremely rare. Out of 100,000 diamonds, only a few will have one of the extremely rare colours. The colour can have any intensity between "very light" and "vivid".
As with every other diamond, brown diamonds are evaluated using the 4cs – cut, colour, clarity, and carat weight.
Colour Brown diamonds come in a range of colours, but the darker stones are more popular among consumers. When choosing a brown diamond, consider its hue, saturation, and tone.
Hue refers to the main colour of the stone. There are often secondary hues to a coloured diamond. The hue of champagne diamonds is brown with yellowish tints often referred to as honey coloured.
Tone refers to how light or dark the stone is. For example, champagne diamonds have a light tone while cognac diamonds are much darker.
Saturation refers to how intense the colour of the diamond is. As with tone, the higher the saturation, the more valuable the stone.
For brown diamonds, there are a few different colour grading scales used. We at Champagne Diamonds use the C1 to C7 scale.
C1 – C2
Light champagne colour
C3 – C4
Medium champagne colour
C5 – C6
Dark champagne or cinnamon
C7
Dark brown (cognac)
The other scale is that used by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to grade brown diamonds.
GIA Grading Method
C1 – C2
Letter Grade N-V + Very Light Yellow – Light Yellow
C3 – C4
Letter Grade W-Z + Light Yellow
C5 – C6 – C7
Fancy Brown, Dark Fancy Brown, Deep Brown
What you need to look out for when assessing colour of a Champagne diamond is that the colour is evenly spread across the stone.
Clarity
When it comes to coloured stones, clarity is not as critical a factor as it is for colourless diamonds. This is because the colour of the stone tends to hide the flaws and inclusions that may be present in the stone. As brown diamonds can be quite dark, they hide flaws really well.
What may seem like a glaring flaw in a colourless diamond, would hardly be visible in a brown diamond. What you need to look out for is that the brown diamond is eye-clean, without noticeable inclusions.
Carat
Carat weight significantly affects the price which often exponentially increases along with the weight of the diamond. This is true for all types of diamonds, including brown. This means that a 1 carat brown diamond would be more expensive than two .50 carat brown diamonds.
If you want to get the best value for your money, remember that carat refers to weight and not size. You can buy a stone just under 1 carat with hardly any noticeable difference in appearance but with a considerable difference in price. At champagne diamonds, we ensure our stones are all ideal makes which means your 1 carat stone will not look like a 0.90 carat.
Cut
Cut is a critical factor as it tends to bring out the brilliance of a diamond. This is true for colourless diamonds but not so much for coloured. For coloured diamonds, the importance of the cut is in how it maximizes the intensity of the colour.
Brown diamonds are known to be difficult to cut due to their crystalline structure. If cut expertly, however, they can stun with their beauty.
Fancy shapes generally complement coloured diamonds beautifully. They tend to bring out the best colour of the stone rather than the traditional round brilliant or almost equally famous princess cut.
When shopping for brown diamonds, purchase from a trusted, reputable seller. Finding brown diamonds at your local store may be difficult due to limited options, searching online will give you more options and better prices. CHAMPAGNE DIAMONDS is the best place to buy Brown Diamonds - its inventory consists of fine makes and even colours.
They also cater to all budgets without compromising on the overall beauty of the stone.
Some famous brown diamonds include: -
1. Golden Jubilee, a 545.67-carat fancy yellow-brown diamond
2. Golden Maharaja, a pear-shaped 65.57-carat fancy dark orange-brown diamond
3. Kimberley, a 70-carat champagne coloured flawless diamond
4. Great Chrysanthemum, a 104.16-carat pear-shaped fancy brown diamond.
1. GOLDEN JUBILEE
2. GOLDEN MAHARAJA
3. GREAT CHRYSANTHEMUM
4. KIMBERLEY
They are also a gorgeous alternative for those less traditional brides, who are looking for something a little more edgy. Brown diamond rings are becoming increasingly popular, not only because of their lower price point, but also because of their unique, opaque colour and gorgeous lustre and shine.
The contrast of colour is not only eye-catching but elegant and classy. Brown diamonds look incredible as earrings, especially when paired with bright white diamonds.
Whether paired with white diamonds and/or other colour gemstones, a brown diamond necklace serves as the perfect accessory for just about every occasion. Brown diamond pendants may be less common than other colours, but they should not be.
Brown Diamond Bracelet.
Bracelets using brown diamonds are being seen more and more frequently both on the red-carpet and off.
Not every brown diamond qualifies for the stringent standards of Champagne Diamonds. So what sets Champagne Diamonds apart? We are trained diamond gemmologists with a list of criteria used to source only the best brown diamonds, including considerations such as colour, clarity, size, and cut. The strength of colour is one of the most important factors in determining the value of a natural colour diamond. Champagne Diamonds must have a certain hue, tone and saturation, rating between C1 and C7 on Argyle’s colour scale. Brown diamonds within that range are the richer, deeper champagne colours and correspond to the fancy light browns on the Gemological Institute of America’s colour chart. Champagne Diamonds must have a clarity of SI or higher — our Slightly Included stones are all “eye clean,” so that inclusions are not visible to the naked eye.
One of a kind!
All of our Champagne Diamonds are Unique, Affordable, and Fashionable. Here is why - the colour results from a combination of three different elements — hue, tone, and saturation — and there are millions of combinations of these elements that create each diamond’s look. So, when you get a one-carat Champagne Diamond, all the many possible variations make each diamond unique. This is of course true of all natural-colour diamonds, and it is the reason they are so valued.
Today, women find themselves in a world of mass production, where there are thousands of the same dress and other apparel sold across the world. Trying to stand out from the crowd and achieve a sense of individuality becomes a challenge when you are fighting the tide of mass consumerism. That is why Champagne Diamonds — appeal to women who want to have something as unique as they are.
For many years, women have been limited to certain styles of jewelry and even those styles are not always within their means. Today women want something unique, something different, more daring but elegant at the same time. And that is where our beautiful Champagne diamonds come in.