What Is a Chocolate Diamond? | Guide to Brown Colored Gems (2024)

The name chocolate diamond refers to the gemstones mined in most mines worldwide. They are brown-colored, with some having darker tones than others. The range varies from deep brown to unique yellow-brown diamonds. The brown look of chocolate diamonds blends with almost anything you wear. But what most people are intrigued by is its origins.

This jewel is so surrounded by mystery that people often ask, “what is a Chocolate Diamond?” And why is it the most common diamond racked in price with more rare diamonds, such as white diamonds? If that’s your dilemma too, then you scroll down to learn more.

What Is a Chocolate Diamond?

Chocolate diamond refers to the secret diamond industry name given to the brown fancy colored diamonds. It's a brand name for the Le-Vian Group. The Australian jewelers preferred to name them light champagne or cognac diamonds.

How do you sell something high in supply? It's obvious the demand would be low. So you want to play around with words (e.g., champagne, cognac, or call it Le-Vian chocolate diamonds), that will do.

Chocolate diamonds are one of the most common diamonds in the world. In marketing, that means the demand will be low. The gemological institute states that brown diamonds lost their taste (monetary value) back in the 1980s. As a result, their industrial purposes shifted from making chocolate diamond rings to drillers and cutting tools.

But that does not mean you shouldn't buy a brown diamond engagement ring. I like medium to dark chocolate diamond rings with a beautiful golden-reddish appearance. Speaking of colors, what gives the diamond its color?

What Gives Chocolate Diamonds Its Color?

The brown-colored diamonds get their rarity and chocolate flavor from their internal crystal structure. Diamonds are mostly formed about 150-200 km below the earth's surface, and these regions have intense heat and pressure.

The high pressure and heat affect the crystal lattice of a diamond, which results in the formation of different colors. For brown diamonds, these conditions alter the internal graining to only absorb light in the blue spectrum region, giving the stone its chocolate flavor.

The brown diamonds also come in different color variations; some are darker than others and may have hints of golden, greenish, red, or yellow diamond color.

The other colored diamonds, e.g., red diamonds (the rarest diamond), also depend on the intense heat and pressure.

Are Chocolate Diamonds Real or Synthetic?

Not all brown diamonds are real. But yes, chocolate diamonds are real gemstones. They are just brown diamonds that naturally occur.

Are there synthetic chocolate diamonds? Yes, there are synthetic chocolate or, rather, brown diamonds. Did you know that you can grow brown diamonds in a laboratory? You only need to create the right conditions.

It's even possible to change the color of white diamonds to brown by treating them with heat. Heat treatment is also used to deepen the color of some brown diamonds.

The History of Chocolate Diamonds

Chocolate diamonds are taking a foothold on the red carpet awards. Lizzo stepped in for the 2020 Brit awards with brown-colored diamonds. Then in 2019, Scarlett Johansson stood on the flashlights at the Comic-Con International with her 11-carat chocolate diamond engagement ring. But the fame of brown diamonds didn’t start there. It started way earlier.

In the 1980s, when Maureen Muggeridge discovered the Argyle mine. 80% of the mine was chocolate diamonds. At first, the stones didn't sell, and the company focused on selling pink diamonds, which were successful then.

The big shift occurred in 2000 when Le Vian changed their marketing strategy. They introduced the brown diamond with a new name—the light champagne and cognac diamond, spiking a high demand in the market.

By 2007 the company established its trademark, the Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds®, and introduced more collections. In 2014, the company released the palette of Nude Diamonds™. Soon, other designers followed the lead and started incorporating brown diamonds into their products.

However, in 2021 the Australian Argyle Mine depleted its supply. But by that time, Le Vian brown diamonds had already established their brand. There are other chocolate diamond sources across the globe, such as Angola, Congo, Brazil, etc.

The Famous Chocolate Diamonds

The most known chocolate-colored diamonds include:

1. The Golden Jubilee Diamond. Found in South Africa in 1985. The gemstone weighed 755.5 carats. But it was eventually cut to 545.65 carats (109.13 grams). It's famous since it's the largest diamond in the world.
2. The Lesotho Diamond. Mined in Lesotho in 1967. The diamond was reduced into 18 small diamonds plus the famous Lesotho 1, which weighs about 71.73 carats.
3. The Earth Star Diamond. It was mine in South Africa in 1967. It's one of the high-quality brown diamonds due to its bright deep brown color.
4. The Incomparable Diamond. Found in 1984 in Congo by a little girl. The stone weighs 407.5 carats. It's known for its deep yellow-brown color.