What the Heck is a Chocolate Diamond?

Over the last few years, amid the advertisements for diamond eternity pendants, diamond 'love knot' pendants and so forth, advertisements for something called chocolate diamonds have begun to sneak into our subconscious. The chocolate diamond jewelry we see flashed on the TV screen are gorgeous, indeed, but what the heck is a chocolate diamond? Where have they been all this time and where do they come from?

The Evolution of the 'Chocolate Diamond'. The exclusive fine jewelry design house of Le Vian began to heavily market their line of chocolate diamond jewelry back in 2000, and for all intents and purposes, created a clamoring market for chocolate diamond jewelry where there once was none.

What is a Chocolate Diamond? Hold onto your hats, everyone! Chocolate diamonds are simply the ugly stepbrother of the beautiful, crystal clear 'traditional' white diamonds we all know and love. Chocolate diamonds are what are called low color or brown diamonds. Though chocolate diamonds have previously dismissed as less desirable than their clear diamond counterparts because of their brown hue, Le Vian saw their potential and in a stroke of marketing genius, built perceived value in these diamonds by branding their jewelry line of low color, high quality diamonds within a certain color range (C4-C6 on the Argyle Scale) with the chocolate diamond moniker.

Where do Chocolate Diamonds Come From? Though chocolate diamonds can be found in both Africa and Siberia, the majority of the world's chocolate diamonds hail from the Argyle Mine in Western Australia. Of the diamonds originating from the Argyle Mine, approximately 95% are brown diamonds.

Interestingly, though the Argyle Mine is the largest raw diamond producing mine in the world, only 5% of its diamond yield is considered, "gem quality." In addition to brown ('chocolate') diamonds, the mine also produces yellow, white, pink and green diamonds.

As mentioned previously, the chocolate diamonds as used by Le Vian in its line of chocolate diamond jewelry ranges in color from C4-C6 on the Argyle Scale, the color scale for brown diamonds developed by the mine which produces the majority of the world's chocolate diamonds. The Argyle Scale is generally accepted by the majority of gemologists as the industry standard for measuring the color of chocolate diamonds.

Is there a Difference between White Diamonds and Chocolate Diamonds? Remember that the term Chocolate diamond refers only to the diamond's color. As with white diamonds, there are also different factors to consider when purchasing a chocolate diamond. The remaining three Cs of the "Four Cs" of diamond quality (carat, clarity and cut) still play a part in determining the actual value of a diamond, whether the diamond is brown or white or any other color. Hence a brown color or chocolate diamond of high quality can be of higher value than a lesser quality white diamond. As with any other diamond purchase, the smart buyer will make sure to purchase a diamond that has been quality certified by the Gemological Institute of America or the American Gem Society Laboratories so that there are no questions as to the diamond's origins or provenance.

The perceived value of chocolate diamonds has increased greatly over the last few years as the use of chocolate diamonds in fine jewelry designs has escalated and the marketability of chocolate diamond jewelry has become stronger. As the shopping public's eyes have been opened to the beauty and wearability of chocolate diamond jewelry, the demand for chocolate diamonds has increased and so have the prices associated with chocolate diamond jewelry.

Sources:

DiamondVues
http://www.diamondvues.com/2007/08/cognac_chocolate_champagne_dia.html

WiseGeek
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-chocolate-diamond.htm

Le Vian
http://www.levian.com

WikiAnswers
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_chocolate_diamonds

Gemological Association of Australia
http://www.gem.org.au/diamond.htm

Natural Color Diamond Association
http://www.ncdia.com/color-diamond/index.cfm?sh=brown-diamonds

PriceScope
http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=4618