Diamonds are famous as a girl’s best friend. And there’s no doubt that chocolate falls second on the line! And the combination of the both – chocolate diamond, it sure has to be great!
As tempting it might be to order one stunning chocolate diamond ring for yourself right away, a little bit of research beforehand is a must. So, let’s dive deep and find out the history behind chocolate diamonds, their rarity, price, and many more. Let’s get started!
What is a chocolate diamond?
So, what are chocolate diamonds? Chocolate diamonds are basically brown diamonds. However, remember that not all brown diamonds are chocolate diamonds.
In simple words, chocolate diamonds are a trademark registered by the Le Vian group, and only those brown diamonds that meet the stringent quality standards set by the company are named chocolate diamonds.
Brown diamonds can range from a shade of very light brown to a dark brown. But Le Vian’s chocolate diamonds tend to be richer and darker brown or champagne in color.
As white and other bright-colored diamonds tend to be too brilliant and flashy, they might be too loud for those who love minimal jewelry and styling. If sleek and modern designs and stones are what you look for in jewelry, you’ll love chocolate diamonds.
The history of chocolate diamonds
Brown diamonds do not have a rich history in the jewelry industry when compared to white or other colorful diamonds. Among the stunning bright-colored diamonds such as pink, blue, yellow, green, and many more, brown diamonds were not considered jewelry items.
Rather, brown diamonds were used for industrial purposes. However, jewelry industries started noticing brown diamonds after the mid-1980s. A new mine named Argyle mine was opened in Australia. 80% of diamonds from Argyle mine were brown.
Nevertheless, brown diamonds, as of time, were still not a popular choice of many. Moreover, good-quality brown diamonds were difficult to find. So, the price remained low and brown diamonds remained suppressed by their vibrant rainbow-colored competitors.
But the year 2000 was a game-changer for brown diamonds. Le Vian, a fine jewelry group, discovered how underrated these precious gems were and decided to trademark high-quality and rich colored brown diamonds as ‘Chocolate diamond’.
These branded chocolate diamonds started grasping the attention of many, and with increasing popularity, increased their price. From red carpets to high-profile weddings, chocolate diamonds have made many appearances to date.
While a gem-quality brown diamond would cost around $1500 per carat in the 80s and 90s, now superior quality brown chocolate diamonds can cost up to $10000 or even more!
The history behind the name ‘Chocolate diamond’
While it’s perfectly reasonable for someone to think brown diamonds are named chocolate diamonds because both of them have the same color – brown, the true story behind the name is somewhat different.
Eddie LeVian, CEO of Le Vian corp, has shared the true story behind the naming with Business Insider.
Eddie had a friend who would always bring him artisan chocolates and explain how chocolates have many special powers, including many health benefits, and how chocoholics are so passionate about chocolates.
Inspired by how chocolates are able to provoke passion and obsession among chocoholics, the main idea behind ‘chocolate diamonds’ is also similar; something that can stir such passion inside of someone.
Where do chocolate diamonds come from?
Diamonds are found all across the globe, and so are brown diamonds. Moreover, brown diamonds are the most common diamonds in nature. Chocolate diamonds, in particular, are mined from the Argyle mine located in Australia.
Are chocolate diamonds rare?
Don’t let yourself get fooled by statements like ‘Brown diamonds are common’, ‘Buying them is worthless’. While these statements are partly true: brown diamonds are indeed common, they are not at all true in the case of chocolate diamonds.
The fact is chocolate diamonds are rare. Not all brown diamonds meet Le Vian’s stringent standards. Le Vian’s chocolate diamonds are one of the most superior quality brown diamonds available commercially, with rich and dark hues, tone, and saturation.
Diamonds, 0.30 carats or smaller, that fall in the range of C4 to C7 in Argyle’s color scale are chocolate diamonds, whereas, for larger stones, the color range is C5 to C7.
Likewise, the clarity standard for chocolate diamonds is SI or better, i.e., ‘eye clean’ and no imperfections visible to the naked eye. Less than 5% of brown diamonds from Argyle mine meet these standards, with the probability of finding chocolate diamonds of 1 carat or more 1 in 10,000.
