Chocolate Diamonds - Low Color Gemstones Or a Rare and Beautiful Occurrence?
When it comes to diamonds, the general consensus is that color detracts from their beauty and value.
They are perceived to be most valuable when colorless.
Such was the case with brown gemstones.
Once deemed "low color diamonds", these stones are now gaining in popularity.
If you are looking for something unconventional, chocolate diamonds might be for you.
Let's take a look at how these warm colored gems become widely known.
The History Chocolate colored stones have been around for as long as any other diamond and have adorned royalty and authoritarians for centuries.
It is said that cardinal Jules Mazarin, the chief minister of France was a collector of brown diamonds in the 1600's.
In 1967, a 115.
59 carat African pear shape was discovered and reportedly sold for $900,000 in 1987.
In 1997, the Thai monarchy, King Bhumibol was presented with the world's largest faceted diamond named the Golden Jubilee which weighed 545.
67 carats.
Today, these gems can be seen gracing celebrities and stars alike on the red carpet.
The Coloring Browns get their coloring due to tremendous pressure of the earth when they are buried deep inside.
When nitrogen atoms are evenly spaced throughout the stone, the color will vary from canary, or yellow to brown or chocolate.
These atoms absorb blue and green light from the spectrum, which gives them their rich color.
The actual shade is determined by the concentration of the atoms in the carbon lattice within the stone itself.
Chocolate diamonds can be found in the following shades:
Because of this, they were used mainly for industrial purposes.
After a big discovery at the Argyle mine in western Australia during the early 1990's, they were first offered to the trade and marketed as champagne diamonds.
Since they were small and marked with internal flaws, they were disdained by retailers, the gatekeepers of the jewelry industry.
It wasn't until the year 2000, when Eddie Le Vian, of the Le Vian jewelry company introduced a collection of "Chocolate Diamonds" that these gemstones became widely known for their deep color and unique beauty.
The Choices Chocolate stones come in a wide range of styles.
They are available in white or yellow gold settings.
Many pieces feature white diamonds as well, and the contrast between light and dark sparkling gems can look very attractive.
Turquoise and chocolate pearls are also striking additions that can compliment these diamonds.
Indeed, the negative has turned in to a positive, but the best part is brown diamonds are less expensive than their white counterparts, therefore they offer an excellent cost of savings for those on a budget.
With chocolate diamonds, it's not about what's beautiful to everyone else.
It's about what speaks to you and your personal sense of style.
At the end of the day, a diamond is a diamond.
During the mining process, approximately 20 percent of colorless stones are gem quality.
And out of that 20 percent, 1 out of 10,000 is naturally colored.
So are they really low color gemstones or a rare and beautiful occurrence? Evidence would suggest the latter.
They are perceived to be most valuable when colorless.
Such was the case with brown gemstones.
Once deemed "low color diamonds", these stones are now gaining in popularity.
If you are looking for something unconventional, chocolate diamonds might be for you.
Let's take a look at how these warm colored gems become widely known.
The History Chocolate colored stones have been around for as long as any other diamond and have adorned royalty and authoritarians for centuries.
It is said that cardinal Jules Mazarin, the chief minister of France was a collector of brown diamonds in the 1600's.
In 1967, a 115.
59 carat African pear shape was discovered and reportedly sold for $900,000 in 1987.
In 1997, the Thai monarchy, King Bhumibol was presented with the world's largest faceted diamond named the Golden Jubilee which weighed 545.
67 carats.
Today, these gems can be seen gracing celebrities and stars alike on the red carpet.
The Coloring Browns get their coloring due to tremendous pressure of the earth when they are buried deep inside.
When nitrogen atoms are evenly spaced throughout the stone, the color will vary from canary, or yellow to brown or chocolate.
These atoms absorb blue and green light from the spectrum, which gives them their rich color.
The actual shade is determined by the concentration of the atoms in the carbon lattice within the stone itself.
Chocolate diamonds can be found in the following shades:
- Chocolate (pure brown)
- Cognac (deep reddish orange)
- Champagne (warm golden brown)
- Honey (deep orange yellow)
- Cinnamon (light brown)
- Clove (olive brown)
Because of this, they were used mainly for industrial purposes.
After a big discovery at the Argyle mine in western Australia during the early 1990's, they were first offered to the trade and marketed as champagne diamonds.
Since they were small and marked with internal flaws, they were disdained by retailers, the gatekeepers of the jewelry industry.
It wasn't until the year 2000, when Eddie Le Vian, of the Le Vian jewelry company introduced a collection of "Chocolate Diamonds" that these gemstones became widely known for their deep color and unique beauty.
The Choices Chocolate stones come in a wide range of styles.
They are available in white or yellow gold settings.
Many pieces feature white diamonds as well, and the contrast between light and dark sparkling gems can look very attractive.
Turquoise and chocolate pearls are also striking additions that can compliment these diamonds.
Indeed, the negative has turned in to a positive, but the best part is brown diamonds are less expensive than their white counterparts, therefore they offer an excellent cost of savings for those on a budget.
With chocolate diamonds, it's not about what's beautiful to everyone else.
It's about what speaks to you and your personal sense of style.
At the end of the day, a diamond is a diamond.
During the mining process, approximately 20 percent of colorless stones are gem quality.
And out of that 20 percent, 1 out of 10,000 is naturally colored.
So are they really low color gemstones or a rare and beautiful occurrence? Evidence would suggest the latter.
Source...