Are Chocolate and Champagne Diamonds the Same?

Are Chocolate and Champagne Diamonds the Same?

Despite common belief, white diamonds aren’t the most prevalent type of diamond–brown diamonds comprise the majority of natural diamonds, although white diamonds are mined together with brown diamonds. For example, in the Argyle mine in Western Australia, 80% of diamonds mined are brown. Historically, brown diamonds were considered less attractive than other varieties of coloured diamonds, and they have been used less frequently in making jewellery. However, a shift in customer taste has made brown diamonds more valued in recent times.

In the past, brown diamonds had many names, referred to as “champagne,” “cognac,” and “chocolate” diamonds in the jewellery industry. However, the term “chocolate diamonds” is now trademarked and can only be used by one company.

Nonetheless, buyers should know that cognac, chocolate, and champagne diamonds are the same. They have no mining, processing, or geological differences and often come from the same miners. Therefore, there’s no difference between these varieties of diamonds. Interested in exploring champagne diamond rings from Australia? Check out our current collection.

What Are Champagne Diamonds?

Champagne diamonds are a variety of coloured diamonds that are usually brown with a conspicuous tint of yellow. However, they have different hues, ranging from light to dark brown and resembling a champagne colour.

Like the other coloured diamonds, these luxury stones make beautiful engagement rings and jewellery. In addition, their stunning colours make for fancy jewellery with strong character. These brown diamonds have small amounts of nitrogen trapped during their formation–the higher the nitrogen content, the darker the brown colour. Although colourless diamonds typically lose their value as they become darker, cognac diamonds are often sought after because of their natural and unique colour. 

Le Vian, a jewellery design and manufacturing firm, uses the term “chocolate diamonds” exclusively. Essentially, chocolate diamonds are the same as champagne diamonds. Wondering if champagne diamonds are less expensive than other varieties? Click to read our latest article.

What Are Chocolate Diamonds?

In short, “chocolate diamonds” is a commercial term for brown coloured diamonds. They are one of the most naturally occurring diamonds; however, these diamonds are often pushed aside as miners search for traditional white diamonds or other differently-coloured diamonds such as blue, pink, red, and yellow.

Once Le Vian began sourcing brown diamonds from Argyle Mines, the brand called these stones “chocolate diamonds” and trademarked that term. Three decades ago, chocolate diamonds would be crushed to make abrasive granules. Today, they’re part of a rising diamond jewellery trend, and the term “chocolate diamonds” is often used generically by consumers looking for brown diamonds. 

Brown diamonds get their colour from internal graining during diamond formation, caused by irregularities in the stone’s crystal structure. Even before Le Vian publicly marketed brown diamonds, there had been an oversupply of these diamonds.

Chocolate Diamonds Versus Champagne Diamonds 

Although Le Vian owns the “chocolate diamond” trademark, this name isn’t popularly used in the jewellery industry unless you’re referring specifically to Le Vian’s products. Chocolate diamonds are a form of branded diamonds, although they’re just the same as champagne diamonds (with maybe only a slightly darker appearance), and are often sold at premium costs using intelligent marketing strategies to differentiate them from the competition.

In Le Vian’s case, the company emphasises the uniqueness of chocolate diamonds as a method of appealing to women looking for something particularly unique.

To source chocolate diamonds, the company chooses fewer than 5% of all brown diamonds mined in the Argyle mine in Western Australia. Instead, they select brown diamonds with a rating ranging between C4 and C7 on the Argyle mine colour scale. These diamonds lie between medium champagne to cognac in colour, but realistically, the SI clarity ratings of chocolate diamonds are incredibly similar to those of champagne diamonds. 

Final Thoughts

Brown diamonds have many names in the diamond industry–but because the term “chocolate diamonds” has been trademarked, only Le Vian can use this term to refer to brown diamonds. Nonetheless, chocolate, cognac, and champagne diamonds are all the same. There are no processing, mining, or geological differences between these types of diamonds.