Even some high-quality diamonds don’t meet chocolate diamond’s standards. So, chocolate diamonds are not as common as many claim them to be. If you’re on a budget, they are a great alternative to other rare colored diamonds.
What gives chocolate diamonds their color?
Excessive heat and pressure under the earth’s surface cause carbon atoms to crystallize, thus, forming diamonds. But in brown diamonds, the crystal lattice is distorted such that they end up absorbing light in the blue region.
A range of brown-colored lights are reflected from these diamonds; some end up looking like cognac or champagne while others impart dark and rich brown light, which when they meet Le Vian’s standard are termed chocolate diamonds.
While diamonds are graded as per D-Z color scale developed by GIA, Le Vian’s chocolate diamonds are graded based on Argyle’s color scale, Argyle mine’s color scale for fancy brown diamonds. The scale ranges from C1 to C7, where Le Vian’s chocolate diamonds fall in the range of C4 to C7.
What to look for when buying chocolate diamonds?
While you can find cost-effective yet high-quality brown diamonds that aren’t chocolate diamonds in the marketplace, identifying them can be difficult. Low-quality brown diamonds are abundant, and you might fall prey to buying low-quality brown diamonds if you’re not careful enough.
So, always buy your brown diamonds from trusted and certified stores. And, if you love the color of chocolate diamonds, we’d highly suggest you buy from Le Vian’s.
How much does chocolate diamond cost?
Brown diamonds are considered the cheapest of colored diamonds, besides black diamonds. Moreover, the cost of bigger carat stones is much cheaper than some other rare diamonds. So, if you’re looking for a big diamond on a budget, brown diamonds might be the best choice for you.
However, when it comes to buying chocolate diamonds, you’re paying for designer jewelry. So, you can expect them to be relatively expensive than brown diamonds.
Chocolate diamonds are the most precisely selected brown diamonds that have gone through a rigorous selection category.
While still cheaper than other fancy colored as well as colorless diamonds, chocolate diamonds cost a bit more than brown diamonds. Good quality designer chocolate rings from Le Vian ranges from around $1000 to $4000.
Are chocolate diamonds a worthwhile investment?
While chocolate diamonds can be one of the best budget-friendly diamond choices, in case, you love the color and the vibe. However, if you’re interested in buying chocolate diamonds as a form of investment, it might not be a good idea.
Firstly, there’s no resale market for chocolate diamonds. And even if you plan on selling them on auctions, sadly, they demand much less attention than the other vibrant colored rare diamonds do.
Though chocolate diamonds are not as common as brown diamonds: only a certain percentage of brown diamonds make it to chocolate diamonds, their market value is still low. So, investing in brown diamonds as a future investment is not a good idea.
What does chocolate diamond symbolize?
Chocolate diamonds are subtle and don’t look too flashy and are known to be the best diamond candidate for people with down-to-earth and modest personalities. Brown diamonds symbolize practicability, stability, and dependability.
How to care for chocolate diamonds?
The first and the most important tip is to take off your diamond ring while doing rough works. Diamonds are strong stones and able to face daily wear and tear. But if your diamond shape is pointed like Pear shape or Marquise shape, there might be chances that your diamond will cheap off.
The next thing you should keep in mind is that your chocolate diamond will require a mild jewelry cleaning session about once a week, especially if you wear it daily. And remember – just mild! Don’t go excessive on cleaning and use abrasive items to clean your chocolate diamonds.
Rubbing alcohol or liquid dish soap and water will work just fine. Moreover, when it comes to colored diamonds, cleaning them in an ultrasonic cleaner or heating them in some sort of cleaner solution is probably not a smart idea.
As for storage, you can store your chocolate diamond just as you would store your white diamonds. No special treatment is necessary.
Summary
As we’ve reached the end of the post, by now, we hope you have a clear-cut idea if or not a chocolate diamond is the best choice for you.
Chocolate diamonds have received a few backlashes for being marketized improperly and having no resale market. But if you absolutely love the color, decency, and if this diamond is something you resonate with, how common the stone is shouldn’t matter at all.
If you ask us, we think that chocolate diamonds are absolutely stunning, despite being treated like an ugly duckling in the jewelry industry. So, go get the diamond of your dreams!
