Set into jewellery by second-century Romans, brown diamonds continue to be celebrated for their warm and luxurious earthy colour. ‘Champagne diamond’ is a marketing term for brown diamonds that exude a prominent golden hue that is naturally brown in lighter shades that resemble champagne. According to the GIA…” Brown is the most common fancy diamond colour and also the earliest to be used in jewellery.
The colour in natural brown diamonds is caused by internal parallel brown grain lines due to distortion of the crystal lattice. Brown diamonds are graded by GIA against brown masterstones. GIA describes a champagne diamond as fancy light yellow-brown or yellowish brown. However, the Argyle Mine has set up its own diamond grading system for these fancy colour diamonds, which ranges from C1 all the way to C7, where C1 is a light champagne colour and C7 a dark colour bordering Cognac diamonds. Today, most Champagne and Cognac diamonds come from the Argyle Mine in Australia, which ceased operations in November 2020 and is now undergoing a comprehensive closure project to restore the natural ecosystem and return the land to the Traditional Owners: the Miriwoong, Gija, Malgnin, and Woolah people.
Champagne and Cognac diamonds have the added appeal of being more affordable than white diamonds offering excellent value for money for brides-to-be and couples looking for a unique diamond with timeless appeal.
