The Inside Story on Chocolate Diamonds®

Chocolate Diamond® jewelry is not only suitable for the red carpet (you’ll spot it on some of your favorite celebs) — it’s become a more common favorite for special occasions and a beloved choice for fans of warm-colored gems as well.

But what’s the story behind Chocolate Diamonds®? Their association with celebrity names and mystery surrounding their origins spark a lot of misconceptions.

Common Misconceptions Surrounding Chocolate Diamonds®

Chocolate Diamonds® are beautiful and rare. Business insider had an interview with Eddie LeVian, the mastermind behind the Chocolate Diamonds® brand. In this article, Business Insider goes in depth on the Chocolate Diamonds® brand, what distinguishes them from regular brown diamonds, and why they are so valuable.

More jewelers have been making an effort to familiarize Chocolate Diamonds® to the public, and spread information on their creation and extraction, but many still don’t know the basics of these beautiful stones.

We’ve pulled together the inside story on these richly-colored brown diamonds so you can easily see why so many celebrities are choosing to wear them and why these diamonds would be a great investment for you.

How Diamonds are Created

Diamonds have always been valuable, even to ancient cultures. Through the ages, countless civilizations recognized the value in these luminescent crystals.

Perhaps we place their value in just how long natural diamond formation takes. Geologists report that diamonds make their way to the Earth’s surface via deep-sourced volcanic eruptions, though other scientists say diamonds were made in part thanks to a variety of things — asteroid impacts, tectonic plate subduction or meteorite crystallization. Whatever the case may be, the process takes a long time and the result is simply stunning. Chocolate Diamonds® really are one of nature’s miracles.

How much are Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds®? 

People can get Le Vian’s Chocolate Diamonds® from as low as $800 to over $10,000 depending on the rarity of the stone. If you want to get as specific as carats, a 1ct Chocolate Diamond® can range from $1k-$5k depending on the stone. The reason why the prices vary is because LeVian takes size and clarity into consideration when pricing Chocolate Diamonds®. For those who don’t know what clarity is, clarity is the quality of a diamond that relates to the appearance of inclusions and blemishes. 

What makes Le Vian Jewelry so special?  

Le Vian Jewelry is made with high standards and must follow their strict rules. Le Vian is a certified member of the Responsible Jewellery Council. The RJC is based in London and they set the standards for responsible sourcing of company supply chains. Le Vian goes through this certification process every 3 years without fail. When it comes to jewelry, Le Vian takes their products very seriously. 

Even though man made diamonds are becoming widely produced in different colors, Chocolate Diamonds® are not, which should retain or increase the value of these natural unenhanced gems.

Where do Chocolate Diamonds® come from?

Apart from several brown, caramel and champagne-colored diamond mining sites in Brazil, Angola, the Congo and Borneo, most brown diamonds and other similarly-colored stones originate from the Argyle Diamond Mine located in Northwestern Australia.

The Argyle Mine produces diamonds with various shapes and colors, but it is primarily known as the world’s most famous source of brown diamonds. The mining site is the only one in the world where diamonds are successfully exploited from a lamproite pipe, instead of the typical volcanic pipe of kimberlite. The process requires miners to venture deep underground, can be very difficult and time intensive, all of which raises the value of these brown diamonds. 

Rare, Pretty-Enough-to-Eat Jewelry

Chocolate Diamonds® are characterized by their specific mineralogical composition, which gives them a set of unique colors and quality. 

Chocolate Diamonds® are not just any brown diamond, but a rare subspecies of brown diamonds that are estimated to be 10,000 times rarer than your traditional white diamond. Chocolate Diamonds® must have a natural color of c4-7 on the Argyle color scale and meet the proportional cutting, hue, tone, saturation and flavor definitions of Chocolate Diamonds®.

Strict Criteria for Chocolate Diamonds®

When shopping for Chocolate Diamond® jewelry, keep in mind that only Le Vian makes jewelry with Chocolate Diamonds® and brown diamonds with other manufacturers and retailers are not Chocolate Diamonds®. 

The Argyle Mine has plans to close in 2020, which means the availability of all brown diamonds, including those that match the strict criteria to be known as Chocolate Diamonds®, will be greatly reduced in the future.

Brown diamonds must meet the specific criteria of licensed manufacturers and standards set by official gem charts. Le Vian® chooses only those natural brown diamonds that are C4-C7 on the Argyle color scale, SI or higher on the GIA clarity scale. The diamonds are then cut to Le Vian’s standards, sourced responsibly, and become branded as Chocolate Diamonds® 

Only 5 percent of mined diamonds in the Australian Argyle Mine meet the strict criteria set by Le Vian.